Yeson Voice Feminisation Surgery 1st November Korea - anyone going to be there??

[kitten_lover]

Hi All,

This is my first post on Susans.org

I had discovered this website a while ago, however hadn't made any contributions up until now.

I am flying to Seoul on November 1st for Vocal Fold Shortening, voice feminisaton surgery at Yeson Voice Centre in South Korea. I am travelling alone and was wondering if anyone here is also planning a trip there during the time I'll be there? If so it would be great to meet perhaps if your'e there too for the same reasons. I'm not suggesting we have to hang out or anything, but it might be a good idea if your in a similar position to me.

Given I won't be able to talk for the whole time I'll be there, after the operation, I might struggle in finding my way around and would really appreciate the company - at least we can struggle together lol.

Anyways, if this sounds somewhat a good idea to you I'd love to hear from you.


Kind regards,

Jenna

[iKate]

Hi Jenna.

I did mine in June (my experiences are in Jenny's original thread and the new 2.0 thread).

It's actually not hard to get around without speaking. Use a smartphone app to type and text to speech. It's easier for people to read English there anyway. I used the subway and it was easy.

Where are you staying? I stayed at Phil House.

[Dena]

Welcome to Susan's place. Well this is really your second post, I checked but what's a post amongst friends. We have had several people return from Korea who will be happy to provide advice. I went to Dr Haben instead so I can't help you much there. The voices from both doctors have been sounding pretty good so they do quality work. I knew before left that my voice would still require a trained voice after surgery and while my voice isn't everything I hoped for, I am still happy with it.

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[kitten_lover]

Hi iKate & Dena,

Ive had a read up to page 7 of Jenny's experiences. She logs her experience in much detail which is obviously of great benefit to anyone considering the surgery. I havent had a chance to read the 2.0 version, although will try to before heading out there. I hope your experience was as good as hers.

I guess your right, this is my second post, my first one was just a response/reply to something I read.

I've booked in Princess Hotel, which is very near to yeson voice centre itself. It doesnt seem to be too expensive, something in the region of $50 a night I recall. I'm sure it will be ok, getting around with a smartphone, althoug it just might get a little lonely thats all.

Thanks for your responses girls.

Jenna

[iKate]

That's true. I had my mom with me but I had to pay for a flight for her. No biggie, I was happy to have her along anyway. We had lots of fun and mother daughter bonding time.

[Jettin Jenni]

Hey All,

This is my first official post. I'm actually here in Seoul, Korea now. I had my surgery on Thursday. My recovery thus far has been pretty much text book from what I have read on this site. Not being able to speak on top of the constant annoyance of phlegm and a throat tickle seems to be the biggest hurdle at the moment. Like many others who have had the surgery, it's nearly impossible not to accidentally speak, cough or clear the throat. I actually accidentally slipped my very first word after surgery to Dr. Kim himself. I was walking back to my recovery room when I saw Dr. Kim and he asked me if I was okay. I instinctively responded yes!!!  He immediately instructed me not to speak. I was MORTIFIED that I had done exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't do. Ugh. Since then, I've been VERY careful not to make any sounds especially if I feel a cough coming on. Sometimes I'm actually tearing because the tickle is so bad and I'm so determined not to let a cough out. Water has been my only friend on this trip since i did come alone. I was the only one scheduled for the surgery last week so I wasn't able to meet anyone else sharing the experience.

I must admit that as independent as I am, it has become rather lonely here in Korea by myself. I tend to just walk around aimlessly and my goal for the day is figuring out where I'm going to eat each of my three meals. I've made my life somewhat easier by taking pictures of what I want to eat and just showing the photo to the person taking my order. It's been working well so far although it's still awkward because usually the person will stare at me as though they are waiting for me to speak. lol

My follow-up appointment is on Wednesday and I can't wait. I really want reassurance that I'm healing well despite my uncontrollable slip ups. I'm trying hard not to let myself get all worked up with worry but it's impossible when I know how delicate the procedure site is and I don't want to ruin any part of my recovery. Not to mention throw thousands of dollars out the window!

I'm also very excited to go home. I'm soOOo ready to be in my own bed and have access to all of my own things and of course be around my family.

If anyone else has arrived in town and wants to be mime friends on the streets of Korea, let me know. Minus the white gloves and face paint of course. =)

[kitten_lover]

Hi Jenni

Hope your recovery goes well..it must be so hard and tempting to talk, but just hold it in, will all be worth it i expect. Im a very talkative type and so will surely too find it difficult.

Where abouts r u staying? What is it like? Wiuld you recomend it?

I expect my experience will be somewhat similar to yours whilst im there. Im not planning the trip as a holiday, only really for yeson, so also being without someone migt be hard. I hope u meet up with people soon though and wish u all the best with your recovery.

Jenna

[Jettin Jenni]

Hey Jenna,

Thank you for the well wishes. I'm counting down the hours until my follow-up appointment and ultimately my journey back home.

I actually rented an airbnb apartment by Sinsa train station (Line 3) in lieu of getting a hotel. This was the much cheaper option considering my needs while here. I have access to free wifi both inside and outside. The apartment comes with a portable wifi egg that I'm allowed to use during my stay so I'm always connected to internet. This is a huge savings alone since I can text free over wifi. Plus I also have a washer/dryer, cook-top, microwave, full size fridge and cable tv with movies I don't have to pay for. Made perfect sense to me.

The airport bus stop is located right around the corner as is a taxi stand and the subway station. Yeson is about a 30 minute walk if you prefer to sight see like myself. I haven't taken any transportation while here. I walk everywhere! I'm from New York so it's in my blood. The mapping system here is relatively easy to use. I do recommend you download Daum Maps if you have a smartphone. This map app is EXCELLENT. I think it's way better than google maps. Now, the only issue is that it only functions in Korean language so make sure you get your hotel and Yeson's address in Korean print so you can just copy and paste it into the app/website. Despite the fact that it doesn't offer an English option, it's super easy to use with common sense based off of how other map apps work. I suggest going to http://map.daum.net/ on your computer and familiarizing yourself with it's use so you can then apply your gained knowledge to the app itself. I'm confident that you'll love it. It has been a life savor for me while navigating Seoul. You will need wifi access to use it though.

The area where I rented the apartment is very busy and you have access to everything. Tons of local restaurants. If you prefer, there's the fast food joints like McDonald's, Burger King, Subway sandwiches and Dominos pizza within walking distance. I've also noticed that this area has a lot of English speaking foreigners running around. I guess coming to Korea to teach the English language is a big thing here in Seoul.

I would totally recommend airbnb accommodations (at least the place I rented) to anyone who's comfortable with living like a local for 9-10 days and isn't afraid of self-led travel arrangements.

I'm sure your trip will run smoothly regardless of how you choose to spend your time in Korea or where you decide to sleep at night. Once you get over the initial "omg, I'm in Korea for surgery" moment, you'll be fine and adapt very fast. I think you will find Jessie and Dr. Kim a pleasure to interact with and they'll both make you feel very comfortable.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

Until next time, keep it cute.

Jenni

[iKate]

I must admit that as independent as I am, it has become rather lonely here in Korea by myself. I tend to just walk around aimlessly and my goal for the day is figuring out where I'm going to eat each of my three meals. I've made my life somewhat easier by taking pictures of what I want to eat and just showing the photo to the person taking my order. It's been working well so far although it's still awkward because usually the person will stare at me as though they are waiting for me to speak. lol

I went to western fast food places like KFC, Pizza Hut. I went to Lotteria which is like McDonald's. They have picture menus so you don't even have to worry about speaking.

Thankfully my mom was there to help but I am also fiercely independent and a lot of times I did the "talking" via my smartphone.

We also bought groceries and cooked since we had a kitchenette at Phil House.

My follow-up appointment is on Wednesday and I can't wait. I really want reassurance that I'm healing well despite my uncontrollable slip ups. I'm trying hard not to let myself get all worked up with worry but it's impossible when I know how delicate the procedure site is and I don't want to ruin any part of my recovery. Not to mention throw thousands of dollars out the window!

The best thing you can do is follow Dr Kim's instructions and do your absolute best not to speak, cough or sneeze. It is hard but it will be worth it.

[iKate]

Hey Jenna,

Thank you for the well wishes. I'm counting down the hours until my follow-up appointment and ultimately my journey back home.

I actually rented an airbnb apartment by Sinsa train station (Line 3) in lieu of getting a hotel. This was the much cheaper option considering my needs while here. I have access to free wifi both inside and outside. The apartment comes with a portable wifi egg that I'm allowed to use during my stay so I'm always connected to internet. This is a huge savings alone since I can text free over wifi. Plus I also have a washer/dryer, cook-top, microwave, full size fridge and cable tv with movies I don't have to pay for. Made perfect sense to me.

Sounds like a good deal. I bought a SIM card from KT for about US$27. It came with 1GB data and free wifi on the subway and a lot of other public places. It worked well in my unlocked iPhone. I was able to make phone calls back to the states (before surgery of course) for cheap so I could tend to business like ordering a propane fill for my house from the gas company. The rate wasn't too bad. A few won per minute.

I stayed at Phil House which had similar amenities, although they didn't have a dryer, just a washer, so I dried my clothes outside or by the A/C. Free wifi in the room of course.

[iKate]

I expect my experience will be somewhat similar to yours whilst im there. Im not planning the trip as a holiday, only really for yeson, so also being without someone migt be hard. I hope u meet up with people soon though and wish u all the best with your recovery.

Take in some of the sights while you're there. It's not expensive. I saw some sights and learned some history. I am Catholic and I got to attend an ordination mass at Myeongdong Cathedral. It was so beautiful. I also enjoyed sights and sounds all around. I wished I could have seen the DMZ but it was closed due to MERS.

Really, you don't know if you're going to South Korea again, so enjoy it while you're there.

I might end up going back just to visit as a stop over when I visit my brother in Japan next year.

[Jettin Jenni]

Hey Ikate,

Yeah, I tend to stick with the western fast food myself. It's easier and they don't add all the spices that are off limits during recovery anyway. I go to the grocery store daily to get all my goodies and guilty pleasures that I usually deny myself back in the states.

I've been following Dr. Kim's directions to the T. I guess the one true benefit of being alone in Korea is that I don't have any temptations to talk since there's no one to talk to.. lol

Your room and board deal wasn't bad either. Having internet access was the biggest concern for me when booking my accommodations. I wanted to stay connected at all times just in case. That's why I elected on the airbnb apartment.

It's nice of you to encourage Jenna to venture out. I'm sure she will find her courage to take in the sights once she's here. I've done a few of the touristy things myself. However, I travel for a living so I've seen more than my fair share of 
all things touristy. lol I'm big on just walking around and taking in the raw culture and structures of my surrounding, including the people.

I guess that's all for now.

Until next time, keep it cute.

Jenni

[kitten_lover]

Heya Girls!

You two are absolutely amazing! I've still got two weeks to go, but already feeling a little more confident now I know what to expect.

Kate, your right, I don't know when I'm going to be in South Korea next so may as well go and visit some nice sites and learn a little history whilst I'm there.

I'll probably try and stick to the Western foods too, although I am very curious to try their foods, slightly concerned over a bad reaction and it affecting my surgery.

It's great to know you have so much confidence in Dr Kim & Jessie, thanks.

Since I booked my accomodation via bookings.com I can still cancel without being charged and might consider rebooking elsewhere if it is better value.

I exchanged the money I'll need today, from pounds to won. I exchanged around $500 roughly which I should think would suffice for 9 days?

[iKate]

That should be fine for meals and shopping. I would have waited though. The currency exchange places are pretty cheap and besides if you use credit cards you get the interbank rate. I used my Amex almost exclusively. I used cash to pay Phil house and vendors in the markets.

[anjaq]

I found western food to be quite expensive there. Starting by getting the components for homemade sandwiches (bread, butter, cheese, ham, sauce) to trying to get a Pizza which was $30 or something. Crazy. So we decides to stick to local foods - gimbap (Korean "sushi rolls") is usually not spicy unless you dip them in some hot sauce. The fried food usually is also not spicy (fried chicken is rather easy to get). Lots of restaurants have pictures of the food they sell and if you can identify it somewhat, you can order it by making a photo with the mobile and show it to the waiter. You also get a couple of papers with some common questions in Korean from Jessie - one of them is "is this food spicy" and another one is "do you have food that is not spicy" - so you can use them to make sure they dont sell you spicy stuff. The main reason not to eat spicy is to avoid coughing though. So some spicy stuff is not that bad as long as you don't get hickups, coughs, phlegm or such from some spices.

I really liked the gimbap and we once also had Korean BBQ which is about as expensive as western food though and usually has a sideorder of various kimchi, some of which are spicy (use the flash card! ). Second to that I also liked fried chicken which is quite affordable - there is one little place "Teriyaki chicken" or something like that right around the corner from Yeson - Jessies recommendation . Usually they all have some non-spicy stuff on the menu as well. You can also try the fried food on the street markets, but I was careful about getting gimbap from there because I dont know if they really can keep it fresh - fried food is safe though, but it contains a bit more fat, so if you are susceptible to heartburn, it may be good to avoid them since heartburn means acid from the stomach can go to the vocal folds and maye irritate them.