Singing When You Have a Chronic Cough ...

... Flu, Cold, COPD, etc.
 
Vox has always been the greatest/favorite instrument for me.  I tried vocal warm-ups today (and days gone by) and this vox continues to sound like a frog from hades.
 
I've been battling this winter crud for weeks and wonder if any of you enthusiastic singers have dealt with it.  (It seems I get it worse than most!)
 
One gal told me "pure honey" helps.
 
Any vox ideas (besides the family doc's steroids, antibiotics, anti-tussives, hydro-codone, etc.)

"Doc....it sounds like sh*t when I do THIS...."

Doc says...."Don't do THAT."

That's my advice too.  If it hurts or doesn't sound "right"....stop doing it.  Singing through or around a cold could have disastrous results that might last a lifetime.

I'm a living example of that....my voice has NEVER been the same as it was before the winter of 1989, when I sang through a terrible cold for an entire season - simply because "the band was booked".  I regret that decision.

I should have gone to a throat specialist.

And, I suggest you do - if your voice is important to you. 

On the other hand, you could be the next Tom Waits!

for copd - the inhalers plus adjuctants for exacerbations

for chronic cough - simple linctus, codeine linctus, methadone...

these are just the pharmacological aids. singing itself will help...

Dave, MGH, Chin, MC,

When I met with Skull's intense Avatar, I knew I'd best follow his clinical advice and/or just keep my singing above B4.

Mark, I realize singing helps ... but only for the non-chesty registers (in my case).  My feigned-falsettos are actually better, today, after warm ups and playing with the keyboard and guitar.

"simple linctus, codeine linctus, methadone" ... I'll see if I can discover some "simple linctus".  The gentle-narcotics (like hydro-codone) destroy my *spiritual vibe* ... making me sound too drunkish ... though they help my cough alot.

Thanks guys for your thoughts, sympathy, and/or prayers in this. 

Lot's of Lemon juice Phillip. Hot, mixed with water 1:1. Then lots of minerals and water.
 Run through the tones high to low-low to high over and over. The shape of your pipes has been damaged and you have deposits of congestion. You have to retrain your pipes and heal them. 

Thanks Crg ... I'll chase it with water of course.

Caffeine is also an astringent ... especially with me ... I'm forced to drink a lot of water after my coffee before singing takes.

Its inspiring to know Nancy could get through it (as Papa perceived).

papa2005


...A "trick" I learned many years ago when I was in Nashville was was to sip on a cup of hot black coffee (no sugar, no cream) with a tablespoon of cooking oil stirred in...

How on earth did you discover this mixture, Papa? I mean, what gave you the idea to put some oil into your coffee in first place?  Still, I gotta try this today as my voice shows similar symptoms ...
Heinz.

A honey and glycerol mixture (nothing else) always does wonders for my throat if I'm feeling under the weather.

airmeki

papa2005


...A "trick" I learned many years ago when I was in Nashville was was to sip on a cup of hot black coffee (no sugar, no cream) with a tablespoon of cooking oil stirred in...

How on earth did you discover this mixture, Papa? I mean, what gave you the idea to put some oil into your coffee in first place?  Still, I gotta try this today as my voice shows similar symptoms ...
Heinz.

It wasn't my idea...I was at a session where the artist ( major label, very successful writer/perfomer) wss suffering from a bad cold and throat irritation...It was his "trick" for temporary throat treatment... 

Room temperature water! (lukewarm at best)

Anything hotter than this will damage cells to some extent.

Coffee, licorice, honey, alcohol...almost everything sucks moisture out, and you want to rehydrate. Water will do this to a tiny extent externally (the external cells in your vocal cords, throat, etc.) and largely internally (it will be absorbed and redistributed through your blood and lymphatic system).

The things that seem to make you feel good immediately (sounds like real life, doesn't it?) tend to have short lived relief and longer-term damage. I know, sometimes we have to make it through a night, but we have to think about the next night.

Get more sleep. Make sure your indoor relative humidity is up. Make warm weak tea, breathe the steam until it doesn't steam any more, and then sip the tea.

If you had a cold or something caused by a virus, there is of course no cure, it will work its way out one way or another. If you have lingering after effects - sinus infection, lung congestion, etc. - it may be a lingering bacteriological infection and antibiotics might be called for.

I suffered through something like this for most of the month of January, and the doctor (I'm lucky enough to have health coverage even if it is with Kaiser) wouldn't do anything useful, so I just had to fight it out. The worst thing about mine was the inner ear congestion that screwed up my hearing in my left ear for a long time, but it's back. Luckily, I had no gigs, so I transferred tapes, edited drums (one ear needed for that!), etc.

Good night (get some rest, kick this), and good luck.