Septum Deviation anyone?

Does anyone have this problem?

I have a pretty heavily deviated septum so my left nostril is almost completely closed. It makes me rather sensitive to the slightest temperature changes (nose goes runny immediately), to air conditioning, not to mention the pain when descending in a plane - my sinuses are clogged, my ears start hurting like hell and no matter what I do, I can only wait till it passes a few hours after I land.

I'm considering surgery. It would clear the problems above, but it would also change my voice. It's pretty inevitable I presume, since it opens up the corridor for a whole lotta air and the voice becomes lighter and more open. I don't want that I like my darkish timbre.

Anyone have experience with this?

No thanks, I already have one!

Seriously, I too have a deviated septum, from having had my nose broken way too many times in my youth (martial arts competitions and a couple of serious fights).

My nose does lay to one side a bit, and my left nostril certainly doesn't get much airflow.

However, I don't really have any of the other symptoms you mentioned, and I too am afraid that corrective surgery would change my voice too much at this late stage of the game.

If it becomes a health hazard, I supposed I'll look into some kind of correction, but until then, I'm leaving it be.

It sounds like you have a more difficult time with yours, and you have my sympathies. Not being a doctor or voice "expert", I don't know what advice I could give that would be helpful.

didn't realize it would sound like that

Yeah, my doctor also said that if it's still manageable I should leave it be, and I plan to do so as long as possible. So far so good with nose drops and similar products.

yeah and chronic sinusitis which sucks. ent doc recommends surgery to straighten and reduce turbinates but ive been holding off. turbinates are what naturally humidfies and filters air coming into the nose but with deviates septum according to the doc, enlarges on the side opposite which the septum is deviated to balance out but also enlarges/swells from inflammation from allergies, infections ...

Had surgery over the summer to remove a polyp, straighten the septum and they did a turbinectomy(sp?) while they were in there.

The difference is amazing!!!!! If I had it to do over again the only thing I would do different is that I wouldn't put it off for so long

There is a possibility of it changing your voice, of course. Mine didn't seem to change at all after they fixed whatever they did up there. YMMV.

Seems encouraging. How long did the recovery take before you could start singing again?

I too have a deviated septum which made one nostril pretty useless. I stopped eating things I was allergic to (mainly wheat, but I cut way down on milk products as well), and I had a massage therapist adjust the cartilage in my nose. It was unpleasant (he was up to the knuckle in my snout, with a long, lubricated index finger), but it was quick, the results instant, and it dramatically reduced the breathing problems.

oldMattB

It was a few weeks, IIRC.

Thanx

My suggestion?

Go to Vocalists Direct and order the Sinus Rinse.

It is a great product, a lot of pro singers use them. it helps keep your sinuses open. virtully everyone has a deviated septum. I have one, and once I started using this on a daily basis, it has never bothered me since, and in my case, I had one nostril that would stay blocked for weeks at a time, and there was literally nothing I could do about it. It just would not open up.

If it ships to my corner of the world, I will certainly try it, thanks!

I have a septum deviation too, I'm thinking doing surgery soon, firstly for medical reasons, even though I think it will give more "body" and fullness to my voice (I've tried to open my closed nostril a bit with my fingers, and the result is noticeable) which is something I like, since I (think) I have a rather thin-sounding voice color.

I wouldn't think it would change your voice that much, considering that only a small percentage of the air resonates in your nose (something like 10%, unless you were to intentionally make your voice nasal). Your chest, the inside of your mouth and throat, and your sinuses are where most of the resonation comes from, if I remember my reading correctly. So if the surgery only affects part of what is already a small part of the resonation chambers, it seems like your voice tone shouldn't change noticeably.

I had that surgery, and another one called a 'turbinectomy' for similar nasal blockage problems, and my voice didn't change at all.

If it ships to my corner of the world, I will certainly try it, thanks!

As far as I know, they will ship anywhere. I found that store through Jaime Vendera's webboard - it's owned by one of his students. Whenever I've told people to look for the sinus rinse, they never could seem to find them so as soon as I found out this guy was carrying it, I started promoting his site whenever anybody needed something like that.

I'm actually hoping his store takes off, because this is basically the first "vocalist store" on the internet that I have found; he said he was trying to get mic's and stuff like that, but he said it was too much money for him, so he was going to focus on smaller and hard to find accessories.

Guitar Center and Musician's Enema don't even have vocalist sections in their sites; DJ's even have a section on those two websites and in the GC stores, but not us. Go figure!

Yeah, well, we are a neglected species, I suppose everyone has vocal chords so everyone can sing, no

I hope this takes off too, he could make a nice living out of this. Maybe books and stuff would be a way to go also, mics isn't something I'd buy without trying it out first, and you can get them in any music store mostly.

I'm starting to rant here, nighty night

I went to an Ear Nose and throat doctor when I was around 22. Had surgery on my deviated septum and he cut out a bunch of cartilage. Felt like crap the next day and took a week or more to heal. Hurt like {censored} and had black eyes for a week. Thought I was dying when he pulled the plugs out of my nose. Had no impact on my vocals. (Try stopping smoking if you want your voice to improve). Be prepared for pain if you go for the surgery....

The surgery is a huge benefit to any singer, as your breathing will make a huge turn for the better.

I had polyps removed from my sinuses and a deviated septum repaired early last year. The pain was not too bad as they didn't need to do any deep sinus work (no black eyes). I was able to sing after 3 weeks.

My ENT from Duke Voice Center advised that there wouldn't really be any voice change tonally or range wise, as the majority of the tools that create what most consider the "identity" of the voice are in the voice box.

I would definitely recommend it. Don't think it would change your "dark tone" much at all, but it will give you better breath support and projection. And, if you're like me, you won't get pesky sinus infections that lay you out for a week or more.

Over the years I've had many students with deviated sceptums. This is not a small problem for singers. The range, breath control, quality, stamina and a lot of other things are negatively affected. Here are some things I've learned through experience:

1. Singers who feel they are having any problems with a deviated septum should consider surgery.

2. Doctors often recommend against surgery, but you need to stress to them that you feel the problem is affecting your singing. (It is)

3. After having the surgery my students have experienced very noticeable improvements in all aspects of their singing.

4. As far as losing a definitive vocal quality (dark, rough,etc) there can be a temporary change, but as the mind adjusts to having a much improved "instrument" the singer can regain the uniqueness.

5. If you have the surgery, understand that there needs to be some therapy (a voice teacher is important). This is because you've been having to adjust your singing techniques to make the faulty voice sound good. When your voice is "fixed" you risk continuing the habits you've acquired over time. This is similar to a person having one leg shorter than the other for most of their lives and then surgically correcting this. Therapy is often needed because they continue to walk as if they still have the shorter leg even though the problem is no longer there.

6. If you've experienced any problems with tonsils have the doctor check them. It's a (literal) pain, but it's usually easier to have both problems corrected at the same time. Again, for "normal" people, doctors advise against tonsil surgery, but singers with these problems need to seriously consider fixing them.

al

I had surgery to fix my deviated septum back late November. It is the best thing I have ever done. I wish I would have done it years ago to be honest. I never found the procedure, or recovery to be too bad. What I did find is that my voice did change. I hit the highs with very little effort now, but my bottom end is not so easy to get to. The first night back on stage I was ready to call it quits after the 5th song. I was killing myself and my voice was straining, not to mention pitchy, as I was still trying to hit the notes in the old way.

I went back to singing a little earlier than I should of. I was told 10 days by my specialists receptionist when I called to inquire when deciding to book the gig or not. The day after surgery had a follow up in his office and he told me that I would not be singing for at least 4 to 6 weeks. I said I was back up in 3 and he smiled and said good luck with that.

Back to the point. I have found a huge difference in my voice, tonewise, strength wise and stamina wise. I do still have some challenges to work through after singing a certain way for so many years. I am currently looking into a vocal coach to ensure I am at my best.

Interesting thread. I had surgery in the early 80's for DS and also a "vent" in my right sinus. Very painful (esp when they pulled out like 30 feet of gauze)! But it worked. A few years later I had a polyp removed. All this time singing operatic metal (it was the 80's).

I also have chronic sinusitis and allergies.

Although I went through shots, pills and sprays, I can safely say 2 things had the most beneficial effect on my condition.

a. divorce (reduced stress means relaxes chords)

b. Age.