Voice change - what's the cause?

[Diver18]

Dive buddy had 'nasaly' sounding voice, post 80ft dive, which lasted 5 days. Anyone heard of this before? What's the cause?

 

[DandyDon]

We have excellent medical pros who will give you better answers soon (I'm not one), but let me ask: Is this change in sound based on your own hearing of your voice - in which case I'd expect ear probelsm, or do your friends tell you this...??

 

[wreckchick]

Dive buddy had 'nasaly' sounding voice, post 80ft dive, which lasted 5 days. Anyone heard of this before? What's the cause?

It was his dive buddy, not him.

R

 

[Diver18]

When we got back on the boat he sounded like this. It was more like Kermit the Frog - and the nickname stuck for the rest of the dives.

I assumed he had to clear his throat/blow his nose so I didn't pay it much attention. After ten minutes he said to me, I sound funny - do I sound different to you? Obviously, yes! He blew his nose/cleared his throat but there was no change.

He had some boyancy problems and was fighting to stay down for the deco stop. I assumed his position and effort in doing such are related.

 

[PoseidonsGirl1106]

That happened to me a few times....it will go away. I did go to an ENT Doctor. He said it might have something to do with drying out and pressure in your nasal cavities which causes the vocal cords to do that. He says "they are all connected" ....lol.... I hated it! ....kermit the frog is an appropriate comparison.....lol.....but it goes away faster with a moisturizing nasal spray. I tried not to talk!

 

[fisherdvm]

Dry air likely caused it. But if it was a rental regulator, who knows what crud you've picked up.

Last I heard, pharygeal syphillis and gonorrhea are making headlines....

Just kidding....

 

[DandyDon]

That happened to me a few times....it will go away. I did go to an ENT Doctor. He said it might have something to do with drying out and pressure in your nasal cavities which causes the vocal cords to do that. He says "they are all connected" ....lol.... I hated it! ....kermit the frog is an appropriate comparison.....lol.....but it goes away faster with a moisturizing nasal spray. I tried not to talk!

Sorry, still laughing here. :lol: For me to have a voice problem would be a kick, but for a lovely young lady to sound like Kermit - Omg!

Again, sorry :blush:

 

[Dr Deco]

Hi diver18:

I have no specific idea for the voice change, but I would suspect that it is a change in the vocal cords from dry air.

 

[TSandM]

The other possibility I can think of would be sinus barotrauma. A nasal voice is often a sign that the facial sinuses are fluid-filled (think about a bad cold). If the sinuses can't equalize on descent, that would cause edema and possibly bleeding, and the sinuses subsequently would not be air-filled and therefore wouldn't work as resonance chambers.

I would think, however, that this would be uncomfortable enough that most people would notice the problem before the end of the dive.

 

[fisherdvm]

Good hypothesis, TSM....

Dem crazy sinuses certainly can ooze and bleed after somesort of barotrauma. And the post nasal drip can be enough to irritate the vocal cord is another hypothesis.

Sounds like a good case for another ENT... Hopefully, he/she will be better than the last one quoted above.