One year after voice surgery with Prof. Remacle in Belgium - audio examples

[evenstar]

Hello everybody,

I just wanted to give a short update on my voice surgery last year. Here are some audio files for comparison:

Pre-Op:
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- physiological male voice (pre HRT/full time), average pitch 120Hz: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1lpY3EXGzkv (german)
- male voice (after 2 years of HRT/full time), average pitch 177Hz: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1iNMbzo1yFs
- trained female voice (after 2 years of HRT/full time), average pitch 210Hz: http://vocaroo.com/i/s0IJVHX0KpXy

Post-Op:
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- 1 month after glottoplasty, average pitch 212Hz: http://vocaroo.com/i/s0nUmR75aK0D
- my voice as it is today (1 year after glottoplasty): http://vocaroo.com/i/s1hoBQjcNsL0

I am pretty happy with my result. I think the difference between my old trained voice and my post op voice is subtle. It takes much less effort to produce a female sounding voice though. The downside is that there are still situations when I perceive my voice as androgynous, which I hoped wouldn't happen after surgery.

What do you think?

[alena]

Congrats evenstar, I think both your post-op recordings sound female!

[Promethea]

You sound great! Not androgynous at all. Remember that you hear your voice resounding through the bones in your head, unlike other people, so what you hear is different than what other people hear.

And I'm amazed by the difference with how your voice was at first. It gives me hopes! Thank you for sharing this

[Dena]

First the voice is very good. There is a mix between the high pitches and the warmth of the lower pitches. This voice would never be gendered male and is a very attractive female voice. The work you put into therapy and the surgery have resulted in a voice you should be proud of.

[Swayallday]

Thank you for sharing :-)

Wow I think it sounds a tad softer after surgery but it was very feminine to begin with beforehand.

Impressive!

[kwala]

Thanks so much for sharing and posting audio clips.  I think your voice sounds remarkable   Your trained voice was quite good before, but now it seems like you are attaining that pitch level with total ease and the timbre sounds bright and totally feminine to me, not androgynous in the slightest.  Congrats!

[gentlebreeze]

That's a good result. How much speech therapy did you have after surgery.

[evenstar]

Thank you for your comments! Yes, I guess I should be happy with my voice - I'm just generally overcritical. My gender never gets questioned on the phone or in person. I even started to take singing lessons. I am travelling to Belgium for a follow-up exam with Prof Remacle in August and I am very curious how everything looks inside my throat now...

That's a good result. How much speech therapy did you have after surgery.

I did a lot of voice training (about 2 years) by myself before working with a speech therapist. I mostly used "Finding Your Female Voice" by Andrea James. After that, I had about 15-20 hours with a speech therapist over the course of one and a half years. I did not have any speech therapy after surgery so far.

[gentlebreeze]

Thank you for your comments! Yes, I guess I should be happy with my voice - I'm just generally overcritical. My gender never gets questioned on the phone or in person. I even started to take singing lessons. I am travelling to Belgium for a follow-up exam with Prof Remacle in August and I am very curious how everything looks inside my throat now...

I did a lot of voice training (about 2 years) by myself before working with a speech therapist. I mostly used "Finding Your Female Voice" by Andrea James. After that, I had about 15-20 hours with a speech therapist over the course of one and a half years. I did not have any speech therapy after surgery so far.

Did you not have any ENT examinations during the year following surgery? The voice is very good considering that you had no SLT after surgery. Great to hear some feedback 1 year on after surgery.

How many months did the hoarsness last for, and at what point did you regain "full strength" with your voice?

[evenstar]

How many months did the hoarsness last for, and at what point did you regain "full strength" with your voice?

Most of the hoarseness was gone after about two months, and I'd say it took another two or three till I regained full strength. It's a little difficult to tell exactly because I also had some problems with reflux recently and I think that slowed down the healing process.

[anjaq]

Oh - Well, I am at 5 months post op now and still have significant hoarseness or breathiness - and I am far from having full strength - I hope that this is not a bad sign. I was told it often takes 6-9 months and officially its 12 months even. Jennygirl reported somewhere she still gained power and clarity in the voice after the 12 month mark, so I still do have hope

[Lynne]

Thank you for sharing your results and experiences Evenstar, you had a great trained voice to begin with but the surgery added that little extra that makes it even better. As an EU citizen Belgium seems to be a better option for me and seeing great results from Prof. Remacle makes me hopeful that one day I can get my voice improved for a price that I can afford.

[Cristal Lecter]

Great results Evenstar I've had the glottoplasty with prof Remacle 3 months ago

I wonder if anyone would be interested to hear my voice now

[kwala]

Great results Evenstar I've had the glottoplasty with prof Remacle 3 months ago

I wonder if anyone would be interested to hear my voice now

Definitely!

[Cristal Lecter]

Definitely!

I've posted a new thread if you want to listen