Back when I was playing full time, I suffered from chronic tonsillitis. But I had no health insurance and couldn't take time off for a tonsillectomy anyway. So I drank a lot of 7-Up with lemon juice at gigs and didn't speak on my days off.
So when I finally got fed up with that life and took a day job - with health insurance - the first thing I did was sign up for a tonsillectomy. In and out, they said. Well, that's for kids, not adults. I was wiped by the surgery, in extreme pain and and could not talk at all for several days. Singing was certainly not gonna happen.
After about a week, I was gradually able to speak again, but to my dismay I could not sing. Even a month later, my speaking voice had returned but I could not sing to save my life. It was clear that I'd lost it. Fortunately, singing is not part of the job description for an electrical engineer.
Later - too late - I was told that I'd made a horrible mistake while managing my recovery. Instead of being silent, I should have been exercising my voice the whole time. When my throat healed, it lacked elasticity from tightening up in its relaxed state. What I should have done is start talking right away despite the pain, and singing as soon as possible. I didn't, and had to accept that I would never sing again.
That was 34 years ago. I've slowly gotten some of my singing voice back, but it never was nor ever will be as strong as it was before the surgery. Don't make the same mistake I did: sing, sing sing!
All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to.
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