Surgery Recovery and Musical Rehab-ing

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norsegingereuph
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Surgery Recovery and Musical Rehab-ing

Post by norsegingereuph »

Hello fellow tuba friends!
I had my tonsils removed earlier this summer and have since been cleared to play again... However, I am having trouble coming back from it and I was just curious if anyone else has had their tonsils out as an adult and how you came back from it?
Any rehabbing tips?
-AC :tuba: :tuba:
Jack Denniston
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Re: Surgery Recovery and Musical Rehab-ing

Post by Jack Denniston »

My surgery was on my jaw, not my tonsils, but you may find my experience helpful so I'll tell you a bit about it. If you want to know more, I'll be glad to talk with you. Last December a piece of my jaw and surrounding tissue were removed and reconstructed. They had to split my lower lip and remove the main nerve, so my bottom lip has a scar in the middle and the lower right side of my face, including the lip are numb. As soon as the surgeon cleared me to start playing again, I asked NC tuba prof friends Dennis Askew and Andy Smith for rehab tips. They were both extremely helpful. Here are a few highlights- concentrate on the breath, not the lips; long tones, mf, middle register; Breathing Gym; Vining's Breathing Book and his collection of stories by musicians coping with injuries "Notes of Hope". My surgery was in December 2016 and I'm back to about 80% of my previous abilities and still making progress. Next month I plan to rejoin 2 of the groups I was playing in before - a brass quintet and a brass choir. I hope you are able to get back to where you want to be.
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brianf
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Re: Surgery Recovery and Musical Rehab-ing

Post by brianf »

I had my tonsils removed at age 59. Two weeks later the doctor cleared me for playing. The doctor was Jesse Phillips (ever played Wilder's Jesse Suite?). He definitely knows the tuba and is now an ENT. When we discussed this the subject of air flow and air pressure came up. On the tuba we play with more flow than pressure (which could create a problem). Jesse told me to stay out of the upper range and take it easy.
Brian Frederiksen
WindSong Press
PO Box 146
Gurnee, Illinois 60031
Phone 847 223-4586
http://www.windsongpress.com" target="_blank
brianf@windsongpress.com" target="_blank
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