# Laryngitis **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222 "2017-12-11T18:26:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/1 "2017-12-11T18:26:17Z")
I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. You are not my doctor, etc., etc. However, if any of you have been through this, maybe you can suggest some things I can ask the doctor to make treatment more successful. I have severe, serious laryngitis. I cannot speak, AT ALL. I am not making it up. I can whisper a little, but according to the interwebz, whispering is the worst thing for your larynx when it is inflamed. I am taking max doses of OTC cough meds (I had Tessalon, but ran out). I am inhaling steam. I am drinking lots and lots of fluids, but avoiding anything acidic, like tea and OJ. I am refraining from trying to talk (not that it would do any good). I called in sick to work today. I am taking NSAIDS. I have been hoarse before, and I have lost my voice for like, 1/2 a day, but I have never completely lost my voice and had it persist for days. I’m on day three. Saturday, Sunday, Monday. I was very hoarse Friday. I had to get my classroom aids to do all the talking when I taught religious school yesterday. It was still my lesson plan, but I had to write notes if I needed to comment. Has anyone ever had a severe laryngitis like this before? I recall having something like this as a teen once, but it was when I still had adenoids and tonsils. That time, I took steroids. I’m going to ask the doctor tomorrow about steroids. Does anyone know of anything else to try in the meantime, or anything else I should ask the doctor about? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/2 "2017-12-11T18:54:08Z")
My daughter had it last year. The doctor prescribed azithromycin, but not a z-pack. Instead of dialing down the dosage every day, it was consistent throughout the course. When we picked it up, the pharmacist said “wow, somebody has a serious infection going on.” (cue maternal meltdown and lots of quality time with my Merck manual, which confirmed that the doctor was correct). So don’t be shocked if you’re prescribed a LOT of antibiotics. The good news is that my daughter got her voice back within 24 hours of starting them. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/3 "2017-12-11T19:22:15Z")
I’ve had this infection since the Friday before Thanksgiving. My doctor gave me a z-pac on the Wednesday before, and I finished it. It seemed like things were getting better, then about two days after I finished the antibiotic, my cough got much worse, and I ran a very high fever (102.2’F). I also started vomiting. I was swabbed for the flu, and it was negative. I was NOT swabbed for strep. The doctor is assuming the infection is viral, since it seemed to thumb its nose at the antibiotics. Who knows? maybe she’ll try a different one. I definitely need more Tessalon. Apparently I am hard to diagnose, because I don’t have tonsils. It’s also possible I had a bacterial sinus infection, and caught something viral right on the heels of it. I work at a preschool, and those little kids are teeming cultures of infections. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/4 "2017-12-11T19:49:20Z")
I’ve had it 2 or 3 times. Once while in high school (cause unknown). Once during the recovery period for a serious case of pneumonia. I remember growing up how my grandmother got it every once in a while, too. Every time it was a self-correcting problem. Go a few days without being able to speak, then it clears up, no medication involved. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Butterfly\_s\_Ghost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_butterfly_s_ghost/32/3462_2.png) [@The\_Butterfly\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Butterfly_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/5 "2017-12-11T22:02:28Z")
Happened to me recently - I had a cold and was a bit hoarse and then, one morning, my voice was just gone. I went to my doctor\* and she told me I just had to wait it out. So for a week I stayed at home, drank lots of tea, had lots of throat lozenges (the ones with hyaluronic acid really helped) and restricted all my conversations to WhatsApp. 😃 I went back to work after a week, but had to call in sick again after a few days as my voice was going again - I’m on the telephone a lot and apparently I started talkin again too soon. It took a couple of weeks before I felt really healthy again. \*Ironically that was the only time the receptionist at my doctor’s office made a mistake (I’ve been going there for decades and am usually very happy with them!) and they forgot me in the waiting room while they were starting lunch. I couldn’t even call attention to myself so eventually I just wandered out of the waiting room and gave my doctor quite a start when she saw me. To add insult to injury they ribbed me (good naturedly - I was playing along with the joke happily!!), saying that patients who can’t talk - and thus not complain! - are the best patients. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/6 "2017-12-12T00:07:24Z")
I had it back in the day, once. Fluids, fluids, can’t say it enough. You probably do need another round of antibiotics and steroids. Good luck! Keep your trap shut. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/7 "2017-12-12T01:55:06Z")
I had no voice at all just a couple of weeks ago. It came back and then went away again. I never had a fever that I’m aware of though and no nausea, thankfully. My doctor just suggested rest, fluids and over the counter cough meds. I felt pretty awful, but I think it’s pretty much gone now. I hope you feel better soon. ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/8 "2017-12-12T02:15:30Z")
I had chronic laryngitis about 3 years ago. In my case, the doc found a polyp on my vocal cords, which they removed. Upon further investigation, they found pre-cancer cells. So 6 weeks of radiation. Then they found cancer cells. So 2 laser surgeries. Then 2 cryo freezing surgeries. I have another surgery for freezing next week. And I STILL cannot talk! I’m only 44, they said it’s probably from acid reflux. My advice is to get a referral to an ENT who can look down your throat with a scope. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/9 "2017-12-12T02:52:24Z")
Bed rest. A day or two. Don’t try to talk. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laryngitis/804222/10 "2017-12-13T00:54:05Z")
My doctor says that right now ENT referrals have about a six week wait, and she sees nothing to suggest that this isn’t caused by an infection. She did give me steroids to see if that will clear it up a little faster than waiting alone, but she said to talk as little as possible, and gave me a work excuse. Work is pretty cool though. They actually like it when people don’t come in and spread stuff around. I took my first steroid around 3pm. I know it would have been smarter to wait until tomorrow morning RE: my sleep, but I just couldn’t wait to get it working on the vocal cords. I didn’t speak at all on Sunday or yesterday, because I literally could not. Today I could croak out a word or two, but only if I was doing what felt like shouting at the top of my lungs. So I reserved it for the brief conversation I needed to have at the pharmacy. I’ve been writing notes on my phone to everyone else. Some people in stores assume I’m Deaf. I really do have to go to work tomorrow, though, because of the yearly Hanukkah show. They need all hands on deck three days a year, and this is one of them. But I don’t think I’m contagious at this point, and I can herd toddlers with minimal talking. Then there’s the staff lunch at the Mexican restaurant. Plus gift exchange. I also have a new Rx for Tessalon, because I ran out of those a few weeks ago.