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What Happens in Vegas… Breaks My Voice

I know it’s been a while since my last update, and for a bit there really wasn’t much happening on the CLL front. But life has a way of adding a plot twist—or three—so here we are.

A Win for the Kidneys

Let’s start with some good news: my CKD, which had been at Stage 3b, has now improved to Stage 2. Yes, you read that right—improved. A rare and beautiful word in the chronic illness universe. My nephrologist was thrilled, and so was I. Six months until my next visit feels like a mini-vacation.

CLL: Still Watching, Still Waiting

My CLL status remains “watch and wait,” which, on paper, is positive. But as anyone with CLL knows, it does not play nice in the sandbox with infections. And that brings me to the real adventure…

What Happens in Vegas… Comes Home With You

In August, I traveled to Las Vegas for a work trip—three days of meetings, connecting with coworkers, and enjoying the rare chance to see faces outside of a Zoom square. On the last morning, I was chatting with the BAO (Business Analytics Optimization) group when someone next to me mentioned they weren’t feeling well. “Just a cold,” they said.

My surgical mask tried its best. It didn’t win.

By Friday—travel day home—I felt the early signs of something brewing. Over the next few days, things escalated quickly: a dry, hacking cough, a fever, a throat that felt like I’d swallowed razor blades. By Wednesday I surrendered and went to Urgent Care.

The First Round of ‘Nope’

All tests came back negative, but my temperature hit 103. The doctor wanted me in the ER; I wanted antibiotics. I walked out with a Rocephin shot, oral antibiotics, and hope.

That hope lasted… about two days.

Round Two: Still Nope

A week later, still running fevers and getting worse, I did a telehealth visit. The verdict: possibly bronchitis or pneumonia—no one was sure. Stronger antibiotics and a steroid pack were prescribed.

Surely this would knock it out.
Nope.

My lungs finally cleared, but now I had no voice. I sounded like a mix between a croaking frog and a squeaky mouse—charming, but not functional.

Round Three: The Voice Vanishes

During a routine nephrology appointment (where I got the kidney good news), the provider confirmed my lungs were clear. But the voice? Still MIA. Off to my primary care provider I went.

“Rest your voice,” he said.
“I need to talk,” I said.

I left with cough syrup to coat my throat and a prednisone step-down pack. Surely this would bring my voice back.
Nope.

Finally: The ENT Plot Twist

By November, still croaking and squeaking through conversations, I gave in and messaged my PCP for an ENT referral.

My ENT ordered an endoscopy (yes—up the nose, down the throat—delightful). The findings? My right vocal cord is partially paralyzed. Coding friends: that’s J38.01… and no, it does not map.

Next: CT scans with contrast of my chest and the soft tissues of my neck.

Imaging Results: The Full Story

Chest CT:
Turns out, yes—I did have pneumonia. It’s now “evolving,” meaning improving. So the lung saga seems to be closing.

Neck CT:
This is where things get interesting:

• Mild right vocal cord paralysis.
• A large multinodular goiter, with the right side bigger and extending into the tracheoesophageal groove—possibly pressing on the recurrent laryngeal nerve (the one that controls the vocal cords).
• Stable lymphadenopathy consistent with CLL—no changes since prior scans. (A relief!)

So What Now?

CLL-wise, nothing has changed. Still stable. Still watch and wait.

The real troublemaker appears to be my visiting goiter. It may soon receive an eviction notice—partial or full, I don’t yet know. The hope is that once the goiter is removed (and hopefully off my recurrent laryngeal nerve), my voice will return and I can go back to work and continue singing off-key with pride.

For now, I’m on vocal rest until my ENT clears me or my follow-up arrives—whichever comes first. Silence may be golden, but it’s not my choice of jewelry.

Until Next Time

Thank you for following along with my journey. And remember:
You will die with CLL, not from it.
Keep surviving. Keep living. Keep showing up.

—Lucca

#CLL #ChronicIllness #ChronicLeukemia #KidneyDisease #CKD #ThyroidGoiter #VocalCordParalysis

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