My VFS with Dr. Haben

[anjaq]

I hear you - I also found the experience to be mute for a month very interesting in some ways. I know its odd and all, but in a way i liked it, because it allowed me to learn much about people and communication and being attentive and observative. Sadly I think I forgot a lot of this after over a year now, but I remember some of the things , still.

[GeekGirl]

My 5 week update: So, after an enthusiastic first day of speaking, my second day didn't go so well. My voice sounded strained, as confirmed by others. My third day my voice felt even more strained. After not speaking for so long, I had a lot to say and my enthusiasm got the best of me. Yesterday and today, I forced myself to stop talking so much. I figure things are still healing and I have a long way to go before I start hearing improvements. After long periods of rest (an hour or more), saying a couple of words feels and sounds fine, a couple of words after that and it feels and sounds okay, and then the strained voice comes afterwards. Like many others, there's a volume issue and while speaking over the phone is fine, talking to people face to face in a busy, noisy environment poses a problem. Still, I am glad I don't have the thunderously loud male voice I had before. It seems that when I try to speak louder, I feel a "gritty" sensation in my vocal cords, much like the sensation you get when you speak or shout louder than you should.

[anjaq]

Week 5! not yet healed enough to speak loudly and for long periods. Yeson recommend a few short conversations a day in that period up until week 8 when more power can be used and training can begin

[GeekGirl]

Week 5! not yet healed enough to speak loudly and for long periods. Yeson recommend a few short conversations a day in that period up until week 8 when more power can be used and training can begin

Thanks anjaq! That's good to know. I figured I could talk but not too much. I think my thrill to speak again has now worn off and I could go back to a more usual routine. I'm still quite chatty when I get into a good train of thought, but now I'll have to remember to have my type/speak app ready just in case.

[Denjin]

Five weeks is so early, so I'd not worry at all.   Just take it easier for the next few weeks but be glad you can speak at all.  Hoping for the best!

[GeekGirl]

Five weeks is so early, so I'd not worry at all.   Just take it easier for the next few weeks but be glad you can speak at all.  Hoping for the best!

Thanks Denjin!

[GeekGirl]

WEEK 6 UPDATE: My voice is getting a little stronger, but it sounds strained from time to time, especially after several rapidly spoken sentences (not surprising). Sometimes I push my volume a little too much and my throat feels scratchy, so I back off and let myself rest for a bit. Here's today's Rainbow Passage:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0pxSLjOUBF4

[Dena]

The voice is a bit breathy, most likely due to the fact healing is still taking place. I suspect you haven't reached your final pitch and you might see another 20Hz. The use of inflection is good even this early after surgery so I suspect the voice will only get better given a bit more time.

[GeekGirl]

The voice is a bit breathy, most likely due to the fact healing is still taking place. I suspect you haven't reached your final pitch and you might see another 20Hz. The use of inflection is good even this early after surgery so I suspect the voice will only get better given a bit more time.

Yes, true true. You can tell that my plosives (the d and b sounds at the beginning of words) are a little pronounced. That's because I'm losing my breath speaking as I speak.

Hopefully, I'll go up a little. I've been testing my pitch with a pitch app and it's dropped a semitone (one note) over the past week or so, but that could be due to me using my voice more than I should.

[GeekGirl]

WEEK 7 UPDATE: Nothing new to report. My voice sounds the same as the previous week. Every day I seem to stress my voice a little too much and I end up with a sore throat. I rest my voice and an hour later I'm okay again. My partner says I sound like Winnie the Pooh sometimes.

[Katie]

Crap I am a year and a couple months out of surgery and I still can tell it is healing.

If I yell a LOT it will drop out at times.

But ohhhhh the voice is awesome.....


Katie

[GeekGirl]

Crap I am a year and a couple months out of surgery and I still can tell it is healing.

If I yell a LOT it will drop out at times.

But ohhhhh the voice is awesome.....

Katie

Your voice is great and you were an inspiration for me to try Dr. Haben again!

[GeekGirl]

Two month voice update: It's been almost two months, so I decided to do The Rainbow Passage again. Here it is...

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0hDm5tMbvxW

[GeekGirl]

11.5 week update... A slightly stronger voice than before. Slow, slow progress, but your mileage may vary with your VFS. Here's The Rainbow Passage...

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0XuO9A9zXgM

[Virginia Hall]

Sounds great. An inspiration.

[Miss Lux]

Geekgirl, wow night and day from your original voice!!!! I have been following your voice feminization journey.... Good thing you did not give up after the 1st surgery,if that was me I would have sworn off VFS ....I am so happy for you... Take care of your voice! Wow! Inspiration!

[GeekGirl]

Thanks Virginia and Miss Lux! I think what's most impressive about this surgery is my lowest notes certainly sound like a woman trying to make a low voice. My highest notes are still squeaky/raspy, but I suspect that'll all improve over time. I miss my singing range from time to time, but after hearing singers who also had a limited vocal range, I'm hopeful.

The odd thing is I'm trying to get used to humming the right pitch because in the past I could more or less do so, but now all the notes are coming out all wrong. I suspect that'll change over time, too, as my muscle memory adjusts to the changes.

[GeekGirl]

I visited Dr. Haben yesterday for my 3 month followup visit (everyone who has had this surgery with Dr. Haben, please remember to do your followup visit... it's very important and one of the reasons why I prefer doing my surgeries closer versus far away). A scoping of my throat shows that the vocal cords have healed up nicely and they are vibrating as they should. As you can see from the pic, there is a bubble up top. That's granulation tissue which will go away slowly but surely. You may remember I had a similar "bumpie" on the left side before. Dr. Haben says these will not affect voice quality. They will just heal on their own.

I told Dr. Haben that people misgendering my voice over the phone is substantially less now than before. The problem for me appears to be I seem to want to speak at a lower pitch because I was used to a lower pitch for many years, so the goal now is to just relax and let the new pitch settle in. He noticed that my voice sounded very thin at this time, but that's to be expected since I'm just three months out. It should sound better and more resonant in a couple of months (which probably means four months for me, since I heal slowly).

All in all, the surgery was a success. It's up to me to do followup voice therapy and just practice using my new voice every day. I'll continue to update this thread in the coming months.

[GeekGirl]

Here is the picture from yesterday's visit...

[anjaq]

Is that as close as it gets to a complete closure of the vocal folds? Or does that gap in the middle also close at some point?