Yeson voice feminization surgery

[Carlita]

Oh and here's some more recordings for you guys

Here a message about how my voice is healing: https://soundcloud.com/abbyev89/susans-message-10-7-13

And here is a simple recording of me counting to give you an idea of how my voice has progressed: https://soundcloud.com/abbyev89/counting-timeline

The first one was recorded about 3 weeks post-op and was 140hz. The second one was at about 4 weeks and was 150hz, and then the last one was at about 7 weeks and was 175hz. I unfortunately don't have one from before surgery, but according to my patient file from the voice therapy I did it was at 115hz. So so far I've seen about a 60hz increase

Wow! What a dramatic improvement on the counting between 4 and 7 weeks! MUCH more feminine - anyone listening to that, without any knowledge of who they were listening to would automatically register it as a woman's voice.

[anjaq]

Cool that this worked yout for you. In the counting I dont hear much diference between 1 and 2 but #3 is clearly better in pitch as well as in the sound - sounds well feminine. Healing is going well, I would say - Do you do anything consciously with the voice, like that "voice box raising" that people are always recommending to create a different resonance? You did have voice training before the surgery, so I guess you have learned to do something like that maybe?

[abbyt89]

Wow! What a dramatic improvement on the counting between 4 and 7 weeks! MUCH more feminine - anyone listening to that, without any knowledge of who they were listening to would automatically register it as a woman's voice.

Thanks!

Cool that this worked yout for you. In the counting I dont hear much diference between 1 and 2 but #3 is clearly better in pitch as well as in the sound - sounds well feminine. Healing is going well, I would say - Do you do anything consciously with the voice, like that "voice box raising" that people are always recommending to create a different resonance? You did have voice training before the surgery, so I guess you have learned to do something like that maybe?

Well, I didn't really learn that much from voice therapy, it just helped me raise my pitch. My pre-surgery feminine voice was pretty bad.

I am not doing anything consciously in that recording - it's just how it comes out. Now sub-consciously I may be just because my voice feels more feminine overall, but I can't answer that for sure! All I know is that recording you hear is absolutely effortless for me and requires no thought or anything - I love it!

[anjaq]

So great, Abby. I am happy for you

[Jennygirl]

Sounding really good Abby

Seems like we have very similar results.. About 60hz increase in pitch. I have a feeling that we will both easily accrue the extra 15hz over time during the first year of recovery. I am almost to 5 months! Crazy how time starts to fly after that 2 month post op period Life is great!

Congrats Abby, its awesome to hear it really working out for you, too!

[anjaq]

Whoa - I just read something that made me cringe. There are 2 clinics here in Germany that do this procedure and I read a report of a patient that was in one of them. She complained a bit about how coughing was sounding like dogs barking and how she could only whisper after the surgery. I mean right after the surgery! Dont they have the right procedures to NOT do any of that? I begin to wonder if that is part of why I find mostly bad comments on voice surgery in german language. Again shows me that in this country you always have to think for yourself when in hospitals. Also they seem to use botox to numb the vocal chords and it wears off only several weeks after the surgery... does that really last that long or are they overdoing it a bit. Well I suppose if you use botox, you are less likely to hurt your chords when trying to speak as you basically cannot do anything with them anyways, so they dont get strained...

[sarahb]

Whoa - I just read something that made me cringe. There are 2 clinics here in Germany that do this procedure and I read a report of a patient that was in one of them. She complained a bit about how coughing was sounding like dogs barking and how she could only whisper after the surgery. I mean right after the surgery! Dont they have the right procedures to NOT do any of that? I begin to wonder if that is part of why I find mostly bad comments on voice surgery in german language. Again shows me that in this country you always have to think for yourself when in hospitals. Also they seem to use botox to numb the vocal chords and it wears off only several weeks after the surgery... does that really last that long or are they overdoing it a bit. Well I suppose if you use botox, you are less likely to hurt your chords when trying to speak as you basically cannot do anything with them anyways, so they dont get strained...

From what I remember, Jenny said that the botox seemed to last a few weeks, so that sounds plausible. Also, I would think that it may do *more* damage if you have the botox and try to speak too soon or too much since you'd have to push it more to get sound, to get past the relaxation, and that could mess up the suture or something.

It definitely sounds like the doctors in Russia do not take the same precautions and I could see that making a huge difference in the results.

[Jennygirl]

The botox lasts 4-6 months, but the initial effects relax the vocal cords to the point that they cannot even really make noise. Yes whispering is baaad don't do it

Yeah this is why I think the procedure somewhat varies.. Perhaps somewhere crucial to having predictable results?

If I were looking to have this surgery, I would still go to Yeson even if there was a local surgeon. They are the only ones that advertise it as a risk free procedure. Voice is just one of those things I would not be tossing the dice with anything but the best odds.

[Lexi Belle]

The botox lasts 4-6 months, but the initial effects relax the vocal cords to the point that they cannot even really make noise. Yes whispering is baaad don't do it

Yeah this is why I think the procedure somewhat varies.. Perhaps somewhere crucial to having predictable results?

If I were looking to have this surgery, I would still go to Yeson even if there was a local surgeon. They are the only ones that advertise it as a risk free procedure. Voice is just one of those things I would not be tossing the dice with anything but the best odds.

That is a very smart decision, too.  I'm probably going to end up going there myself in a few years, too.  I'd love to just have a fully natural female range, it'll probably give me a higher highs too, being permanently raised.

[sarahb]

The botox lasts 4-6 months, but the initial effects relax the vocal cords to the point that they cannot even really make noise. Yes whispering is baaad don't do it

So do you notice any effects from the botox still? I had no idea it lasted that long.

[anjaq]

Haha, its not Russia but Germany but anyways it sounded not good. It was a patient report though, so maybe she didnt give too much on the docs suggestions but I know that at times here they just forget. The surgeon thinks the nurse has done the  instructions, the nurse thinks the doc will do it...
I once almost ended up getting a wrong surgery due to a mixup. Maybe I am just unlucky because German healthcare has a good reputation otherwise. I need to check the Berlin hospital though. I read some good patient reports on that one and he advertises with having the largest number of patients woldwide which have gotten a shortening of active vocal cord length. I wonder if that is still true or if that claim was made a while ago and Yesons are outperforming him by quite a bit by now. At least that clinic also does voice surgery on singers and other people, si I assume they should know their field, but I stll want some before and after recordings and patient reports.

Aw god, I talk as if I am already planning this, which I said I will not, its just so....tempting...

I need to find good local information :s, but it is scarce. I dont have $10000 to go to Yeson now, it will take me at least 3 years of massive saving to get that, while doing it locally would be free with some good referral letters.

[sarahb]

Haha, its not Russia but Germany

Haha, oops. I think I had Russia in my head because of something else and I typed it out without thinking

[abbyt89]

So because of the time difference I realized I am exactly 8 weeks post-op and can now do my vocal exercises, yay!!

Looks my lowest noise I can make now is 130hz, and the highest is about 450hz. I really, really regret not knowing what my range was prior to surgery, but I know 450hz was out of my range because I can hit notes that I used to not be able to.

Jenny, are you still seeing an increase in your upper end? What is it at now? I'm hoping I can get up at least a few more semitones.

[anjaq]

What is your highest without "breaking" into falsetto? 'Cause I know I can squeak and make sort of higher pitched sounds but its in falsetto, meaning there is that "break" when I try to go from my normal range up and up. I think thats about the max that can be used for a speaking voice then.

[abbyt89]

What is your highest without "breaking" into falsetto? 'Cause I know I can squeak and make sort of higher pitched sounds but its in falsetto, meaning there is that "break" when I try to go from my normal range up and up. I think thats about the max that can be used for a speaking voice then.

At around 300hz I break into my falsetto it sounds like. I could be wrong. there is not nearly as clear of a break between my normal voice and falsetto as there used to be.

Also I lied, the highest pitch I can actually reach is about 483hz, so not quite a B4.

[Jennygirl]

The most noticeable change in the way I support my voice happens at around F#4 (370hz) but this also varies depending on the vowel sound.

It's as if falsetto is not nearly as accessible anymore. In fact, I can't make a falsettoey sound at all. It just goes from chest to head with a seamless blend in between. A problem is that my head voice cuts off at 660hz (okay not really a problem, but it would be nice to go higher)

So I would say that max pitch is still somewhere around E5 660hz, but my squeak register is right there and I am starting to be able to control it. With the "squeak register", I find I can go as high as 850hz easy and sustain it and even bring it down and blend it into my head voice. It sounds like a piccolo flute, lol The problem is going up it is a lot harder to break into.

One of the things I'd love to be able to do is blend head voice with the very high register squeak thing. I get the feeling that the squeak stuff is just the extended upper range from having shortened vocal cords and my muscles just still aren't strong enough / shaped perfectly like a V yet to realize it. That is pure speculation, though!

[abbyt89]

Yeah, that's what I mean by there's not really as clear break anymore, because my falsetto doesn't sound like falsetto used to. It is very natural sounding.

And gosh if I could get up to 660hz I would be absolutely ecstatic!! Hopefully my vocal exercises will push me up there.

[Jennygirl]

Yeah, that's what I mean by there's not really as clear break anymore, because my falsetto doesn't sound like falsetto used to. It is very natural sounding.

And gosh if I could get up to 660hz I would be absolutely ecstatic!! Hopefully my vocal exercises will push me up there.

You'll get there, Abby When I started vocal exercises 2 months post op I had to strain to reach 470hz. A big key in getting more range was relaxing my entire jaw & throat. My speech therapist gave me some muscle stretching / relaxation exercises to do that really seemed to do the trick.

[anjaq]

This sound again too great to hope for. I believe you, though, its just - I sooo hope this would be true for me if I would go for this. It sound so awesome... I wonder what voice surgery like that does to someone like me who tried speaking in a modded voice for long time.

[Lexi Belle]

You'll get there, Abby When I started vocal exercises 2 months post op I had to strain to reach 470hz. A big key in getting more range was relaxing my entire jaw & throat. My speech therapist gave me some muscle stretching / relaxation exercises to do that really seemed to do the trick.

My Hz seems to peak out at 180. Lol.