Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi all,

I'm so excited! I've booked a surgery date with Dr. Haben. I'm going to have the glottoplasty and tracheal shave for sure, but if the doc thinks I need it, I'll have the CTA as well. My endo claims I already sound feminine, but I think he's just being nice. My family is understandably worried about any surgery, but this is something I've been waiting for since before I started my transition.

I'd like to thank everyone here for posting their results and experiences with Dr. Haben. Big hugs. It helped so much to know more about what it's like. Before seeing the posts here I was scared that any place other than Yesson was a mistake and my voice would be ruined. Now I know better. I remember some website for a doctor here in the states that had samples and they sounded so alien and strange, or hadn't changed much at all, that I was convinced that it wasn't going to be worth it. I think most of the samples were patients that had complications with a prior procedure, but it still worried me.

I think I've got most of the prosody down. I never really trained my voice, but I do speak with my "head" voice now, I think, and it's pretty comfortable to do without much effort. I just know that it's still too low to be feminine and that is my problem with it. I will try to post a before recording at some point in the next week or so. I will also keep this thread updated with any news and of course my after recording. I plan on resting my voice for two weeks after surgery instead of the eight days required. Just to give myself a bit more healing time before first use.

Wish me luck!

P.S. My name is Evelyn now. I chose Kristen hastily and after a lot of thought settled on Evelyn.


~Evelyn

Evelyn is a very pretty name, great choice. Good luck with your surgery.  I will very interested to hear about your progress post surgery.  I know I will need to explore the same path.
Jess

Jessi

Good luck with your surgery!

Even thought I am %#^#^ healing at three months, I am very happy with Dr Haben's work. The healing problem is just my body and most people recover far faster. As of the family being nervous. My mother was. Both the danger of surgery and the fear I would sound like mini mouse. I knew the mini mouse thing couldn't happen but I was a bit nervous about the danger. The only issue I had after surgery was I had a little trouble peeing but that quickly cleared up and shortly after surgery I could outpace the nurses when I was earning my blue gown.

As for the doctor with the strange voices, I found that site first and if that was the best I could do for voice surgery, I wouldn't have had it. I found Susan's looking for another option and then I discovered Dr Haben's work.

You'll be in good hands! I have no regrets. :)

I will have one day to spend in Rochester. Anyone know of anything fun to occupy my time?


~Evelyn

Niagara Falls? I would have liked to visit them but I didn't have the time.

I went to the Marketplace Mall & Eastview Mall. I really wanted to go to George Eastman Museum, but didn't get the chance to.

Quote from: Dena on October 17, 2015, 05:57:35 PM
Niagara Falls? I would have liked to visit them but I didn't have the time.

This! About the only thing worth seeing in the Rochester area according to a taxi driver I met. It's about 1.5 hours away from Rochester, though.

We will have about 7 days post-op in early to mid December to spend doing??? Perhaps a visit to Niagara Falls for a couple nights, likely visit Pa for a day or so, then??? I know can't do it due to the surgery but I'd be all over going skiing in Vermont or even a few of my old haunts in western and northern NY state. Exercise will have to be curtailed for a month or so and only then rebooted at a slower pace to ensure the best possible outcome.

I would love to hear of other ideas and suggestions from others. 

Next year I will be looking for a ski camp to get tuned up again for some gate running again. I do miss skiing so. Florida is nice, my wife would never leave, but we are seriously considering on doing the reverse snowbird thing so I can get my winter fix. The fall/winter and a bit of spring can be really bad with an influx of a certain type of boorish tourists.

Congrats, Evelyn! I'm still loving my results. I have not been misgendered once, even while healing, after my surgery. Also, my scar is becoming less and less noticeable. I have had to point it out to some people because they didn't notice it at first. One person thought it was simply irritation from my necklace. Lol I'm fair skinned too. Haben has insanely smart hands. Lol

If you like avant garde art, there is a very cool warehouse that houses all manner of local art. I really wish I could remember the name of it, lol I'm sure searching it on Google (art warehouse rochester) will get you the name. Best wishes!

Thanks! I'm actually getting really nervous/excited about it. I leave Monday the 16th! I really need to make a before recording. Anyone know what free software there is to analyze pitch? I see videos and stuff all the time with a graph thing in it.


~Evelyn

Praat documented in the post at the top of the voice thread will more than do the job. I haven't felt the need to use it yet as I only need the tools that run on my iPhone but Praat is far better to analyze a voice with.

Here is my before recording! Pratt shows it to be between 130Hz and 200Hz (if I'm reading it right anyway).

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1NxcyOOKVoA (http://vocaroo.com/i/s1NxcyOOKVoA)

Hopefully I can get the pitch increase I want with just the glottoplasty. I really want to have as much singing range after as I can get. I don't really sing much, but that's mostly been due to the fact that I dislike my voice. I will admit that it's gotten better after the 6 month HRT mark.

Your voice in the recording sounds pretty good and I am not sure where the 130 hz number is coming from because by ear it sounds like your voice is in the 180 to 190 hz range if not more. Your inflection sounds good and I would gender the voice as female. I have heard female news casters who have similar voices to that. My advice to you is make sure you understand exactly what Dr Haben plans to do with your voice because he may have different ideas about how much pitch you need. Also if you are using a trained voice, make sure you remember how to drop out of it if you want the adjustment to be made on your non trained voice.

It's possible the filters aren't adjusted right in the Praat software and somebody who knows more about it may be able to help you with that.

 Thanks! I guess I am using a trained voice. Basically I'm using my head to speak instead of my chest. I do attempt to raise my pitch a bit, but otherwise I just do what feels natural.


~Evelyn

I'm two hours away from heading to the hospital for surgery! Nervous, excited, worried, and anxious, but I'm confident everything will come out fine. Can't wait until I can start using my new voice! I'm giving myself 2-3 weeks voice rest just to be safe, but Dr. Haben wants me talking before the 1 month mark. For now pen and paper are my voice. Also, my tapatalk is messed up and doesn't send notifications anymore so if anyone happens to respond, I'll be checking in on this thread from time to time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wish you all the best on your surgery! What procedure are you doing? Glottoplasty only or the triple?

Glottoplasty and tracheal shave only. The doctor didn't think I needed the CTA.


~Evelyn

Quote from: Greeneyes on November 18, 2015, 09:58:27 AM
Glottoplasty and tracheal shave only. The doctor didn't think I needed the CTA.

Best of luck! Based on your recording I agree you probably don't need the CTA.  Your preoperative example is already good!


~Evelyn

Hi Evelyn, I hope everything went well!!

Sorry I didn't get to talk with you... my mom said she had a nice conversation with you while waiting at the hospital on Wednesday. :)

Quote from: Starfire on November 20, 2015, 02:57:26 PM
Hi Evelyn, I hope everything went well!!

Sorry I didn't get to talk with you... my mom said she had a nice conversation with you while waiting at the hospital on Wednesday. :)

Yes we had a shirt conversation. I still can't believe we live in the same area and were there at the same time.

Okay, here is an update people:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.tapatalk-cdn.com%2F15%2F11%2F21%2F2bb5cc03e0bd4e443c64bda39445d9a0.jpg&hash=2f8e017823429c5ded065c65325e44976a4b1b4c)

Here is an image of my nice smooth neck. I've never had stitches before and I hope they don't hurt when they come out.

One thing I will say is don't fly around a holiday week. My flight home was canceled. In part due to weather, but perhaps just as much due to a ramp workers strike that apparently started on the 18th and caused all sorts of issues. Though, they wouldn't confirm that it had any bearing on the delays. So I had to get a hotel room. Went fine, just another hassle and expense that I didn't expect. Luckily I had planned for such an eventuality.

The surgery:
My pre-op doctors visit was just as expected. He took note of my current speaking frequencies, both natural and trained (recording), and explained what improvement I could expect (which I already knew about given my research prior to scheduling all this).

The surgery itself was great. I was taken to a pre-op area to get ready. They inserted the IV and got all my info and junk. Then my friend came back and we waited together for awhile (snickering about my anesthesiologists name which was Dr. Trojan). After a time the OR nurse and Dr. Haben appeared. Afterward, the anesthesiologist came in and explained what he was going to do. He was very nice, as was all the staff there. At this point they took me to the OR. If you've never been under general anesthesia, its amazing. I don't remember going to sleep. So I literally was lying in the OR one second, and lying in recovery the next second. Apparently three hours later. The surgery took longer for me due to the fact that I have a small mouth and crowded teeth. After a time, I was given my medication and post-op instructions. I was released soon thereafter.

Recovery so far has been fine although I'm worried I'm having to clear my throat too much. Pain is the same as a bad sore throat, and has already diminished to that of an average sore throat. Not talking is hard but the way I've gotten around it is to actively hold my mouth closed all the time.

I will be posting an after recording at the one month mark hopefully.



~Evelyn

When you need to clear your throat, lean forward and exhale fast with your cords open. It's not as good as a proper clearing but it helps. Also keep sipping cold water as it helps with the discomfort and reduces the need to clear your throat. I found a straw in ice water worked best. Take a small amount of water in your mouth, warm it for a few seconds and then swallow.

Quote from: Dena on November 21, 2015, 10:17:55 AM
When you need to clear your throat, lean forward and exhale fast with your cords open. It's not as good as a proper clearing but it helps. Also keep sipping cold water as it helps with the discomfort and reduces the need to clear your throat. I found a straw in ice water worked best. Take a small amount of water in your mouth, warm it for a few seconds and then swallow.

Thanks for the advice! I will try it. I just worry and say to myself each time I clear my throat; "That's it! You done it now. Everything's ruined." And I know I shouldn't, but I do anyway. I'm very much a person that expects the worst so she's not disappointed, but I want this to work so badly.



~Evelyn

The surgery is more rugged that we think as it will withstand sleep talking and a cough or two. You want to avoid a coughing fit and if you need the cough medicine, use it.  Dr Haben said control the things you can and don't worry about the things you can't. I even let a few word slip in the first week but other than that I was very careful because I knew how low the final voice would be and I wanted every bit of pitch out of the surgery I could get. I spent the week before surgery learning how not to cough and keep a clear throat.

Avoid anything that puts a strain on you body for the next couple of weeks at least. That seemed to be what caused the one failure I know about. In my case, I stopped my evening walk for a month to keep the dry Arizona air from causing irritation. Most of all don't worry.

Quote from: Dena on November 21, 2015, 10:30:58 AM
The surgery is more rugged that we think as it will withstand sleep talking and a cough or two. You want to avoid a coughing fit and if you need the cough medicine, use it.  Dr Haben said control the things you can and don't worry about the things you can't. I even let a few word slip in the first week but other than that I was very careful because I knew how low the final voice would be and I wanted every bit of pitch out of the surgery I could get. I spent the week before surgery learning how not to cough and keep a clear throat.

Avoid anything that puts a strain on you body for the next couple of weeks at least. That seemed to be what caused the one failure I know about. In my case, I stopped my evening walk for a month to keep the dry Arizona air from causing irritation. Most of all don't worry.

Yes, he told me the same. I plan on taking it easy for sure. Work will be sitting at a desk and emailing. Otherwise I will be home and resting. Also, I'm not sure the words "don't worry" exist for me right now lol, but I'll do my best.


~Evelyn

Quote from: Greeneyes on November 21, 2015, 10:41:05 AM
Yes, he told me the same. I plan on taking it easy for sure. Work will be sitting at a desk and emailing. Otherwise I will be home and resting. Also, I'm not sure the words "don't worry" exist for me right now lol, but I'll do my best.


~Evelyn

Congrats on the operation and best of luck with recovery.

Quote from: kwala on November 21, 2015, 10:44:58 AM
Congrats on the operation and best of luck with recovery.

Thanks!


~Evelyn

Evelyn:

I sincerely hope your recovery is progressing smoothly. Please do keep us up on how you are doing. It can seem like it drags on at times but the benefits of a measured, cautious recuperation will only benefit your new voice. The posts you have made thus far add to a growing list of helpful commentary here regarding VFS in general and specifically with Dr Haben. They are appreciated by many...

Wishing you my best in the upcoming holiday season.
Be safe
Elaine

Quote from: Elaine S on November 30, 2015, 08:17:55 AM
Evelyn:

I sincerely hope your recovery is progressing smoothly. Please do keep us up on how you are doing. It can seem like it drags on at times but the benefits of a measured, cautious recuperation will only benefit your new voice. The posts you have made thus far add to a growing list of helpful commentary here regarding VFS in general and specifically with Dr Haben. They are appreciated by many...

Wishing you my best in the upcoming holiday season.
Be safe
Elaine

Thanks! Yeah there's just really not much to report at the moment. I only just got my stitches out today. My voice is getting clearer every day, but it still comes out like a raspy whisper. Dr. Haben said this is normal though. I've only tried my voice out once a day for about 30secs. I'm trying to rest it as much as possible. After this week I will be trying to speak normally without over using my voice. So far I can definitely tell my voice is higher (though only a day ago I couldn't tell a difference). I can't say how high and I'm not going to judge it until way later, after the recovery period has passed. So far I'm very hopeful. Believe me I can worry about the big things though and I've been agonizing over it. Thinking it sounds exactly the same. Worrying that I tore my stitches. It's fine though. I'm just glad to be on the road to recovery. We'll see what happens as time passes. I'll definitely post a recording once I get to the point where I think I can make it through part of the rainbow passage without too much trouble.


~Evelyn

One month Update!!

So it's been approximately one month since my surgery date with Dr. Haben. Here is the voice recording I promised.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0h4pLKlLXYO (http://vocaroo.com/i/s0h4pLKlLXYO)

As I said in the recording I don't use a trained voice at the moment. I imagine that will change. I get the feeling I will like the way it sounds with a slightly more head voice intonation. I'd doubt I will have to push it anywhere near as far for that though. My scar is healing very well. I will post a picture later. Everything is going about like I expected when I booked the surgery. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but nothing usually is. If anyone has any specific questions or anything feel free to ask.

Glad things are going so well!  Sounds completely feminine to me.  Not the highest voice but as you said, it may continue to rise and you may end up raising it more as you get comfortable and begin to experiment a bit.  That is, if you want to.  It's already very good.  Off to a great start, and I'm totally jealous (in a good way :) ).

Sounds great and 100% feminine. I cannot wait to hear my own voice.

How is your range now? How deep and how high can you go?

I haven't really tested my full range. I know I can't go all that much lower than what you hear in the recording. The higher I try to go the more it breaks up, so I haven't really tried. I'll see if I can get a recording done. I'm recovering from a night out at the moment (not supposed to drink with the surgery so don't follow my example). My birthday is tomorrow the 21st and my friends birthday is the 22nd so we got together with friends.


~Evelyn

Your voice sounds very good for only 1 month! At that time, my voice was still a hot mess.

Thanks! I'm hoping the breakup and slight raspiness will be gone in another month. I'm also hoping that the pitch increases as well. I recall watching a video from a Yeson girl and she said that they told her even at two months the voice may be close to the same as it was pre-op and would increase over the next few months. I can't wait to be able to sing again. I'm already trying, but it's still difficult.


~Evelyn

Evelyn:

Congratulations! Your voice is sounding nice. To me, your recording was consistent and sounded relaxed.

As you have no doubt heard before, listen to your body and don't strain your voice.

A belated Happy Birthday and happy solstice!

Be safe and enjoy your lovely new instrument.

Elaine

Hello all,

I realize I've neglected this thread and haven't done my due diligence in adding progress reports. I apologize for this and hope that this update will in some way help others.

My progress since the last time I posted a recording has been steady, but slow. As with any healing process it takes time. I"m not entirely sure my healing is 100% complete. My voice doesn't fluctuate or anything, and I'm more than happy with it. My voice doesn't naturally fall in a lower pitch. I pass vocally without thinking about it, which is the entire point to vocal feminization surgery. So as it stands it was a resounding success! I still talk more with my head instead of my chest, but this is simply a result of me doing so to affect a more feminine speech pattern. Again, I don't intentionally do anything to make this happen anymore. It just works that way now. As for my scar, which I very much regret not posting a picture of as it was healing, it's pretty much gone. I didn't really do much to help it along. I did use a scar cream for about 2 weeks after the stitches came out, (probably should have done for a lot longer). Otherwise it just healed normally. Here is a current picture of it:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FhXwJ7Kv.jpg&hash=52fbf05dbec99353c960c96dae0d01a982ad537a)

I'm also including a current recording of the rainbow passage:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1XfaueEfZxn (http://vocaroo.com/i/s1XfaueEfZxn)

I'd like to stress that I'm completely happy with my results. I would recommend Dr. Haben 100% to anyone looking for vocal feminization procedures. Are there things I would change about it if I could? Sure, but I think that's true of absolutely anyone. You show me a human being that wouldn't change a single thing about themselves given the chance, and I'll show you a big fat liar. ;)

As for my lack of updates, I'm not making excuses (I should have made time), but things have been crazy for me. Between dating for the first time in forever, going on a vacation (again for the first time ever), and figuring out my GCS I've been lost for time to do much anything else. If anyone has any questions about my experience please ask. I'll be glad to answer them. As of my last post things had been quite stressful, I can say that I now have some breathing room and I am much more comfortable with my voice.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Evelyn

Your voice sounds great. :)

Congratulations!

Quote from: KayXo on June 17, 2016, 10:38:04 AM
Your voice sounds great. :)

Quote from: kwala on June 17, 2016, 11:05:26 AM
Congratulations!

Thanks a lot! :)


~Evelyn

Thank you for sharing your experience I am starting to lean towards going to Dr. Haben due to my frustration with Yeson's  delayed response on anything and everything...

I never really talked to Yeson beyond asking some basic questions about the procedure. I was certainly happy to find Haben since the travel and hotel would be significantly cheaper.


~Evelyn

Hi.
I am considering Dr Haben since my vocal range has been damaged after 2nd trachea shave in Belgium. I've had two tracheal shaves and maybe it is just my skeleton that I can't have anymore cartilage removed? Don't know if I should remove the scar if I plan to have another surgery for the neck with Haben... what is CTA btw? And if I just will have voice feminization, he won't need to insert through the neck and create another scar?

CTA should be able to deal with your issue but it will required an incision over the larynx. If you are concerned about another scar, I suggest you discuss this with Dr Haben and enclose a picture of your neck so he can tell you what his approach will be. An existing scar may complicate matters but as I didn't have CTA, my knowledge of it is a little limited.

http://www.professionalvoice.org/feminization.aspx

Ok. I was more into what CTA acronym means. Also if I am only after VFS is the surgery internal ie. done without any external cuts as in trachea shave? Many thanks.  ;)

Caico-Thyroid Approximation. VFS involves no external cuts however if your voice was damage as the result of a trachea shave, CTA will repair the damage and will remove additional material if needed. VFS can only provide about a 80 HZ improvement at best and depending on how much damage the trachea shave did, CTA may not be an option to correct your voice. Dr Haben will need to make the final determination in person.

Dr Haben will look out for your best interest. I expected to be told I would need CTA but Dr Haben determined it wasn't needed in my case. He was a bit conservative estimating my gain but I did better than expected and hit the golden 220 Hz mark.

The link in the above post provide a detail description of the procedures that Dr Haben uses. VFS is done by other surgeons and the basic concept is the same but their procedures may be different.