I'd like to get some non-professional opinions on what might be causing
my vocal chord damage.  I've already been to the doctor for it, which was
underwhelming, but I'll detail that down below.  I've always had a soft voice,
didn't carry well over loud noises like in bars or places with loud music.  
When I tried to project over the noise, I'd just get a sore throat, so I pretty
much avoided noisy places when I could.
    About 5 years ago, when I was 37, I got a pretty bad chest cold that
lasted a few weeks and made me very hoarse.  After the cold went away, I was
still just as hoarse as if i was sick.  It was probably dumb, but I waited
about a whole year before going to the doctor for it.  I felt just fine except
for not having a voice.
    The GP didn't see anything wrong and referred me to an ENT.  The ENT
used a laryngoscope and saw that my vocal chords are in bad shape.  My
description would be "floppy".  She didn't have a word for it, but she showed
me on the video how the ligaments holding the chords didn't seem to be doing
the job.  When I went "eeee", they tightened up slightly, but nowhere close to
a normal chord.  They're so "floppy" that one side is almost overlapping the
other.
    She had me try another test to see if there was nerve damage.  I don't
remember the name of the test, but it involved putting needles into my throat
to measure the electrical impulses of the nerves, and then having me make a few
sounds.  She said that test came out normal, no nerve damage.  Her prognosis
was that I could either live with it, try speech therapy, or have surgery, but
she didn't detail what the surgery was supposed to accomplish.  I tried the
speech therapy, but didn't feel like it helped much.  The therapist seemed to
think that my voice being too breathy was the cause rather than a symptom, so
she showed me how to vocalize with less air.  I tried her exercises for a few
months but didn't feel like they accomplished anything.
    So I'm now just living with it.  There are days when my voice feels
stronger, and days when it's weak and bad.  This past week, for example, my
throat has felt tense even when I wasn't talking.  After the Speech Therapy, I
did one last followup with the ENT and she concluded by blaming my arthritis.  
I grew up with juvenile reumatoid arthritis, but it's been in remission since I
was in my mid-twenties.  I know arthritis is systemic, but is this link
probable?
    I've done internet searches on hoarseness, and the only thing I found
that might cause it is menopause.  Actually, that's just deepening of the
voice, not really chord damage like I have, and I'm not into menopause yet.  
Can anyone here think of what might have caused it, or something I can ask the
doctor to check?

- Sharon
"Gravity...  is a harsh mistress!"