Hello, my friends

posted March 21, 2005

Hello, my friends,
I need to let you all know that after careful consideration we are cancelling our shows this April.
Ever since I went to the doctor on Friday, every friend and family member who knew about my appointment has called me and asked. I’ve told the story so many times. Maybe that’s why I feel accepting or at least resigned to the less than great news I received. But something kept me from writing to you all right away. I guess that was partly the fact that I was carrying around my sweet William while simultaneously playing ballerina cards with Amelia. Not much room for a computer keyboard in my weekend.
So here I sit. William is still asleep with his Daddy who was up til at least 3am mixing a record. Amelia is watching a new version of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby that we got out of Blockbuster yesterday. I don’t think it is quite as good as the Mary Martin version and I am quite sure that Cathy Rigby is lip-synching. She doesn’t sound ANY different when she is walking around on her hands, upside down. hmmm… Maybe I could try that.
Am I stalling? Well, my doctor had put me on a 6 day dose of steroids during which time I had been silent (see blog for further details.) The polyp shrank a little and the nodule-like reaction on the healthy cord seemed to have disappeared, but the polyp is still quite large and I am still hoarse. I asked the doctor if the hoarseness could be primarily attributable to the acid reflux. She said the reflux could only partially explain the hoarseness and that she thinks the polyp is the primary culprit. We talked about whether I should do the shows in April. As you may have noticed, we don’t have shows in May because Nerissa is getting married and going on her honeymoon and doing a book tour on the west coast. My doctor felt that the next two months could be just what I need to shrink the polyp back to where it doesn’t bother me. She said that she cannot guarantee a full recovery in that time. She said that surgery was still a possibility, but she was encouraged by the fact that my body has a history of absorbing the polyp enough so that I am not bothered by it. She also said that my throat would be recovered from the acid reflux damage by then.
I am going to be doing some vocal therapy with a speech pathologist in Northampton. My doctor said that if I were to have surgery that the work I do now will cut down the recovery time post surgery. So this is not wasted time. I am also going to try cranio-sacral therapy which many of you recommended. I went for my first session last week and I seemed to feel less hoarse- at least that day.
I miss singing more than you can imagine. A few months ago, inspired by a songbasket at Amelia’s school, we made a song suitcase. It is filled with little toys each of which represents a different song. There is a plastic carrot for the Garden Song, a little horse for All the Pretty Little Horses, an angel pin for Amelia’s favorite Christmas carol- Angels We Have Heard On High, and lots of others. She asks me all the time to sing her one of the songs. I can’t wait to sing for her. I can’t wait to sing for you all too. I am feeling patient about it, and also quite hopeful. I have pictures of my vocal cords from the nineties when this first happened. It really did go away. I really could sing once it had shrunk.
I will be doing everything I can to heal including trying to not worry too much. Anxiety can’t be good for me.

I am so grateful to all of you for your kind wishes and for YOUR patience. I will continue to keep posting blogs.
I am sorry for this hiatus. Thank you all for your understanding.
Katryna

The Comments

Join the Conversation. Post with kindness.

  1. Comment, take 2!

    Katryna, our thoughts and prayers, karma and good vibes are with you. Take care of yourself and your family…we look forward to singing along with you when you are well.

    N~I am no Bette or Garth, but I do sing your songs loudly, joyfully and often!

    Take good care, you two.
    Love, Kris

  2. Katryna, this fan says you and Nerissa should take as much time off as you need. Your health and happiness are more important than a few shows. And, like Kris, I belt out the songs. But only with the windows closed to keep the neighbors from complaining.

    The bright side for me – I’m making a rare trip to new england for a wedding in april and was going to make a show, but it required ditching my friends the night before the wedding. Now that there’s no show, I can be a good friend again. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Take care of yourselves. I hope you two (and families) have a wonderful April and May.

    Cristina

  3. oh N&K–you are both wonderful, we all love you, and we’ll be here when you can be back on the road!Keep Blogging–it’s a blast to read both of your musings–
    love,
    John

  4. The saying “better safe than sorry” has never been more true than in this situation.

    You are in our thoughts.

    don

  5. Katryna, rest, heal, and do those things you’ve always put off because you were busy touring.

    Don’t worry about the hiatus; we all understand and it is for the best.
    We’ve got our hope, our CDs, our songbooks, our voices, and our instruments, and they’ll tide us over.

  6. Adam wrote:
    “We’ve got our hope, our CDs, our songbooks, our voices, and our instruments, and they’ll tide us over.”

    Bruce writes:
    “Yeah and we’ll always have “Paris”! ๐Ÿ™‚ But we really like *your* voice better Katryna! It makes us happy. So take good care! We love you.”

    Bruce

  7. I wish you good health, and continued happiness! I have to say I’m disappointed, both for your sake and mine… I was a Trinity student in the mid-90’s, and we always looked forward to your shows. I’m back on the east coast again, and was planning to get to a show sometime this spring, enjoy your music live again. But I’ll wait, and I’ll keep listening to my CDs and hoping for the best for you!

  8. Katryna,
    Listening to “Live From Northampton” yesterday made me really miss seeing you perform more than I already did. But more than anything I hope for you to take care of yourself (which I’m sure you are). Enjoy the time you will have with William & Amelia. Some people believe there is a reason for everything, and I’m not 100% sure about that but it does seem to be the way things go a lot of times. I think there’s a silver lining somewhere in your situation and I’m guessing it involves those 2 precious angels of yours ๐Ÿ™‚
    You are in my thoughts & prayers.
    ~ April

  9. Katryna
    I too was listening to your recorded cds and i realized i missed your voice. I hope that you take care of it and that you are singing again soon.
    You seemed to get such joy from singing with Nerissa and nothing can replace that feeling. So take care of your voice and find the same pleasure in the Non singing things you do

  10. Hey there Katryna…ditto to what other’s have said ie, many healing thoughts and prayers your way. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes that Ram Dass states on audio tapes: “Nothing in God’s ecconomy is wasted”. How cool that you have this time to be with your little ones!

    AND, an early Happy Birthday! I was reflecting just this morning acutually, on the show you and Nerissa did at University of Htfd I think it was, last April on your birthday! I remember distinctly because I was there with my sister, celebrating HER birthday!! It was awesome to say the least.

    Here’s to a speedy recovery!!

  11. hi katryna, get well soon and have patience with your voice. my sis is a speech pathologist and she helps people get over these things all the time. your body will heal itself!! looking forward to seeing you guys in ny/nj soon.
    love,
    kristin

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