Singing voice affected by flare

Hi . I can't personally speak on this issue, but I can tell you that there are a couple of ways that IBD could impact the voice. One is that, if you have had any vomiting or GERD as part of the flare you are experiencing, it could impact your vocal cords. In addition, the inflammation from autoimmune conditions like IBD is systemic. It can impact just about every area of the body. It is possible that, if it turns out you have an autoimmune condition that the inflammation could be impacting your vocal cords or the joint in the throat (the cricoarytenoid joint). Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences and that you get some answers soon. Best, Richard (Team Member)

Hi , in addition to the information Richard shared, I did find two articles/abstracts about how inflammatory bowel disease *may* impact the voice. This study concluded that IBD may have an impact on various qualities of voice, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38185103/. I also thought you might be interested in this journal article from The Journal of Singing titled, "Crohn's Disease of the Voice," https://www.nats.org/_Library/JOS_On_Point/JOS-079-2-2022-189.pdf Of course, only your doctor can determine whether or not your voice changes are related to the gastrointestinal symptoms you're also experiencing.

No matter what is causing the higher notes to be out of tune, I hope that you can get some answers and some relief! I can imagine that it is distressing and/or nerve wracking to find your voice impacted like this, especially if you consider it one of your best qualities. I'm crossing my fingers that your colonoscopy gets you some answers. If you're comfortable, please keep us updated! Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)