MP facing voice loss after surgery shows recovery signs

The "whispering MP" who feared she may never be able to speak confidently again revealed she has seen signs of recovery after suffering nerve damage to her vocal cords during surgery.

Liberal Democrat Anna Sabine lost her voice for several months following a thyroid operation in June, which cut one of the nerves to her vocal cords, leaving her with a condition called vocal cord paralysis.

The MP for Frome and East Somerset said the loss of her voice had made her want to "hide" when Parliament returned in September.

But in a surprise turn of events, Sabine said she awoke a few weeks ago to find it had regained some of its natural strength and "broadly speaking, it's back to where it should be".

The 46-year-old said she first realised something was wrong when she woke up from surgery in hospital in Bath.

"I had been warned it might feel strange, so I was trying to reassure myself hopefully this was just what it was going to feel like," she said.

"But the next morning, my surgeon did come around and say, 'I'm really sorry, but there has been a mistake and we have caused permanent damage'.

"At that time I could speak, but only just. I was kind of whispering."

When Parliament returned after the summer, she had to use a microphone to take part in debates.

Sabine said the experience had been a shock and had left her feeling quite lonely.

"Your voice is a really key point of who you are, whether you are an MP or not," she said.

"When I came back to work in September I really wanted to hide, I did not want to speak in the chamber with my voice, because it actually, at that point, when you stood up to speak, you weren't really sure what was going to come out."

She added: "But over that summer, I had heard from so many people because I'd done various radio and TV about it, and people had emailed me.

"I can't now hide away, so I kind of felt inspired by them really to stand up in the chamber, which I did feel really embarrassed about. Even though no-one made me feel embarrassed, it felt extremely exposing."

Sabine said she would be doing a campaign about getting more therapy for adults.

Her voice is now the closest since the surgery to how it was before.

"During recess, one morning I woke up and my voice was like it is now, and my family said 'Your voice is stronger'," she added.

"My friends would say I don't sound quite like I used to, and I can feel that my voice is still really wobbly. But, broadly speaking, it's back to where it should be."

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