Preparing for Voice Surgery
Most of the preparation for voice surgery is done long before the date: the training, the therapy summary, the scope. The last six weeks are about something narrower. You want to arrive with healthy vocal folds, a record of where your voice started, and everything in place for a week or more when you cannot speak.
This page is a checklist for that stretch, roughly in the order it comes up, with a packing list at the end. Your surgeon's own instructions come first. Where they differ from anything here, follow theirs.
The first weeks go best for people who have planned the silence in detail. That is the thread running through most of what follows.
On this page
Six weeks or more before
Stop nicotine, if you use it. Smoking and vaping irritate the vocal folds and slow healing, and most surgeons want you off nicotine for weeks before surgery and after it. The stop date is the one item you cannot fix in the last few days. Smoking, reflux and laryngeal health explains how long surgeons usually ask for.
Take reflux seriously. Acid that reaches the throat inflames the folds and can affect how a glottoplasty heals. If you have been prescribed reflux treatment, take it as directed, and ask whether the surgeon wants you on it before and after the operation.
Book the time off. One to three weeks for a job that does not use your voice, longer for one that does. Time off work and help at home covers what to tell your employer.
Book your therapy after surgery. Ask your therapist to hold a session for the week your surgeon expects you to start speaking again, and regular sessions after that.
Two to four weeks before
Record your baseline. Record yourself reading the same short passage, speaking freely for a minute, and sliding from your lowest to highest note. Do it in a quiet room with the same phone you will use afterwards. Your therapist may record you too. In the months after surgery, when the voice sounds strange and progress is slow, these recordings are what tell you how far you have actually come.
Check your medicines. Some medicines and supplements affect bleeding, including aspirin, ibuprofen and similar painkillers, fish oil and some herbal remedies. Give the surgeon a full list, including hormones, and ask what to stop and when. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking whoever prescribed it.
Look after your voice. No shouting at concerts, no long nights in loud bars, no singing until you are hoarse. You want to arrive with folds in the best condition you can manage, not recovering from a weekend.
Get the paperwork in order. Make sure the surgeon has your therapy summary, any letter they need and your latest scope report. If an insurer is involved, check the authorisation is still valid for your date.
Two weeks before
Spend one full day at home without speaking, using only the notepad and phone apps you plan to rely on. You will find out quickly what you have not planned for, and it is much easier to fix now than in the week itself.
Setting up for the silence
After a glottoplasty, around a week of complete voice rest is typical: no talking, no whispering, no humming. Other operations have their own protocols, often similar. Ask for yours in writing now, so you can plan to it.
- A notepad and pens, or a small whiteboard, for quick conversations at home
- A text-to-speech app on your phone, tested and set up with a voice you can stand
- A printed card that says you have had throat surgery and cannot speak, for shops, taxis and the door
- A message ready to send to the people who will want to ring you
- Delivery apps and online accounts set up, so food and essentials do not need a phone call
- Someone who can make the calls you cannot, such as the pharmacy, the doctor or the bank
Think about the reflexes, too. Saying thank you, answering "how are you", laughing at the television and calling out to a pet are the ones people say catch them out. Telling the people you live with what to expect helps them not to ask you questions that need an answer.
The last few days
Avoid colds. A cold, sore throat or chest infection close to the date is one of the commonest reasons voice surgery is postponed, because coughing after surgery is a real risk to the result and an inflamed airway is harder to operate on. Wash your hands, keep away from anyone obviously ill, and tell the surgeon's team straight away if you start to feel unwell. A postponed date is far better than a cough in the silent week.
Rest your voice. Many surgeons ask you to talk less in the days before. It is good practice for what is coming.
Follow the fasting instructions you are given for the anaesthetic, and arrange for someone to take you home and stay with you for the first night if you are a day case.
What to pack
Most voice operations mean a day case or one or two nights in hospital, so the hospital bag is small. The bigger list is for the silent week and, if you are travelling, the stay.
For the hospital: your notepad and pens, phone and a long charging cable, the printed voice rest card, a list of your medicines, comfortable clothes with a loose neckline, lip balm, and something to read or watch with headphones. Bring your own pillow if you can; many people find sleeping propped up more comfortable.
For the silent week: throat lozenges if your surgeon allows them, a humidifier or a bowl for steam if they recommend it, a large water bottle, soft foods that do not need a lot of chewing, and whatever reflux treatment you have been prescribed. Loose scarves help after any operation through the neck.
If you are travelling: copies of your therapy summary and scope report, the surgeon's written protocol, travel insurance details, and cards with the phrases you will need on the journey home. Travelling abroad for voice surgery covers the flight.
Frequently asked questions
What should I stop taking before voice surgery?
Commonly nicotine, and medicines that affect bleeding such as aspirin, ibuprofen and fish oil. Ask your surgeon for their list and timing. See two to four weeks before.
What happens if I get a cold before voice surgery?
Tell the surgeon's team straight away. Surgery is often postponed for a cold or chest infection, which is better than coughing on a fresh result. See the last few days.
Why should I record my voice before surgery?
So you can hear how far you have come when progress feels slow in the months afterwards. See two to four weeks before.
How do I communicate during voice rest?
A notepad, a text-to-speech app and a printed card do most of it. Plan them before the operation. See setting up for the silence.