I lost my voice last week, but I'm all good now.
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Hello! I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. Let me tell you what happened to me last Monday!
After teaching some online lessons, I went home, and soon after I had dinner, I noticed that I could hardly talk!! Oh, no!!
I had musical theatre lessons to teach the next day, so the first thing that came to my mind was, "Am I going to be able to teach tomorrow?" I tried to utter some sounds, only to find out that all I could do was whisper! Suddenly, I felt very scared. "What's happening? Is this something serious? Should I be concerned?"
The next moment, I grabbed my phone and texted all the parents of my musical theatre students to let them know that I wouldn't be capable of teaching due to the condition of my vocal cords. Of course, everyone was kind enough to understand my situation, encouraging me to focus on my health and recovery. I was so touched by how kindly everyone responded to my message.
The next morning, I was hit by a high fever, convinced that I must have caught a terrible cold. However, after a doctor's visit, I found out that I had a bacterial infection!
By the way, if you happen to live in Chuo-ku, Sapporo, I highly recommend that you try かとう耳鼻咽喉科 (Kato Otolaryngology) the next time you have a sore throat! There were two things that made this clinic stand out from others. First, the moment the receptionist noticed that I had no energy and looked really sick, she took me to a small room in the back, which had a very comfortable armchair! Away from other patients' eyes, I draped myself over the armchair, which was so comfortable that I wanted to hug the receptionist afterward. Of course, I didn't, though!
Second, the clinic had a very small nose camera!! This is super important! I have only been to hospitals with large nose cameras before, where I always ended up moaning with tears running down my face. Once, it was even worse—I couldn't breathe for a long 30 seconds!! Kato Otolaryngology had a high-end camera that gave me almost zero uncomfortable sensation down my throat! Also, the doctor and nurses kindly guided me into a relaxing posture, which made the process super easy. No pain! No discomfort!
Anyway, back to my condition. The doctor showed me a picture of my vocal cords. They were swollen. He also looked at the back of my throat and said, "This is a clear sign of a bacterial infection." My first question was, "Is it contagious? Should I quarantine myself?" To my surprise, he told me that as long as I didn't cough, it wouldn't spread easily like the flu or COVID. He told me that quarantine was unnecessary.
That was such a relief! However, he warned me that my voice might not come back so soon. In the worst-case scenario, it might take a month. "A month!" Of course, I couldn't even speak properly, so I just whispered in my raspy voice. He nodded…
After that, I was prescribed some antibiotics to clear up the bacterial infection, along with some other medicines to fight the symptoms throughout my respiratory system and prevent coughing. These meds worked a miracle! My fever vanished, and by the second day after my doctor's visit, I was already feeling well enough to teach online lessons again. By Sunday, I was singing and dancing with the kids!
So, this is a picture of the honey which was given to me by one of my students' mothers. This honey is sourced from Hokkaido's beautiful acacia trees and was specially selected by a passionate "honey hunter"—someone who travels around to source the absolute best honey with pure dedication!! Isn't that cool?! And it tastes amazing! I ate a stick of honey this morning, and it gave me a slight tingling sensation, which I believe is proof that its antibacterial effect was kicking in. After a few minutes, the tingling was gone, and it felt much easier to speak. I could tell that my throat loved it!!
I was really touched by this yummy sore throat remedy-slash-treat!
I always learn so much from the parents. Everyone is so caring!! And they show it so discreetly! These parents are the epitome of kindness! I am so blessed to be surrounded by such warm-hearted people.
💡 Useful Expressions
1. only to find out that ~ = 「（～しようとしたが）結局〜だと分かる結果になっただけだった」
2. drape oneself over ~ = 「（疲労や体調不良で）〜にぐったりと身を横たえる、もたれかかる」
3. worst-case scenario = 「最悪のシナリオ、最悪の場合」
4. worked a miracle = 「奇跡的な効果があった、劇的に効いた」
5. A-slash-B = 「AでありBでもあるもの（二つの役割を兼ねているもの）」
6. nasal endoscopy = 「鼻内視鏡（検査）」※本文中の nose camera の正式な医療用語です
