Voice

What is it like to lose your voice? An elderly gentleman with a cancer of the vocal cords presents for removal of the larynx or voice box. There is a lot about this case that is interesting from an anesthetic standpoint - securing an airway is challenging because of the mass, decreased range of motion of the neck, and a history of radiation therapy. But I wanted to write about this case because of the notion of voice and identity. After the surgery, the patient cannot talk, though with long-term speech therapy, he will be able to communicate through an artificial valve. This struck me profoundly; I was the last person to talk to him. As we rolled back to the operating room, I asked him about his time in the military, about the job he had for thirty years, about his family. At the time, I was just chatting; a conversation quells the nerves right before surgery. But now I cherish that moment. For so many of us, voice defines. In those five minutes, I learned who this man really was, and I think how brave he must have been to walk into a surgery where his voice would be stripped away.

Image of the larynx shown under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License.