Best known for her hit singles "Lips Are Movin" and "All About That Bass," Meghan Trainor recently canceled the remainder of her M Train Tour due to a hemorrhaged vocal cord.
Now she's recovering after surgery meant to repair that vocal cord.
The 21-year-old posted selfies on Instagram documenting herself pre- and post-surgery.
"My before and after pics," the post read. "I look so hurt, haha. I survived [though]! Thank you Dr. [Shawn] Nasseri for being my hero. Now just napping all day long on the couch with mama and getting free head rubs. Any movie suggestions?"
Trainor also took to Instagram to announce the cancellation of her tour several weeks ago.
"I was being careful and taking precautions, but I have hemorrhaged my vocal cord again," she explained at the time. "I got bronchitis and have been coughing a lot, and that pushed it over the edge. Sadly, I will need to cancel the remainder of my tour and get surgery to finally fix this once and for all."
Vocal cord problems aren't at all uncommon among singers. People Magazine notes two recent, high-profile examples, including Sam Smith and John Mayer, the latter of whom underwent two surgeries in 2013 due to "a persistent throat condition called a granuloma."
Damage to the vocal cord can result from overuse or other factors, and it isn't necessarily a sign of misuse — particularly among well-trained singers. A vocal cord hemorrhage is the result of blood collecting in the vocal cord after a blood vessel bursts. Such hemorrhages are described as, "essentially bruises of the vocal cord" on ThroatDisorder.com.
While voice rest can be used to treat vocal cord hemorrhages, laser surgery is sometimes needed to correct longer-term issues like irregular blood vessels, thereby preventing future hemorrhages.
Singing loudly and coughing can both cause vocal cord hemorrhages, so Trainor's bronchitis might have created a perfect storm for the performer. Symptoms of vocal cord hemorrhage include hoarseness, rough voice and vocal fatigue.
