Vocal recovery after bronchitis
davo165
Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 62
Hi guys , just been layed up with a nasty bug which became bronchitis.
I couldn't practice at all fr four days and I still have bronchitis (not as bad as it was)
My question is, I have a gig this weekend and I want to recover my voice as healthily
And quickly as possible.
I had just made a lot of progress before getting sick but I'm still fairly new to programme.
Any tips or advice would be great thanks .
Davo
Comments
Bronchial problems are among the few illnesses that Ken says to rest, rather than try to "sing-through" the illness. So this time, you probably want to rest the voice and hold off, only warming up after you are well, or just before the gig. If you're still sick when the gig comes, you may have to let somebody else carry your vocal load.
For now, be aware that the nasty coughing that happens when you have bronchitis is VERY rough on your vocal cords. Every time you clear your throat or cough, you are scraping your vocal cords together, which will irritate them all the more. Even when it's just a tickle in the throat that makes you keep trying to cough the tickle out, that will continue to irritate the cords.
So go to your doctor and see if you can get something to help you to resist coughing. The less you cough, the sooner your cords will recover.
Take good care of yourself!
Bob
this is the answer I was looking for. Last weekend I caught a nasty cold, after few days I spoke like I had a cooking pot on my head. But I singed through that everyday as usual and I was surprised how my voice quickly overcame this - my range was there, the clarity and resonance too. Until today, when the infection moved to my lungs. I woke up this morning with strong urge to cough and when I started to do my workout later, I ended up fighting this nasty mucus on my vocal cords, like it was sitting on them. I tried to clear my throat several times. It helped at first, but I was forced to cancel the rest of the workout, because it started to deteriorate very quickly. I know my cords were fine and strong, but I rather gave up fighting so much mucus. How much rest should I take, to be in better condition for singing? Is there something that can help me, or speed the recovery process?
Thanks, Sam
@Semi,
You may want to go to the doctor and see if there is anything they would recommend to clear up the mucus. In the past they have told me to get over-the-counter products like mucinex. I really don't like that stuff, but once an ENT recommended it when I had a lingering problem of mucus on my vocal cords. He had me take that stuff for a full month in that case. You really have to drink a lot of water when using that kind of product, and for that matter lots of Water is probably the best thing to help thin that stuff down.
Resist the urge to clear your throat and to cough. That really wears on your cords. Maybe your doctor might help with a cough suppressant to help spare you so much coughing. Resist that urge to cough that tickle out, too.
Bob
I`ll try some mucus-solvants, maybe some garlic and onion as well. And an EXTRA STRONG ginger tea, specialty of mine. It will kill all the bad stuff!
Zinc Lozenges are something Ken often recommends, especially at the first sign of any throat symptoms.
The Garlic is also a highly-recommended fix.
Another, if you are tolerant of spicy things is to dissolve one-eighth teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a glass of water and drink it. It's hot stuff, but it cuts through a lot of the gunky stuff.
I hope you recover soon, Semi!
Bob