The Road Least Taken…

I haven’t had the chance to blog lately… I really can’t say it was only by circumstance but somehow, a whole lot of things… physically and emotionally, have somehow contributed to my lack of enthusiasm in blogging the past weeks.

Not to mention that I totally lost my voice 2 Sundays ago right after Community Mass.  I was part of the music ministry that performed the church songs during that event.  And my throat bled right before we started.  Soon after, as the final bar of the closing song was winding up, I realized that my vocal chords had started giving up on me…!

Praise God it didn’t happen DURING service.  Whew! 

By evening, I was voiceless… it was frustratingly funny.  Frustrating for me… funny for those who could hear me struggle to barely let out a sound.  It’s been about 2 weeks already since I lost my voice and I’m still on the path to recovery.

My doctor told me it was a severe case of Pharyngitis.  The nasal drip caused by congenital nose problem (yes, the bridge of my nose is bent to the left obstructing air passage on my left nostril), has finally irritated my vocal chords to the point of acute swelling and bleeding.  Sounds bad, huh?

I am currently taking medication combined with steroids and a nasal spray that’s supposed to alleviate the pain and irritation.  I was advised to stay away from dust and possible sources of allergy.

But just what is PHARYNGITIS exactly?  According to the Medicalook website it’s as follows:

Pharyngitis is commonly referred to as a sore throat. It is a very common ailment that may signal a multitude of other possible illnesses. Strep throat, the common cold, ear infections, and many respiratory illnesses all tend to begin with discomfort in the throat, which we call a sore throat.

Pharyngitis is not a disease, but a symptom of another problem within the body. It can be tremendously uncomfortable, and can be difficult to deal with during an average day. Many over the counter treatments may help to alleviate the symptom, but ultimately the patient should seek to find the cause of the symptom and then proceed from there.

If the cause is a bacterial infection, which happens only a small percent, then an antibiotic will help alleviate the discomfort and the cause. However, in most cases, a virus is to blame which renders the antibiotic useless.

Rarely does pharyngitis occur as the only symptom. Other symptoms either accompany a sore throat or are soon to follow. Symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue often indicate the common cold or the flu.

Because of this, I missed one Wednesday of Elim, Rosario (A place we go to on a weekly basis to serve and hold praise and worship gatherings for our dwellers there).  But I’ve been serving again… I’ve bounced back to my old routine… I’ve even managed to get back to singing during team revival and was even able to sing during our recent Couples Time Out Gathering last Friday.

My voice (and throat) isn’t back a 100% yet but I’m getting better.  Praise God.