A vocal cord paralysis tracker for when there is barely enough voice to get through a sentence
A chronic illness tracker and gentle companion that already knows what vocal cord paralysis can involve, so you do not have to explain it from scratch.
What vocal cord paralysis can involve
Vocal cord paralysis, which the NHS often calls vocal cord palsy, is when the nerve supply to one or both vocal cords is damaged so a cord cannot move properly; paresis means the movement is weakened rather than lost. The voice is often breathy, weak or quiet, it is hard to be heard in a noisy room, and some people notice changes to swallowing or breathing as well.
It can follow thyroid, neck or chest surgery, a viral illness, or have no clear cause, and some people recover over months while others do not. Either way, the day-to-day reality is running out of air before you run out of sentence, and being careful with every drink. If you have new or worsening trouble swallowing or breathing, contact your clinic or NHS 111, and in an emergency call 999. If your voice has not been looked at by a doctor yet, that comes before keeping a diary: the NHS says to see a GP about a hoarse voice or a change in your voice that does not go away. Its page on the symptoms of laryngeal cancer sets out why.
Paralysis of one vocal cord is the more common form; paralysis of both is rare and more serious. The most common treatments are voice therapy and surgery.
Vocal cord paralysis symptoms checklist to take to your GP
Tick what applies to you, note how often it happens, and take it to your appointment, so the conversation starts further along. It describes your experience. It does not say what is causing anything: ticking most of these does not mean you have Vocal cord paralysis, and ticking a few does not mean you do not. Only a clinician can work that out with you.
The list comes from the NHS and charity sources linked further down this page, and from what people living with vocal cord paralysis tell us they keep an eye on. It is a starting point, not a test.
How a day can feel
If your days sound anything like this, taluvu was made with you in mind.
“There is barely enough voice to get through a sentence.”
“I run out of air halfway through what I want to say.”
“I am careful with drinking, always.”
“I have not been heard in rooms where I needed to be.”
“I type things I would rather have said out loud.”
These are the kinds of things taluvu invites you to say in your own words, never a checklist of what anyone “should” have.
What taluvu helps you keep track of
Choose Vocal cord paralysis and it starts you with a palette, not a blank form.
These are things people living with vocal cord paralysis often want to keep an eye on. Remove any you do not need, add your own, and check in with a few taps on the days you have very little to give.
Weak or breathy voice
Loss of volume
Coughing when drinking
Breathless when speaking
Voice tiredness
Difficulty swallowing
✎ A journal in your own words, not a score
◔ A plain-English week view of what stands out
▤ A Doctor Summary you own and can print
☏ Your care team’s details in one place
taluvu never claims one thing caused another. It shows what's worth noticing and leaves the medicine to your doctor. See how the symptom tracker app works.
Trusted information and support
Places we point people to for vocal cord paralysis.
The same sources and communities taluvu links to inside the app. They're independent of us; please check anything important with your own care team.
About this page: Published by taluvu and checked against the independent sources linked above on 16 October 2026. It has not been medically reviewed and is not medical advice. How we write and check these pages.
Questions people ask
Vocal cord paralysis and taluvu, in plain answers.
Short, honest answers about what taluvu does and does not do for vocal cord paralysis. Nothing here is medical advice.
Is taluvu a vocal cord paralysis tracker?
Yes. Vocal cord paralysis is built into taluvu. Choose it and you start with a palette of a weak or breathy voice, loss of volume, coughing when drinking, breathless when speaking, voice tiredness and difficulty swallowing, and you can add anything else in your own words.
Can I keep a record around an injection or an operation?
Yes. taluvu's voice diary, new in version 1.0.8 (see what's new), lets you rate how speaking went each day, keep a short voice recording, and note the day of an injection or procedure with what you were told. Your Doctor Summary shows the days after it lined up, as your own ratings. taluvu does not measure your voice or say if a treatment worked.
Does taluvu tell me what to do about swallowing or breathing?
No. taluvu does not give medical advice. Swallowing and breathing changes should be reported to your ENT team or speech and language therapist promptly, and new or worsening breathing trouble needs urgent medical help: contact your clinic or NHS 111, and in an emergency call 999.
Why keep a day-by-day record of a voice condition?
Because recovery, where it happens, is slow and uneven, and clinicians often watch and reassess over months. A short daily rating shows change you might not otherwise notice, in either direction, and gives you something to bring to the next appointment.
Getting taluvu
Carry vocal cord paralysis with a little more company.
taluvu is a chronic illness tracker for iPhone and for your web browser. Each one is a separate membership with a free trial, and the price and terms are shown in full before you're ever asked to pay.
Taluvu Chronic Illness Tracker
TALUVU LTD · Health and Fitness · iPhone
Free to download, with a Taluvu Pro subscription inside
Taluvu Chronic Illness Tracker
TALUVU LTD · Health and Fitness · Computer
Start with a free week of Taluvu Pro, in your web browser
These pages cover experiences that can sit alongside vocal cord paralysis. They are here to help you organise what you notice, not to suggest a diagnosis.
taluvu is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Nothing on this page is a substitute for advice from your own doctor or care team. taluvu helps you organise and describe your own experience. See the Medical & AI Disclaimer.
If you are in crisis or need urgent help, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line. In the UK, call 999 in an emergency, NHS 111 for urgent advice, or Samaritans free on 116 123.
