I am a professional opera singer, and have been since i was 10 years old.
(Full Disclosure: I have been on a 3 year hiatus because of being having "irish twins"- it's very bad for your voice to sing while pregnant, but am getting back to my "workouts")
cracks knuckles
vocal nodes are usually caused by (please don't be offended) poor technique while singing that causes stress on the cords.
think of it like a runner who gets a stress fracture
You will need surgery.
Although I have never gotten them personally, working to AVOID them has always been a major part of my vocal exercises. It's like working out the rest of your body, if you do too much too soon, or do something "wrong" or with poor form over a long period of time, it's not a matter of IF you will injure yourself, but WHEN and HOW BADLY
I would suggest consulting with a ENT specialist and starting back from the basics of classical vocal pedagogy: start with posture, breathing exercises, the italian books (Vaccai, etc.) (EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A "CLASSICAL SINGER" IT'S LIKE GOING TO DRIVING SCHOOL AFTER A DUI, EVEN IF YOU DON'T DO NASCAR). start small. it can take YEARS TO RECOVER FROM VOCAL NODES
IGNORE THIS AND YOU CAN GO MUTE. I'M SERIOUS.
THIS IS SERIOUS.
ALSO:
-BREATHE STEAM ONCE A DAY
-ADD A HUMIDIFIER TO YOUR HOME
-REMEMBER THAT WHISPERING IS WORSE THAN SPEAKING
-AVOID DAIRY AS IT CAUSES MUCUS
-AVOID OVERLY COLD BEVERAGES AND FOODS
-WEAR A SCARF, EVEN IF IT'S "JUST FOR A SECOND"
-DRINK A WARM SOUP OR TEA AT MEALS
-WARM UP YOUR VOICE S-L-O-W-L-Y IN THE MORNINGS (WAKE UP A BIT BEFORE YOU START TALKING)
