Post covid long haul voice issue

My husband did have covid and had a weak voice about a year later. I don't think that they are connected. However, one of the ways he attacked the problem was to blow into this white plastic L shaped tube that I got on Amazon. It didn't cure him overnight but eventually he got his voice back of course the weak voice just could have run it's course...good luck !

I performed a PubMed search on COVID-19 and laryngitis as well as COVID-19 and Voice.
I found 9 good articles on this topic which definitely conclude that voice changes can be a result of COVID-19. Here are a few of the citations.

Kimura, Y.; Hirabayashi, E.; Yano, M.; Fujitani, S.; Shioiri, S. COVID-19 Omicron variant-induced laryngitis. Auris Nasus Larynx 2023, 50, 637-640, doi:10.1016/j.anl.2022.08.007.

Aghadoost, S.; Molazeinal, Y.; Khoddami, S.M.; Shokuhifar, G.; Dabirmoghaddam, P.; Saffari, M. Dysphonia Severity Index and Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Outcomes, and Their Relation in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19. J Voice 2022, doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.11.034.

Yasien, D.G.; Hassan, E.S.; Mohamed, H.A. Phonatory function and characteristics of voice in recovering COVID-19 survivors. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2022, 279, 4485-4490, doi:10.1007/s00405-022-07419-2.

Romero Arias, T.; Betancort Montesinos, M. Voice Sequelae Following Recovery From COVID-19. J Voice 2022, doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.06.033.

Khoddami, S.M.; Aghadoost, S.; Aghajanzadeh, M.; Molazeinal, Y. The Health-related Quality of Life and Voice Handicap Index in Recovered COVID-19 Patients in Comparison to Healthy Subjects. J Voice 2023, doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.05.003.

I attached the pdfs for you and your MD to review.

Also, make sure you are not on a medication that can effect a voice change. For example, diuretics such as Lasix® and others will cause changes in the vocal cords. Create a list of all your medications & supplements and ensure that none are not the culprits or are adding insult to injury.

One further thought. I wonder if you consulted with a COVID-19 expert before having the Botox injections. I presume the latter were into the muscles near the vocal cords-- yes? I did find this as an adverse affect of Botox injected near the vocal cords:

"The other, more common side effect is that your voice may become weak and breathy for some period of time after the injection. This is because the vocal folds are weak and cannot come together strongly to provide a strong vibration. This is what prevents the spasm."

In other words, Botox is used for spasmodic laryngitis, and if you did not have this then the Botox may have weakened the muscles near the vocal cords to cause the whispery voice you now have. In my medical consulting practice of near 60 years, about half of the problems patients had were physician induced. This is called iatrogenic disease. Remember, all medical students are taught over and over that:
Primum Non Nocere or First (above all) Do No Harm .

I suggest you find an expert ENT MD. A good start would be the Mayo in Rochester MN.
I have no affiliation with the Mayo Clinic.
Stephen B. Strum, MD, FACP

Thank you for your response. What is the name of the tube you ordered from Amazon, I will try that. This has been a very exhausting journey because I sing, lead a praise team, lead a youth group, however, with this whispery voice, all of that is extremely hard.

Thanks again

Thank you so much for the information. I will read it and hopeful it will shed a better light on my issue. I go for another botox treatment on the 27th and will speak with my ENT doctor regarding this information.

"Breathing Lung Expander and Mucus Removal Device"...good luck !

nomebig2: I am not acting as a consultant but simply using what I consider common sense. I cannot find any peer-reviewed literature on the use of Botox for post-Covid voice change. What I did find was that Botox routinely weakens the muscles of the larynx (voice box). I am not clear whether or not you understood the gist of my previous reply:

"In other words, Botox is used for spasmodic laryngitis, and if you did not have this then the Botox may have weakened the muscles near the vocal cords to cause the whispery voice you now have."

Since that is a possibility, then why would you consider another Botox injection and possibly add further insult?? My suggestion, once again, is to find a physician with a particular focus on COVID-19 and get a consultation before doing anything. I provided you pdfs of the peer-reviewed papers on voice change 2° COVID-19. Those papers have the email address of the corresponding author. Stongly suggest you email each of those physicians and in a few sentences tell them your story & ask them for any suggstions they may have. That's the smart thing to do-- at least in my opinion as a physician x 6 decades. And discuss this with key people in your circle of family and friends and see what the consensus is.
Stephen B. Strum, MD, FACP

Thank you so much, I will email the other physicians.