What do y’all do when you are scared? I have a bad habit of shutting down when I am scared or anxious. I am afraid I will jinx myself, or something less crazy. If I tell everyone the diagnosis or procedure outcomes and it doesn’t turn out exactly right, I have to explain to my father 5 times why the situation did not happen that way. I have found it easier to not say anything.

That is why I have been absent the past month. I saw an Otolaryngologist (ENT specializing in Vocal Cords). Dr Eiesenbuis is amazing and gave us hope. He said he could remove the scar tissue from my Vocal Cords to open up my throat. The goal was to help me breath and possibly talk/sing again.

On May 7th I had surgery on my throat/Vocal Cords at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. The surgery was to dilate my larynx and remove scar tissue. The surgeons also needed to remove part of my actual vocal cord to open the area. So far the results are very promising. I have been able to function without my oxygen during the day. I still need to build my stamina, needing the wheelchair if I would need to walk or stand for more than 5 minutes. But this has given us hope of healing.

The doctor said there was more scar tissue than they thought. This means I may need another surgery to remove the remaining scar tissue. They are also concerned about forming more scar tissue because of the procedure and my Ehlers-Danlos diagnosis. I am slowly having more difficulty breathing and losing my voice. It is not as bad as before the surgery, but a little disappointing. We go back up in June for a check up. He said we will know more then regarding more surgery.

So there it is, Covid is like the Energizer Bunny… It keeps going and going and going…