loss of some top register notes after sore phlegmy throat cold

getdaz

hi everone, a mate of mine was telling me that after a cold , sore throat that he got a while ago that after the cold went away he 's never been able to recover some of his high notes,up to a whole tone or semi tone.is this normal,what could be going on here,and will this loss of some of his  high notes  stay permanent can this be corrected?

please help, 

regards daz.

highmtn

Normally the loss of the upper mids or high chest notes is caused by a temporary swelling of the cords...

We don't know much about the particulars of your friend.  There can be other causes of loss of notes, but each case is individual.  There can be scarring, lesions, etc, but not normally from an illness.

When in doubt, seen a doctor.

Bob

seeker

this has to be utterly preposterous, unless your mate has been infected with some kind of an uber-vocal chords rare terminal disease.

Highly unlikely, before you listen to that, make sure your friend knows what he talks about, is he a vocalist on a regular basis?
It could be that he's just imagining things, I don't see this happening, I'd say your friend either hasn't fully recovered or doesn't know what he's talking about.

highmtn

A couple of years ago I had a sore throat/flu/cold (whatever it was) that lingered a long time, and after which my voice just wasn't quite the same for a LONG time.  A REALLY LONG time. 

A number of people I knew talked about the same symptoms and after-effects lingering, and most of them were not singers.  It was just a really nasty bug that was going around and if you got it, you felt the effects for several months.

For me personally, the upper mids and high chest voice became inaccessible or difficult for much too long.

It wasn't a terminal disease, but recovery was very slow.  There just didn't seem to be anything you could do to shake it off.  Then, a few months later, it was simply gone.

Viruses are going to make their rounds.  Our best defense is to have a strong voice, so that even when it's compromised with a health issue, it will be effectively stronger and our compromised voice will still be able to carry us through our singing obligations with the least amount of setbacks.

I don't think your friend's loss of range will be permanent.  If the loss is due to a cold, there is probably still some swelling on the vocal cords, even though there is no soreness.  It will probably eventually, albeit slowly, dissipate. 

A quick visit to an ENT could provide verification.

Here's to a full recovery of your friend's voice.

Bob

getdaz

thanks for the feed back,yeah its certainly strange all right.

its the loss of the high notes that would bother me.he's not a regular singer much anymore.but he still cant reach those certain notes he used to reach when he does sing.

do you think its only swelling of the chords that cause a loss  in range etc/

getdaz

thanks mate ,much appreciated i will pass it on to my friend.

regards  daz.