Voice change & OSA, CPAP, and MMA Surgery

[satsumass]

Hi,

So I have a question about the tone of my voice.

I hate it. I"ve never liked it, ever since I was a kid and heard myself on recordings. And I don't like it to this day. I had a mild speech impediment when I was a kid, 1st and 2nd grade, I went to speech therapy once a week for my "S", I had a mild lisp. Today, it's medium level (e.g. not very low but not high either) not very resonant, and (this is the part that makes me very self-conscious) some people mistake me for being gay because of the tone of my voice (I'm not). I want to figure out if the OSA, anatomy or anything else contributes to this, and what I can do about it (if anything).

I've been dealing with OSA, diagnosed for 2.5 years, but probably has been affecting me for years before it was finally diagnosed (at Stanford). I'm 34 year old male, about 26% bodyfat (245lbs, a good 30-40 lbs overweight for my muscle level). I use CPAP, though I still have major trouble with sleep duration and quality. CPAP on average is on for 3-4 hours a night over the past six months, my AHI is very low (1.5 max average) however I am almost certain I have UARS that isn't reflected in the numbers. I still feel BAD.

With that background, I'm wondering if I can attribute the tone of my voice to the OSA at all? I went to a tongue therapist and she definitely said I had a very weak tongue, and i'm doing exercises to strengthen it--but my voice hasn't improved tonally or otherwise.

I'm considering getting MMA surgery (not because of the voice) to finally get the OSA substantially resolved. Does the surgery and the change in the architecture of the airaway ever impact VOICE? Could I request that as part of this surgery something be done to alter my voice? Have people who have had the surgery noticed any voice changes post-recovery?

[palerider]

Hi,

So I have a question about the tone of my voice.

I hate it. I"ve never liked it, ever since I was a kid and heard myself on recordings. And I don't like it to this day.

I don't know about the rest of it, but I can tell you that almost NOBODY likes the true sound of their voice, because it's wrong, it's not what they're used to hearing.... you don't get all the bone conduction and tissue conduction and resonances and stuff that happen in your head... which alters the sound you perceive.

you're not along, I don't think I've ever heard anybody say they liked the real sound of their voice better than what they hear internally

[satsumass]

Yes, I know this, I understand....but given the comments I've received in the past, I feel mine is especially incongruent with who I am, and it is not serving me well (and makes me very self conscious about talking sometimes).

[BlackSpinner]

I'm considering getting MMA surgery (not because of the voice) to finally get the OSA substantially resolved. Does the surgery and the change in the architecture of the airaway ever impact VOICE? Could I request that as part of this surgery something be done to alter my voice? Have people who have had the surgery noticed any voice changes post-recovery?

Be very very careful - the real success rate is low, it is very painful surgery and there is a good likelihood that the OSA will reoccur in the future and the surgery wil make it even more difficult to use.

Before you do that what does your data look like?

[satsumass]

What evidence do you have for such statements about *MMA* surgery. I've heard the things you mentioned about the UPPP surgery, but not MMA.
My numbers do not reflect how I feel or the sleep disturbance I deal with. With or without CPAP I sleep only on average 5 hours a night...far too little for my needs. Would like this thread to stay on topic though.

[OkyDoky]

I would work on treating the OSA and finding a way to sleep better. How long have you been on CPAP? Users would try to help if you have problems with CPAP.

I think our voice pitch has more to do with the thickness of the vocal cords and I would doubt this surgery would modify that. You might talk with a speech therapist or an ENT to see if there is something that can be done, but I really wouldn't want to mess with my vocal cords, unless this is something really debilitating for you.

[BlackSpinner]

Any change to the shape of your mouth will change your voice. Ask any singer - it is all part of what creates the sound. Lifting your eyebrows changes your sound.