Hoarseness

Hi there. Sorry you're dealing with stubborn hoarseness! I hear how frustrated you are -- you don't realize how much your voice really matters until it changes or becomes tougher to use.

While hoarseness isn't one of the symptoms of COPD itself like shortness of breath and coughing are, it's a pretty common complaint.

There are a few possible causes. Are you taking any inhaled medicines? A big culprit is inhaler use -- unfortunately, even if you rinse and gargle every time, it's still possible for inhaled medications to impact your throat and/or vocal cords. I would explore this possibility with your doctor, if you haven't already. You might see some improvement on a different medication, but this is not a guarantee, so you have to weigh the possible benefits against the drawbacks, like it not working as well or causing other side effects.

It may also be that lots of coughing and throat clearing has led to hoarseness or voice changes. You may even want to consider having a scope done to check for roughness or damage to the vocal cords. Sometimes they can help.

There's not a quick fix in this situation, I'm sorry to say, other than what I mentioned above and basic throat care like staying hydrated and avoiding dry environments or irritants. I hope this has offered you some possible directions to explore with your doctor, though. You might also consider a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist.

You're not alone in going through this. Keep us posted and we are happy to support you however we can. -Melissa, team member