I don’t really intend on getting vocal chord surgery unless it’s an absolute last resort. I’ve been on E since 15/02/2022 and I have never felt better with my body and I pass most of the time. What I’m not satisfied with is my voice. It’s somewhat deep and gravelley, especially when tired. I’ve recently got into speech therapy but every time I have sore vocal chords. Does it just take a while for them to loosen up/adjust? I’d appreciate if other people here, preferably trans women, posted but anyone is free to comment :)
Unfortunately, pain is normal. You’re exercising muscles in ways you may never have before. And like any muscle weak from disuse, it’s going to hurt. Some pain is normal, but you don’t want to push yourself until you strain something. For loosening up, you could try standard vocal warmup techniques. Being hydrated and drinking soothing warm beverages can also help. Tea with honey is a good one.
If your throat is still hurting after practice, you could try taking an OTC pain killer. Maybe ibuprofen would work well. But I would not recommend taking pain killers before practice. You don’t want to push yourself so hard you might “sprain” something, and pain is meant to keep you from passing that threshold. But, after you’ve practiced, if your throat is still sore, you might consider pain medication then.