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Sore throat when speaking

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I have found that whenever I have a need to speak a notch above my normal comfortable low speaking voice, my throat starts hurting and my voice turns raspy. Anyone else experience this? Does anyone know a cause for this problem?
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
@Neik
oh me too...(puts hand up!!)
it happens all the time - I have imagined its all sorts of things causing it but its probably just an ME thing.
I don't even have to put it up a notch - many times I just don't have any voice, clear my throat and my voice comes out all scratchy...... My sore throat is ongoing - comes and goes as it has done since I got ill, I think its related to EBV, but who knows.
 

Hanna

Senior Member
Messages
717
Location
Jerusalem, Israel
If I have to speak a little bit loudly than usual and for a bit too long then I experiment throat pain right after this... and the sensitivity persists for a variable period from hours to days).
Unknown cause though.:thumbdown:
 

Legendrew

Senior Member
Messages
541
Location
UK
I think most people experience this with and without ME so I wouldn't put it down to ME. Perhaps the muscle weakness could manifest in the throat and make people more prone to it happening with less strain but I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
@Legendrew

I never had this before ME. But I don't worry as much about stuff now - not always a good thing though really putting all symptoms down to ME.
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
Me too. For me, if I have to speak louder than I want to, mostly when I'm tired, I try to conserve energy and speak more from my throat vs trying to get air from my lungs since it feels like I have no air in my lungs anyway.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
That happens to me when I am exhausted @Nielk. I get sore in the throat as I have to try harder to talk and use more effort to talk.
I don't talk a lot, talking takes a lot of energy. When I do, I usually talk quietly, softly. But yesterday when I was on the phone to a friend with ME, she said I sounded hyped lol.

I have noticed since having ME, when I have overdone it I can be quite breathy when I talk and I also tend to talk faster than normal and there is a bit of aggressiveness sometimes in my tone. I don't mean to sound like that, but it happens when I have overdone it. I think I am just hurrying to get everything out, that I want to say before my brain shuts down and I become incoherent from exhaustion.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I too find that it takes a lot of effort to talk and I try to conserve energy by not talking too much. It is easier for me to type in the computer than to talk.

Eating also tires me. I notice that I eat fast, just to get it over with so that I can lay down to rest.
 

daisybell

Senior Member
Messages
1,613
Location
New Zealand
I lose a lot of my volume when feeling really tired.
A sore throat and raspy voice is most likely due to the muscles in the voice box working differently - we tend to strain our voices if really tired and can use muscles in the larynx that we shouldn't do... ( I am a speech language therapist so have some professional knowledge about this). Am happy to explain more fully here if you would like or have a private conversation?

I still find that I can't get my voice to work as I would like all the time even with my clinical knowledge, which I find interesting on an intellectual level, and slightly embarrassing on a personal level as a part of me feels I should be able to control it fully ( the control freak part!)
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
I have symptoms like this. I think fatigued muscles in the area are part of the cause.

I think it's related to having chronic infections where some of us get low grade fever on and off and inflammation.

My symptoms are much worse if I have PEM from overexertion in the previous 2-3 days.

They are worse if I am around allergens, such as being outdoors. They were worse when I ate certain foods like milk (which I don't eat anymore).
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I lose a lot of my volume when feeling really tired.
A sore throat and raspy voice is most likely due to the muscles in the voice box working differently - we tend to strain our voices if really tired and can use muscles in the larynx that we shouldn't do... ( I am a speech language therapist so have some professional knowledge about this). Am happy to explain more fully here if you would like or have a private conversation?

I still find that I can't get my voice to work as I would like all the time even with my clinical knowledge, which I find interesting on an intellectual level, and slightly embarrassing on a personal level as a part of me feels I should be able to control it fully ( the control freak part!)

This makes a lot of sense @daisybell - I eel that it does come from some weakness. I have been feeling weaker than my usual lately and this problem gas become greater. Fortunately (or not) I am alone most of the day and do not need to use my voice too much. When my family calls, I usually keep i very short. I am trying to prepare though for my CFSAC comment next week. Is there anything I can do to improve this?
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Funny, I have had this since the beginning. When I was working I would often have a cough drop in my mouth, to sooth my throat, and keep it from getting as hoarse, if I needed to talk for a while. I also never had this issue before becoming ill, and have it all the time now!

GG
 

daisybell

Senior Member
Messages
1,613
Location
New Zealand
This makes a lot of sense @daisybell - I eel that it does come from some weakness. I have been feeling weaker than my usual lately and this problem gas become greater. Fortunately (or not) I am alone most of the day and do not need to use my voice too much. When my family calls, I usually keep i very short. I am trying to prepare though for my CFSAC comment next week. Is there anything I can do to improve this?

There are a few strategies that can help.
  • The first thing is to lubricate- regular sips of water if possible.
  • The second thing I always focus on is speaking slowly. This buys you more time to pause for breath, and tends to stop you pushing on to the end of the sentence when really you should have taken more air in!
  • Thirdly, if you are quiet, then clear articulation helps a lot. It's much easier for the listener if your speech is really clear.
  • My fourth recommendation, but this may not be so relevant in this scenario, is to make sure that the other person can see your face. It's much easier to understand someone when you can see their face. That's why the phone is hard - and why we tend to strain our voices on the phone.
I presume you will have a microphone for the CFSAC comment? If so, at least you won't feel you are under pressure to be louder.

Ideally speaking shouldn't feel like an effort at the level of the voice box - if that is where you feel the effort, it's a sign that the voice box is working too hard. Having said that, this is what we feel when tired and I think it's because we aren't supporting our voices well with air.

I would suggest you have a couple of run throughs of your comment, focusing on a slower rate. Pause at every spot where there is a comma or full stop and take a breath. If that doesn't feel enough, throw in some extra pauses. Breathe every time you pause! If you slow the whole thing, this doesn't sound weird I promise!

I hope that is some help...:)
 

Clodomir

Where is the sun?
Messages
212
Location
Belgium
Hi,

I have the same symptom but I am asking my self about an other explanation why I have sore throat. My muscle between my stomach and oesophagus doesn't "work" anymore... So there is a big hole between stomach and oesophagus: that's why I can't lie on my bed after eating... must stay seated 2 hours min...
Is it possible that, when I am talking, a little bit of acid (from my stomach) go back to my throat and hurt?
What do you think?
This morning, I had to phone to my ex-employer, and now it is hell in my throat...

Have a nice day

Clodomir
 

daisybell

Senior Member
Messages
1,613
Location
New Zealand
Hi Clodomir

In my experience, reflux is often part of the problem. Medication may help, and also it may be worth your while to see a voice specialist...

The larynx/voice box is very sensitive to anything in the immediate area that shouldn't be there, and this can apply to even the air flowing through it being more acidic. So other factors like reflux or strong odours or spicy foods cooking can, if the voice is already susceptible, have a negative impact on how the voice works.

For any voice problem, if you notice that your voice sounds hoarse or significantly different all the time, or you have pain, you should seek a medical opinion.

:)
 

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
Hi Nielk, for about 5 months now I have been dealing with a very raspy "sexy" voice...so I am told...o_O

I have gone to several docs including an ENT. I have a slight cough with it and many times a feeling of post nasal drip. I lose my voice constantly. I just stop being able to speak. I have to whisper or mouth what I want to say.

2 docs both tell me, it's reflux. I am not happy about this because they both want me on prilosec. I had to go on it.

I can't not be able to talk!

Reflux, as I have read, mimics cold like symptoms and causes one to lose their voice. Just a thought. It's super easy to see with the scope they put in my nose and down my throat..even I can see the redness around my larynx that is caused by acid hitting it.
 

Forbin

Senior Member
Messages
966
Yes, I know this well. I developed a hoarse voice within days of coming down with ME. Others didn't seem to notice, but I could feel (and hear) the raspiness in my throat. If I spoke more than a few sentences, I would get a sore throat.

I’m not sure if it’s related, but today my voice instantly becomes “gravelly” if I try to talk at a volume between that of a normal speaking voice and that of a low yell that would carry across a room. Unlike the hoarseness of my normal voice, this change in vocal quality is quite apparent to others. It invariably occurs when I try to talk to someone in an environment with modest background noise, such as in a restaurant.

Strange thing is that this only happens at some mid-range of volume above a normal speaking voice and below a flat out (but not screaming) yell.

I’m not certain that it’s related to ME, but it didn’t happen before I got ill. I suppose it could be acid-reflux as suggested, but I suspect it’s more like a “hand tremor” in the throat that results in a certain loss of fine control of the vocal chords (or something like that...)