Yesterday was a big day. Got my voice examined to see what has happened since last July when my reflux was so bad that I couldn't sing above an E5. That reflux stayed throughout the pregnancy and continued a bit into nursing. Right now the biggest challenge comes from having to eat dinner so late because I don't start cooking until after I've put her down and not many hours elapse before I'm comatose for the night.
The good news is it was all good news. Structurally, things are fine. There is much less swelling and the inter-arytenoid area is only mildly red. The doctor was pretty pleased and also commented on how nice it all looked given what he usually sees.
The biggest challenge is how to get back to singing after being away for nearly 2 years. TWO YEARS. Wow, how did that happen? Well, I know how it happened, but still! My goal is to spend 10-15 minutes warming up most days of the week.
Today was day one. I put Ella in the living room where she could see me, surrounded by toys and headed to the piano. I did some laryngeal massage as I know my neck is tight from my shoulder/arm tension from holding her so much. Then I did some lip trills, slides and runs gradually extending from the A below middle C, up to F5. Since I have no gigs on the books, I'm not pushing anything.
I suspect this experience will feel a lot like going back to exercising after having a kid. In that, my body felt so very different and foreign.(SIDEBAR: Now, though, almost 8 months post-partum, I'm running farther, lifting on a more regular basis, have a waistline to speak of and am THIS CLOSE to getting into all of my old clothes again. Tops fit, but some pants are still not able to be buttoned up.) This morning it was another new experience of this body. Breathing is different, my ribs are different. I'm just different! So, I'm going to put on my persistent hat, celebrate the small victories and slowly return to being a singer without focusing on what I'm going to do with it, why I'm doing it or how I'm going to make it happen. It just will be.
No comments:
Post a Comment