VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Mike Harrison]

The septum is a thin wall of tissue that separates our left and right nasal passages. It's very common for the septum to become moved from its center position (usually from injury), and the position can even change over time, leading to occasional or frequent difficulty in nasal breathing... and more (let's leave it at that).

An ENT (or, Otolaryngologist, for those who pride themselves on medical fluency) has diagnosed me with a deviated septum. And, after doing a lot of my own research, I believe it's been causing the symptoms that have caused other doctors to fail at accurately diagnosing (suggesting allergies and/or asthma)... symptoms I've been enduring for just over a decade. Based on what I've read about septoplasty, the realignment procedure will, hopefully, put an end to my symptoms.

But because I feel that monkeying around with things adjacent and related to the sinuses can potentially affect one's voice (and, in our case, livelihood), I am approaching this with great caution. So, if anyone here has had a septoplasty done, I'm curious as to whether you experienced any change to your voice (resonance, tone, etc), and what criteria you used to find your surgeon of choice.

If you have had the procedure done, but would not like to broadcast it here, please feel confident to contact me directly; your privacy will not be compromised.

Thanks!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Gp]

Mike I've had the procedure done. If anything it made things better for me. It took some of the nasal sound out of my voice and made it so much easier to breathe.
Good luck...you'l be fine...you will just be a better you.
PEACE

[Rob Ellis]

I have wondered about this as well....if I close each nostril and force air out(like blowing your nose)....the airflow is noticeably freer on the left side.

It's never really been an issue, (unless I get a cold and get stopped u but my voice is pretty nasal and I wonder if that could be why.

Hmmmm.....

[imaginator]

i had it done...twice...and wonder if i shouldn't have left bad enough alone. there may have been other factors at work (such as age, less physical activity etc), but about the same time as these were done i noticed my projection and endurance qualities started going downhill.

on the plus side, i do have fewer sinus infections than before, so it wasn't a total loss.
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rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog

[Gregory Best]

Very good reesults with septoplasty here as well as sinus surgery.
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Gregory Best

greg@gregorybest.com

[Mike Harrison]

My thanks to all who chimed in with their experiences. I've also been reading a blog of those who have had the procedure done, and most report good a outcome (a couple of the negative reports were posted after only a couple of days following surgery; not long enough for complete healing).

My biggest concern is finding a surgeon who not only has a lot of experience with this procedure, but who can appreciate that I rely on my voice every bit as much as he or she relies on their hands.

Thanks again - and wishes for a great weekend to everyone!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[tackerman]

Good luck Mike. Can't be an easy decision messing with your bread & butter.

[Chrissy]

Mike,

Do you know any singing teachers, speech teachers or speech therapists. Any of these people would most likely know a surgeon to refer you to. My ENT is a classically trained singer so he knows how important my voice is to me.

[melissa eX]

What Chrissy said - my ENT specializes in singers and others who use their voices for a living. He's also the medical director of the MET. PM or e-mail me if you want his info.