ok so me (as well as 2 others) had th Open" Feminization Laryngoplasty Crico-Thyroid Approximation"CTA done on yesterday and all went well. i opted to stay the night in the hospital as i traveled alone. oh! when i arrived on Tuesday morning the ride to the doctors office was like 10 minutes at the most. really close. i spoke with him for a good 30 minutes about the procedure and the non CTA methods and how my results would differ if i did that option. h was very honest and asked me what my expectation are for the surgery and told me the limitations of the non CTA as well as the possible cons of having the CTA option. I felt pretty good about my choice to go all in and do everything so i could have the best possible out come. he game me pre and post op pictures. which look pretty good. im on my strict vocal rest. i did take my own pre surgery voice clip and will most likely upload it. Um at this point im not really sure what all to post? i had the feeling at first like i needed to clear my throat and cough. also the hospital staff was super nice and used proper nouns when addressing me. same with everyone at haben practice and in Rochester in general. i really liked the atmosphere of treatment. (not so much the temp and snow though :P) as far as the post op instructions he went over those and made sure to remind me things likes not smoking, drinking alcohol. all the other stuffs like strict no using voice for certain amount of time. and told me how not fallowing results could and would mess up my results. i really liked the way he expressed the limitations of the non CTA option as each surgery component takes care of half the process and the other takes care of other process.
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0JlHWhbMIVx
oh im going to upload the file of pictures once i get home and can scan them. he said everything looks really well so im super excited. even had lunch with the other two older ladies today
So I am curious, what were his opinions about the limitations of the non CTA methods?
Congrats Warmbody ;D
The no talking period is pretty hard and Im sure you will slip up, dont worry too much about that...
It will be over before you know it and your gonna be happy 8)
I found that lots of ice water was best and sugar free cough drops also were a big help ;)
Can I ask what you think of the incision???
Quote from: anjaq on February 19, 2015, 11:39:25 AM
So I am curious, what were his opinions about the limitations of the non CTA methods?
Im curious to hear this too... I can tell you that without the CTA in my case I can still go too deep and it may always be that way... I was told that 1/2 of his patients do the CTA either all at once or they come back to have it done...
If you add his 75hz increase to a 100-110 hz baseline I can see why.... I go back and forth about the CTA ::)
Since I doubt Im gonna have Dr Speigel doing mine, If Im still not happy once fully healed Im thinking Dr Brassard can do it with my GRS hopefully in the fall of this year ;)
i was surprised by the scar to be honest. i thought it would be longer and slightly larger. but he put it in a creasing area of the lower neck. that was kinda cool in my book. also the way he explained the surgery to me was kinda good. he really put it in terms i could understand. he went over the info he had on his website but made sure i understood it better. like with the glottoplasty. how it has less pitch elevation for people who smoked. i didnt quite get what he was saying until he told me about the pitch being higher (to a point) but not fine tuned. which is the point of his version of the CTA that he does. he raises the pitch, fine tunes it. and also does your trech shave for you ( redo if you previously had it done). he also talked about how the CTA takes away the lower range of the male voice. not completely but it takes away some. its hard to type but in going to make a video about it. we went over alot of information about the surgery and the need for a few lessons with a good speech language pathologist afterwards. he really seemed to know hos stuffs. but yes the not talking, coughing or anything for 8 days is tough. getting back on my own without talking was a real challenge. im still high from the drugs so what else is everyone else wondering? i know one of the other two older woman that was there are also planning on making a video too
oh and the temp change in taste of food must be noted.
Yes for sure the whole altered taste deal sucked for me, nothing tasted good :( It was a solid two months before it got back to normal for me... I got used to it but its all back to normal at three months now...
Yea I liked him too, Im really looking forward to hearing your results 8)
I am very happy for you, warmbody, and thrilled that you are willing to share your experience with everyone. Wishing you a healthy recovery and hope that you achieve a fantastic result. :)
im not sure how to post my pdf file online of my vocal cords? anyone know how to do this? im surprised at how well im still feeling. im keeping in contact with the other two and they both seem to be feeling well also. i know sometimes i feel the need to cough but i just drink some water and the feeling goes away. im trying not to take the cough suppressant anymore since it can kinda lock you up and make you a little high. oh yeah swallowing feels ok now too for the most part. like the first day or two it feels..idk funny? but now its feeling more normal again. i cant wait for the first 3 months to be done and over with though. most of the internal heeling will be over by then to get a good feel of my long term results. oh and for a chatter box like me not talking has been a challenge. i am pretty much communicating constantly through text with people standing next to me. oh and on my way back home it took me 6 trys to rent a motel (i was driving through small towns and locals were like from Bangladesh or India and couldn't read simple English). so i broke down and used my phone to book at a nice hotel. its amazing how limited communication can be with those who cant read English. anything you wanna ask post away.
I was so worried about the numb tongue or alteres taste sensation as well before my glottoplasty at Dr Kim's, but to my surprise it is all normal. I cannot manage to stop my coughing always. water helps, but if there is stuff to be coughed up, it is no use to supress the coughing really, one can only try to make it "soft" - and even dropped a few words by accident half sleeping despite this being strictly prohibited. I hope it still all goes well.
I still wonder why Dr Haben combines both methods. Is there some advantage to it?
Quote from: anjaq on February 26, 2015, 02:32:32 AM
I was so worried about the numb tongue or alteres taste sensation as well before my glottoplasty at Dr Kim's, but to my surprise it is all normal. I cannot manage to stop my coughing always. water helps, but if there is stuff to be coughed up, it is no use to supress the coughing really, one can only try to make it "soft" - and even dropped a few words by accident half sleeping despite this being strictly prohibited. I hope it still all goes well.
I still wonder why Dr Haben combines both methods. Is there some advantage to it?
I wonder about this, too. I plan to have a consultation over the summer, and if I like what he has to say, I will undergo the procedure in the fall (the only time I can get enough time off of work). I currently have a strong feeling to do the glottoplasty only, but I will certainly hear him out on why he thinks results are better when combined with a CTA.
Also, I wouldn't worry about a few slip-ups post-op. Seems that everyone has made some. We are only human, and should definitely try our absolute best to follow the after care instructions but some of this stuff is done so subconsciously that it's impossible to be perfect 100% of the time :) Glad your tongue and sense of taste are holding up :)
i worried about those kinds of things too and talked with him about it. he told me the little tips for avoiding coughing 90% of the time. its been weird because im the kind of person who always swells more than the average person after surgery so i knew it was coming. any who i have been silent and all till today. recorded my voice for yall even know i have a cold (playing in the snow to much). its weird. at the 7 day mark the voice is starting to come back some. but like he said after 7 days the voice will sound much worse and it does. not sure if its the cold? but i am starting to feel better. depending on your pre voice and what kind of post op voice your trying to get will depend on if you should do the CTA or not. i will say with the CTA the scar doesnt seem to be very big and after 6-12 months you can laser that beast away anyways.
oh and getting use to the new way of talking will trip you up at first im still trying to wrap my brain around it. :laugh:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s05GV58iet53
Quote from: warmbody28 on February 26, 2015, 05:47:14 PM
i worried about those kinds of things too and talked with him about it. he told me the little tips for avoiding coughing 90% of the time. its been weird because im the kind of person who always swells more than the average person after surgery so i knew it was coming. any who i have been silent and all till today. recorded my voice for yall even know i have a cold (playing in the snow to much). its weird. at the 7 day mark the voice is starting to come back some. but like he said after 7 days the voice will sound much worse and it does. not sure if its the cold? but i am starting to feel better. depending on your pre voice and what kind of post op voice your trying to get will depend on if you should do the CTA or not. i will say with the CTA the scar doesnt seem to be very big and after 6-12 months you can laser that beast away anyways.
oh and getting use to the new way of talking will trip you up at first im still trying to wrap my brain around it. :laugh:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s05GV58iet53
I think you sound pretty good for just one week! Did he say how much you are allowed to talk at this point?
he said to talk lightly today. and i can do more and more every day. I have to admit im still excited about it. i talke to one of 2 of the other girls today. well skype with text. she sounds better than me
Quote from: warmbody28 on February 26, 2015, 07:25:57 PM
he said to talk lightly today. and i can do more and more every day. I have to admit im still excited about it. i talke to one of 2 of the other girls today. well skype with text. she sounds better than me
I'm very happy for you (and the other patient)! You sound very feminine presently even at a low volume and still recovering. Based on your pre-op recording I can already hear a major upward shift in pitch. I think your result is going to be fantastic!
ok so i thought i would post another update. my voice is still recovering but its easier to talk now. sorry for the crappy audio. im outside and the wind is blowing
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0V0vUl1FC9a
Quote from: warmbody28 on March 05, 2015, 08:36:06 AM
ok so i thought i would post another update. my voice is still recovering but its easier to talk now. sorry for the crappy audio. im outside and the wind is blowing
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0V0vUl1FC9a
Sounds pretty good here and it should just get better with time and learning how to use it ;) 8)
Quote from: warmbody28 on March 05, 2015, 08:36:06 AM
ok so i thought i would post another update. my voice is still recovering but its easier to talk now. sorry for the crappy audio. im outside and the wind is blowing
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0V0vUl1FC9a
Sounds great so far, especially considering you are still so early in recovery! Now that it's been about two weeks I'm curious about how your voice is doing! Any updates? Thanks.
ok so another voice recording. 3 weeks
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1McDZ5r9iVz
Sounds great 8) Congrats you have to be happy with that result??? Ive noticed as the swelling is going down from my FFS that I can really see my adams apple now :-\
My 3 month result was only 6 notes higher with the web only but it comes and goes and I was having a bad day when I sent Dr Haben my recording... My pre/post recording showed my voice started very deep centered at 100hz, my trained voice was about 170 hz with some effort, post op voice is a lot like my trained voice but effortless... I can do 175hz pretty easy most of the time and it works for me but I can also do 120-130hz way too easily... Dr Haben suggested to me that a CTA and possibly redoing the web longer would get me to 190-200hz... That sounds to me like another $7300.00 and at least three months to recover from though :'(
Its a hard decision to make, Im 4 months post op today, Im thinking I should wait a while and hope for more pitch increase...
You sound really good for 3 weeks post op, I could hardly talk at that point, my voice was very weak and monotone....
Wow that is pretty good for 3 weeks! If I wasn't already going to Dr Kim I would have given Dr Haben a serious second look.
Eva, considering where you came from you did pretty good... unfortunately I think the smoking is what kinda made your result less than stellar. But your voice still sounds good. Not as good as Jenny and some of the Yeson gals but you still sound good.
Quote from: warmbody28 on March 12, 2015, 06:37:28 PM
ok so another voice recording. 3 weeks
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1McDZ5r9iVz
You sound terrific! Thanks again for sharing. What sorts of things have you discovered with your new voice?
Eva i agree with the doctor. those together both could really help your voice even more. as long as your not still smoking. im not sure it would still cost you that much again though? i would email him and ask him monday or call him monday. and yes i also feel like for 3 weeks post op im doing well. its just getting use to the way my voice works now so i can form it more. the doctor did tell me to wait until week 4-5 before i started trying to do that though.
Im in no hurry to have anymore surgery after having full FFS, Im still in recovery from that ;)
Yes I feel stupid but recently I have been smoking again... Hard to quit a nearly life long habit :-\
It certainly doesn't help :( Im gonna try to quit again soon though....
Eva dont feel stupid. i can understand why you want to wait. ffs is a tough surgery
I think I'm going all in with Haben!
Quote from: Wynternight on March 15, 2015, 08:02:41 PM
I think I'm going all in with Haben!
Me too!!!!!! I'm beyond SOLD! And I'm so happy that I'm delirious! Thank you Warmbody and everyone on this thread for sharing!
I'm just glad we could help. So far so good with my recovery. I can't wait until I'm 3 months out
Warmbody
Any chance we could get another update??
sure. once i get to Starbucks i will upload something ;)
http://vocaroo.com/delete/s1rQEBq2xjES/6096d43da6851f67
Sounding SO good!! thanks for the update!! I'm excited to hear your voice as it progresses.. Talking with Dr. Haben's office now and hoping to set something up for a few months down the road..
You sound brilliant!! I'm definitely going for the same things you did with Haben along with the shave.
Sounds great!
thanks ladies. the scar was one of my biggest worries along with not having a good enough voice. such as lack of range, monotone and not being able to sing.. but luckily none of this is a problem. and my voice just continues to get better or so im told. i cant tell the difference but others are telling me like every other week it sounds better and better. and the singing is fun now.
Quote from: warmbody28 on April 03, 2015, 03:49:28 PM
http://vocaroo.com/delete/s1rQEBq2xjES/6096d43da6851f67
Everytime I read one of your updates, warmbody, I get so excited! You sound terrific. Question, have you experimented with head voice/falsetto yet and if so, what have you noticed?
what do you mean? like taking it to higher notes of singing and talking ?
Quote from: warmbody28 on April 08, 2015, 09:07:38 AM
what do you mean? like taking it to higher notes of singing and talking ?
Exactly, does it feel different to flip into falsetto?
It goes a little higher now. Going to low is hard though
I must say, I am impressed, this really does sound pretty good :) - I am not near that good with my voice (6 weeks postop from Yeson) yet, but I didnt use it for 4 weeks and now just starting to use it again. I want to stick to the instructions after all, so I try to keep it low for another 2 weeks and then hopefully can experiment. How long does your voice last? Personally, if I had a bit of a conversation, I already feel I need a rest, so no long talks as of yet. Was your healing faster with Dr Haben?
Quote from: warmbody28 on April 09, 2015, 03:48:24 AM
It goes a little higher now. Going to low is hard though
That's great. I guess what I meant specifically was about the vocal break. Does it feel different, does it happen at a different point in your range?
my rest was 20 days. after that each day got better and better. its still improving though. and yes my vocal break is certainly higher now. i mean everything is still healing but at 5/6 ish weeks already it can go pretty high without cracking
Warmbody
It has been about a month since we had a update from you. When you get a chance if you could would love to hear your voice and get some 2 month observations from you.. Thank you!!
Sami
I'd love to hear more from warmbody myself, since I'm now booked with Haben. I think her voice sounded a bit too high and shrill in the first couple samples, but over the last couple it's settled down into an amazing sound that I'm totes jealous of! Lol
Quote from: Cadence Jean on May 08, 2015, 10:38:29 AM
I'd love to hear more from warmbody myself, since I'm now booked with Haben. I think her voice sounded a bit too high and shrill in the first couple samples, but over the last couple it's settled down into an amazing sound that I'm totes jealous of! Lol
Definitely. I'm leaning towards Haben myself and would love to hear more.
Having decided on Yeson, and then hearing Warmbody's great voice samples from Dr Haben, I'm less sure. I have no Adam's apple and so do not need a thyroid cartilage reduction, and I know Dr Haben uses a neck incision. For someone like me, am I still better going to Yeson? I have to decide very soon, so any advice would be much appreciated!!
Sarah.
Haben only uses a neck incision if you go with his triple package : glottoplasty, CTA, and trach shave. That's 7k (and happens to be what I'm going for). For just the glottoplasty, which is all endoscopic through the mouth(no incision), he charges 5k. Sounds like you might be best off with just the glottoplasty?
Quote from: Teslagirl on May 19, 2015, 05:43:18 PM
Having decided on Yeson, and then hearing Warmbody's great voice samples from Dr Haben, I'm less sure. I have no Adam's apple and so do not need a thyroid cartilage reduction, and I know Dr Haben uses a neck incision. For someone like me, am I still better going to Yeson? I have to decide very soon, so any advice would be much appreciated!!
Sarah.
I'm in the process of scheduling with him now and have no interest in the CTA or triple, I play a wind instrument for a living so I need to go with the least invasive option. He notified me that he has recently updated his website which now includes two examples of the "triple" along with an example of the glottoplasty alone. It is pretty good but not as impressive as the others in my opinion, but you should check it out for yourself. My voice is already a bit higher than the person's in that example so I think (or at least, I hope!)my result will be better with the glottoplasty only. He has also raised the price a little to 5250 for the glottoplasty on its own. I think Haben knows what he's doing and I can't go overseas for work reasons (complicated) so I'm very grateful for his work. Still, Yeson has a lot more examples to listen to and I have yet to hear a really poor one so I'd feel pretty good about your decision :)
I wonder what he charges for a "double (no CTA)?"
I bet same as the triple. I'm considering that option. I'll talk with him about it more at the pre-op consult. I'm scared of going over board on the pitch if I get both.
Quote from: Cadence Jean on May 20, 2015, 01:26:32 AM
I bet same as the triple. I'm considering that option. I'll talk with him about it more at the pre-op consult. I'm scared of going over board on the pitch if I get both.
Let me know, please. I don't have a very deep voice so I imagine he'll say I can get good results sans CTA.
Wow warmbody! These results are incredible! Sorry if this has already been answered somewhere, are the results you've shown your natural speaking voice now (sans the resonance), or do you still find yourself raising your pitch or what feels like a "trained" voice. Basically how effortless is your female voice now? Thanks!
hey. so im sorry i took so long to update but this is my three month update. i haven't started my speech therapy yt. i have been lazy but im starting friday. my voice sounds a little higher at work because ut try to sound happy to be their working the night shift. but overall im very happy with my voice. they say by 6 months it should be at the best point. so what else should i say?,
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1G0qSIyNiYB
Oh my god, you sound awesome! I'm so happy for you!! I hope I get the same success with Haben when I go next month. :) Only about three weeks to go for me! Did you have the triple done? Or only the glottoplasty(sp)? The CTA kinda scares me, I don't want it to go horribly wrong and end up with Minnie Mouse voice! Lol But if you had the CTA and glotto, I will seriously consider including the CTA!! You sound amazing! :D even without voice training!
Quote from: Cadence Jean on May 21, 2015, 02:13:18 PM
Oh my god, you sound awesome! I'm so happy for you!! I hope I get the same success with Haben when I go next month. :) Only about three weeks to go for me! Did you have the triple done? Or only the glottoplasty(sp)? The CTA kinda scares me, I don't want it to go horribly wrong and end up with Minnie Mouse voice! Lol But if you had the CTA and glotto, I will seriously consider including the CTA!! You sound amazing! :D even without voice training!
She had the triple.
Warmbody, you're still sounding great. What I love most is that you aren't losing volume and don't sound breathy, just natural. It's making me want to consider the triple as well!
i had the triple done. i also had a ton of questions for him when it came to the procedure. but he is really good at what he does so i was not that worried. the scar is also healing nicely so im happy about that. im using a scar cream on it and if i want later on i can get it lasered. but it was a great experience
Once again, sounding incredible in your latest voice sample! I am heavily considering Dr Haben now since he is in the country and not all the way in Asia, and is a lot cheaper also.
I absolutely cannot believe that you sound like that waking up! I have a pretty good trained voice when I try (at work mainly), but when I don't try I don't sound half as good as you do now!
Quote from: Roni on May 22, 2015, 10:44:16 PM
Once again, sounding incredible in your latest voice sample! I am heavily considering Dr Haben now since he is in the country and not all the way in Asia, and is a lot cheaper also.
I absolutely cannot believe that you sound like that waking up! I have a pretty good trained voice when I try (at work mainly), but when I don't try I don't sound half as good as you do now!
I must admit it nice to role over in bed next to someone and sound fine. oh and im told sometimes i talk in my sleep. so yeah not worried about that anymore either :laugh:
Thanks for posting your results warmbody, your voice clips gave me the push to go through with my surgery.
When are you scheduled, House? I have two and a half weeks myself!
Quote from: Cadence Jean on May 24, 2015, 07:48:54 AM
When are you scheduled, House? I have two and a half weeks myself!
Congrats on two and a half weeks :). I actually had my surgery done a week and a half ago.
Good for you! How you feeling?? How was your experience?
Quote from: Cadence Jean on May 25, 2015, 02:25:46 AM
Good for you! How you feeling?? How was your experience?
As of this morning, I'm doing very well no pain at all really. I had a good experience and am excited to hear my end result. I wrote about it in more detail if you want to know more :) https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,189159.0.html
Quote from: warmbody28 on May 21, 2015, 01:59:04 PM
hey. so im sorry i took so long to update but this is my three month update. i haven't started my speech therapy yt. i have been lazy but im starting friday. my voice sounds a little higher at work because ut try to sound happy to be their working the night shift. but overall im very happy with my voice. they say by 6 months it should be at the best point. so what else should i say?,
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1G0qSIyNiYB
Hey, warmbody. Now that you are well past the 3 month mark I have a few questions if you have the time:) Do you feel your voice has stabilized or are you still noticing changes? Have you experimented to see how high and how low you can go? Have you noticed changes in your laugh, cough, sneeze? Also, what's it like to scream or yell now?
the weird thing is i can still tell my voice is getting better and im adapting to the fluctuations i can do. im once again singing in the car and show more and i have to say after 3 months this does help and you can record then listen to yourself. the vocal range increased some on the top end. but not on the bottom end (thank god for that). the first 6 months your really still learning yourself and the SLP helps alot to shape your new voice. i dont feel like doing the exercises but it really does help. after all you spend all that money on your voice you want to maximize your results. my laugh, sneeze cough is all different. more on the normal side for a female. no longer does it sound like a brave-heart battle cry. screaming is something im still getting use to. i have only had to do it like 5 times but its not hard to do anymore. and i still sound like the lady i am
Quote from: warmbody28 on June 29, 2015, 01:40:27 PM
the weird thing is i can still tell my voice is getting better and im adapting to the fluctuations i can do. im once again singing in the car and show more and i have to say after 3 months this does help and you can record then listen to yourself. the vocal range increased some on the top end. but not on the bottom end (thank god for that). the first 6 months your really still learning yourself and the SLP helps alot to shape your new voice. i dont feel like doing the exercises but it really does help. after all you spend all that money on your voice you want to maximize your results. my laugh, sneeze cough is all different. more on the normal side for a female. no longer does it sound like a brave-heart battle cry. screaming is something im still getting use to. i have only had to do it like 5 times but its not hard to do anymore. and i still sound like the lady i am
That sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing!
SLP?