21.02.2026 11:11
In Artvin, a rare disease called vocal cord paralysis caused 73-year-old Asiye Sonbay's food to enter her lungs. Describing her experience with the words, "I went to bed in the evening and woke up in the morning without my voice," Sonbay, who lost 15 kilos during this process, was treated by her daughter, ENT specialist Koç Dr. Nevreste Didem Sonbay, and regained her health.
73-year-old Asiye Sonbay, who lives in the Hopa district of Artvin, lost her voice overnight and entrusted herself to her doctor daughter in Antalya after food got stuck in her lungs. Asiye Sonbay, who has vocal cord paralysis, saw her health deteriorate and lost 15 kilos because she couldn't eat, but her daughter, ENT specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nevreste Didem Sonbay Yılmaz, managed to restore her health.
Describing her experience with the words, "I went to bed in the evening and woke up in the morning without a voice," Asiye Sonbay stated that she felt choked while swallowing food. She explained that she waited for 10 days, saying, "When it didn't go away, Didem intervened. I came to Antalya." Sonbay expressed that entrusting herself to her daughter, who is also a doctor, was a very different and beautiful feeling, saying, "My daughter put up with my whims above all. It's happiness for me. May everyone experience it."
"NOW I CAN EVEN SAY THE WIRES OF THE TELEGRAPH"
Asiye Sonbay, who said she felt very good after her daughter's procedure, stated, "Now my voice is beautiful. I speak comfortably. Before, it felt like my voice was escaping while I was talking, as if I couldn't complete my sentences. Now I am very well. I am comfortable." She joked, saying, "Now I can even say the wires of the telegraph."
"SHE COULDN'T EAT BECAUSE FOOD GOT STUCK IN HER LUNGS"
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nevreste Didem Sonbay Yılmaz from the Antalya Training and Research Hospital's ENT Clinic said she was excited to treat her mother as a physician. Dr. Yılmaz stated, "It was difficult. My hands and feet trembled a lot, but there was a situation. My mother was in bad shape. She couldn't eat because food was getting stuck in her lungs. She had lost a significant amount of weight. Her problems were very serious, and this procedure needed to be done."
THE DISEASE IS "VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS"
Explaining that her mother's illness is "vocal cord paralysis," Dr. Yılmaz continued: "Vocal cord paralysis usually develops after surgery. It can be seen after thyroid surgery or carotid artery surgery, but sometimes, as in my mother's case, it can develop suddenly without any reason. This situation is, of course, investigated first, but generally, we cannot find a cause. We call this 'idiopathic vocal cord paralysis.'
THE CAUSE IS UNKNOWN
Emphasizing that patients of this type often consult a doctor with complaints of hoarseness, Dr. Yılmaz pointed out that the real alarming complaint is that food gets stuck in the lungs. "The reason for this is that during the swallowing process, the vocal cords and the throat need to close so that food does not enter the lungs. However, especially in cases of vocal cord paralysis of unknown cause, this movement does not occur, and until tolerance develops, food gets stuck in the lungs. This leads to choking and coughing," she explained.
LOST 15 KILOS IN A MONTH
Dr. Yılmaz explained that the most significant problem for her mother, Asiye Sonbay, was that food was getting stuck in her lungs. "For this reason, there was a serious weight loss of about 15 kilos in a month," she said. Dr. Yılmaz noted that her mother, who became unable to eat, sometimes spent the day with just a banana, stating, "In these types of patients, improving the voice is our second goal, but primarily, we need to correct swallowing to prevent food, especially liquids, from entering the lungs."
THE BACK OF THE VOCAL CORD WAS FILLED
Dr. Yılmaz stated that her mother underwent a filler material application on her vocal cord, saying, "In this procedure, we inject the material into the back of the vocal cords to fill the voice and try to bring it to the midline. Thus, since the vocal cord comes to the midline, it allows the voice to come out without fatigue and prevents food from entering the lungs." She emphasized that this treatment needs to be applied every six months, stating, "The six months after the procedure are important for us. The body develops an adaptation mechanism during this process. It is the same for my mother. She still has vocal cord paralysis, but since there is no difficulty in swallowing and aspiration, we are just monitoring without doing anything."
SURGICAL INTERVENTION MAY BE NECESSARY
Dr. Yılmaz stated that there is no serious risk associated with the procedure, but sometimes, due to the filler material retaining water, respiratory distress may occur for a few days. She also noted that the procedure, which needs to be repeated every six months, may not be sufficient in some cases, and in such cases, a permanent material is placed surgically.
"MY MOTHER IS DOING VERY WELL NOW"
Dr. Yılmaz explained that her mother is doing very well now, and after the injection, she started to speak and communicate. "She has started to swallow, eat, and gain weight. Once she started to gain weight, she also became more energetic," she said.