Vocal Cord Paralysis

I thought paralysis of the vocal cords will just affect my ability to speak. But that’s an understatement.

What is vocal cord paralysis?

Vocal cord paralysis is a voice disorder that occurs when one or both of the vocal cords (or vocal folds) do not open or close properly. Vocal cord paralysis is a common disorder, and symptoms can range from mild to life threatening.

The vocal cords are two elastic bands of muscle tissue located in the larynx (voice box) directly above the trachea (windpipe). The vocal cords produce voice when air held in the lungs is released and passed through the closed vocal cords, causing them to vibrate. When a person is not speaking, the vocal cords remain apart to allow the person to breathe.

Someone who has vocal cord paralysis often has difficulty swallowing and coughing because food or liquids slip into the trachea and lungs. This happens because the paralyzed cord or cords remain open, leaving the airway passage and the lungs unprotected. Source

VCD can feel like straining to breathe through a straw. Some cannot get any air in (or out) at all. Panic and fear of dying from feeling that one isn’t getting in enough air, often causes repeated ER visits or hospitalizations. source

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My left vocal cord paralysis is caused by a tumor at the brain’s jugular foramen affecting the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve has a recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Do you remember how I complained of difficulty breathing in January after coming back from surgery? I even went to the emergency department of UMMC for a chest x-ray. They saw a tumor at my brachial plexus at the first rib that the GP thought was compressing my lungs.

But Dr. Lekovic reviewed my MRIs from December 2009. He said that the tumor at my jugular foramen grew and since it involved the vagus nerve and glosopharyngeal nerve, he advised me to get my vocal cord tested.

Someone referred me to a Neurosurgeon at UMMC who refused to send me for a vocal cord test immediately.

Then, I went to Assunta Hospital to see an ENT who found my left vocal cord not moving.

Now we know why I felt like suffocating.

Thank goodness for the sound judgement of my surgeons – Dr. Lekovic and Dr. Friedman.