Hi girls
My surgery has been booked and confirmed for 8th Jan. I' m getting very nervous as I'm flying alone!! For girls who've had the surgery at Yeson's, what advice would you give me regarding the following?
1. Hotels to stay in (convenient, safe and friendly).
2. Advice on how to get around, places to visit/ avoid ,etc.
3. How did you communicate with people post-op when you were unable to talk?
4. What items, equipments, etc did you take with you?
5. Any tips on what helped you during recovery?
6. Did Yeson give you a letter stating you had surgery to show airlines/ staff at airport transit? How did you communicate?
Please answer with whatever helpful tips you can offer as I'm feeling very nervous, girls!!!
Thanks in advance.
Ritana
Quote from: Ritana on December 20, 2015, 09:21:43 PM
Hi girls
My surgery has been booked and confirmed for 8th Jan. I' m getting very nervous as I'm flying alone!! For girls who've had the surgery at Yeson's, what advice would you give me regarding the following?
1. Hotels to stay in (convenient, safe and friendly).
2. Advice on how to get around, places to visit/ avoid ,etc.
3. How did you communicate with people post-op when you were unable to talk?
4. What items, equipments, etc did you take with you?
5. Any tips on what helped you during recovery?
6. Did Yeson give you a letter stating you had surgery to show airlines/ staff at airport transit? How did you communicate?
Please answer with whatever helpful tips you can offer as I'm feeling very nervous, girls!!!
Thanks in advance.
Ritana
Hi Ritana!
1. I stayed at Phil House. I had to take the subway but it is not very far. It was CHEAP. Yeson recommends princess hotel. That is an option too and close by. There is also Ramada nearby.
2. Subway, subway, subway. You can take taxi too but it is more costly. Depending on how you feel you may want to take the taxi to your hotel after the surgery but I was good enough to walk to the subway. Places to visit? Depends on what you want to see. The markets have cheap stuff and plenty of shopping. Gangnam and Myeongdong. I also visited Myeongdong Cathedral which was nice. Do the DMZ tour if you can but I couldn't due to the MERS scare. N Seoul Tower and namsan mountain was nice. We went to the national museum of Korea, very scenic and pretty outside and lots of nice stuff inside. The war memorial was nice too as some of my family is military it holds special significance for me. I can't really think of places to avoid. There are a couple of casinos but they can be smoky and make you cough. Avoid spicy food as it may make you gag and cough...
3. I used my iPhone and a text to speech app. I also used Google Translate. So basically practice using those smartphone thumbs! My mom was with me too but I did most of the communication on my own.
4. I took my MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone. I had my work phone (Samsung S5) and they enabled international roaming for me. I carried a few power adapters to connect to the Korean electrical outlets (Euro style). I also carried an Anker PowerPort 6 which is a 6 port 60 watt USB charger. This saved having to connect chargers to multiple outlets. I was able to charge my stuff and my mom's stuff. I also got a local SIM card so I could use data where there wasn't wifi (my phone is unlocked). Cheaper than international roaming.
5. Drink lots of water. Do not cough. Follow all their instructions. I found that water helped me not cough and also taking the cough suppressant they give you helped a ton.
6. They give you a full medical report and some sheets with common phrases in Korean. There is one explaining how you had surgery and are unable to speak. If your passport is male, you may encounter some hassle (I did) but it is a hit or miss. Some people encounter no hassle. Others get strip searched during layovers in China etc.
As far as changing money goes - you will get the most favorable rate with your credit card. However, your issuing bank may charge a foreign transaction fee. On some higher end cards they don't. Discover doesn't charge one either and they are accepted as Diners club much everywhere in Seoul. I used my Amex and Navy FCU card. You can also get cash from the ATM but the ATM operator will charge something like 3% fee or a flat fee in KRW. I got by mostly without cash but in the markets etc when shopping I needed to get some so I did.
Thank you so much for your helpful reply. IKATE!
As far as my passport is concerned, it says female and I've been a happily post op female for a few years now so there is no issue with that. I hope the surgery documents won't say say "voice feminisation" as this would be a dead give away!
Quote from: Ritana on December 20, 2015, 10:16:11 PM
Thank you so much for your helpful reply. IKATE!
As far as my passport is concerned, it says female and I've been a happily post op female for a few years now so there is no issue with that. I hope the surgery documents won't say say "voice feminisation" as this would be a dead give away!
It does in the medical report.
The paper with common phrases that you show people only says laryngeal surgery not voice feminization.
Oh dear, I nearly had a heart attack! Sigh:))) I would hate to go through transit in China and present documents with "boice feminisation" to show I can't talk! I would be worried about being mistreated for being trans while.I can't even express myself.
Hi Ritana. Good luck with your journey and surgery
Quote from: Ritana on December 20, 2015, 09:21:43 PM
1. Hotels to stay in (convenient, safe and friendly).
I stayed at Phil house - its cheap, especially if travelling by two, has kitches on the rooms if desired and a washing machine - but it is rather simple. If you want to stay any fancier place, better use Tripadvisor etc, the "Princess Hotel" recommended by Yeson is not that great, I hear, its main convenience is the location close to the clinic, which is not needed as you have ony 3 visits to the clinic and transportation is cheap and easy
2. Advice on how to get around, places to visit/ avoid ,etc.
Get around by subway - its cheap and safe and fast. taxi is also ok, not so expensive, but I only used it after the surgery when I was still drowsy. Places to see : I saw the palace, which was nice, but not as beautiful as in spring. Meyongdong and Insadong are good parts of the city to visit, also take a look at the old village, it has nice houses.
3. How did you communicate with people post-op when you were unable to talk?
I used an app called "speech assistant" and the swype keyboard on my Samsung Galaxy. Others used old fashioned notebooks and pen.
4. What items, equipments, etc did you take with you?
Laptop, Smartphone (very important), medication (additional cough medication with codeine), desinfectant spray to avoid getting a virus while being there, warm clothes in winter - on site I bought the proper dust masks (ask Jessie which ones) and I hear there are USB room humidifiers available. I also brought an additional pillow and blanket for the flight and also it was helpful in the Phil house, Koreans seem to like to sleep flat and hard.
5. Any tips on what helped you during recovery?
avoid coughing at all cost, avoid speaking, keep to the instructions, take the medication they give you, use the dust mask, drink a lot of water - take it with you when sightseeing, public toilets are everywhere, no worries.
6. Did Yeson give you a letter stating you had surgery to show airlines/ staff at airport transit? How did you communicate?
Yeson will provide this for you, if you need more than they write, you can ask them about it.
I would book a direct flight if possible to avoid hassle with transfers. I had a transfer at Bejing Airport and it was horrible! We stood in lines for an hour, then were inspected by security for 2 hours and almost missed the flight. They did not know hormone gels (I had to demonstrate it!) or other exotic medications and medical devices, they did not even trust our battary chargers for the cellphones. We had to undess to the underwear and be searched! So definitely I was very happy at that moment to have has GRS and proper legal documents and travel papers without any hint of "trans" in them.
Thank you so much. Anjaq. Helpful and lovely as usual. One more question, how long did it take you to speak with a "normal voice"?
Quote from: Ritana on December 21, 2015, 08:12:11 AM
Thank you so much. Anjaq. Helpful and lovely as usual. One more question, how long did it take you to speak with a "normal voice"?
I could talk at 1 month. Some take longer. Yeson recommends vocal rest for 1 month. Some are longer due to other vocal conditions. You can do it in less but it is not really recommended.
Ikate, was your voice "normal" after one month?
I could speak after 4-5 weeks, but it was pretty low in volume and hoarse. I could have conversations at week 6, but not overdo it. at week 8 it was pretty ok, I could have normal conversations for longer times and be heard more clearly. At about 14 weeks I gave a lecture for about 2 hours for about 30 people, that was about maximum I could do at that time and I had to rest the voice a bit afterwards.
Ever since then it sloooowly bacame better and louder and more resonant. I had to really learn a lot on how this voice works now. getting off the Botox and then off the Clonazepam were tough times.
For me, NOW it starts to feel "normal" - after 10 months. But I guess it can be considered normal much earlier. The hoarseness was something that stuck with me for a long time though and still is there to a degree...
Quote from: Ritana on December 21, 2015, 12:38:21 PM
Ikate, was your voice "normal" after one month?
It was a little low, a little hoarse and pitch wasn't as high as it is now. But it was 60% of the way there.
I should say this - everyone is different. Some take 4 months for a pitch increase. I got lucky.
This was me after 1 month:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s19ABJAiozfw
This is me today (25 weeks):
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1lbwCTKPZn3
Thank you Anjzq, I hope I will.be able to go back to my call centre work after a month. Ikate, you sound incredible! Your voice seems.to have feminised a lot between 1 month and 6 months!
Anjzq, have you got before and after recordings please?
This is possibly close to where my voice was pre everything. Its hard to say because I did no recordings back then, but I tried here to speak rather low in my range:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0M9GTMdoMrf
This is my everyday voice pre-op:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s15bRcL9jSUU
and
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1EHZiiJ6O19
and this was a couple of days or weeks(?) ago
http://vocaroo.com/i/s10XA7GO4uwG
Thanks Anjaq and congrats on the results! Not.only you pich is now much higher but I note your intonation and.the way you speak have become far more feminine! Pre-op, it was quite flat; post-op your voice sounds far more expressive and more female-like. Well.done!
Both you and Ikate sound female, and this gives me hope. My normal pitch is already around 170hrz but i have to strain to pass on the phone.
Sorry girls, the only link I found fir the Phil House is a dormatory for 8 people!?
Have you got a link for the correct Phil House at all?
Thanks
Ritana
Quote from: Ritana on December 22, 2015, 10:32:46 PM
Sorry girls, the only link I found fir the Phil House is a dormatory for 8 people!?
Have you got a link for the correct Phil House at all?
Thanks
Ritana
Email them - iphilhouse@gmail.com
This is Phil House:
http://www.philhouse.co.kr/02/facilities01.php
They have dorm rooms and twin/double rooms. They are more like a small appartment though with kitchen and washing machine. Its all rather simple, breakfast was basically coffee and peanut butter jam sandwich. But its rather cheap for Seoul, especially if travelling by two - and close to the subway.
Thanks on finding my voice good :) - and yes you are right - I use different prosody now, which is an indirect result of the surgery, since my voice is not forced anymore and can do more things in respect to voice melody. Also the surgery kind of forces you to use a female resonance pattern (what they teach in trans voice therapy as well), because the old resonance patterns will sound bad, too low, strain the voice,... but it does not come by itself, one has to re-learn how to use this voice and if one did not do that before, one has to find the female resonance pattern.
Quote from: Ritana on December 20, 2015, 09:21:43 PM
Hi girls
My surgery has been booked and confirmed for 8th Jan. I' m getting very nervous as I'm flying alone!! For girls who've had the surgery at Yeson's, what advice would you give me regarding the following?
1. Hotels to stay in (convenient, safe and friendly).
I usually book hotels in Seoul through hotels.com. It offers great deals.
barbie~~
Thank you Barbie, Phil House doesn't seem to be featured in hotels.com.
Anjaq, i made a reservation on philhouse website. I put the dates in and a few hours later i got an email saying my reservatio' has been accepted for the requested dates. No indication of the price!
Ritana
Quote from: Ritana on December 24, 2015, 02:46:10 AM
Thank you Barbie, Phil House doesn't seem to be featured in hotels.com.
Anjaq, i made a reservation on philhouse website. I put the dates in and a few hours later i got an email saying my reservatio' has been accepted for the requested dates. No indication of the price!
Ritana
I would email them and ask about price. They asked me for 50% up front via paypal and the rest in KRW or USD at the front desk on checkin.
Ikate,
Hotels don't normally ask for 50% upfront. You normally book by providing your credit card details (which will be bited later). Then, upon completing the reservation, they provide you with a booking reference that guarantees your booking.
I have emailed phil house and they confirmed the total price of 540000 won for 9 nights.
Rita
Remember, Phil House is NOT a hotel! Its a hostel and they also rent rooms or mini-appartments for 2-4 people. They have no daily room cleaning, no luxurious breakfast and they don't offer anything like dinner or lunch at all. You have to bring your towels to the reception to get new ones and you also have to ask there for toilet paper and powder for the washing machine.
But they have a nice community room with darts games and such and they have weekly barbeques with all the guests. The advantage is, you may be able to meet some people there, you are able to cook for yourself and wash your clothes... but its not a hotel.
I guess, I should say that because otherwise the expectations may not be met and people may be dissapointed. Honestly, I booked it mostly because it was the cheapest option for two persons (the room for two costs the same for one or two persons and about as much as a single person hotel room booking). If one wants a hotel, maybe because one travels alone, does not care about washing clothes or cooking dinner ... I am sure there are many hotels available in the city via hotels or booking or tripadvisor or whatever .com site you like.
Phil House did ask me for a 50% payment in advance as well to make my reservation fixed. I guess it depends on the time of the year though, they seem to have very few guests in winter, a few more in early spring, but much more in spring and summer. I believe you can book the rooms via some of the online portals though, in whcih case you probably could get around the advance payment, but I think direct booking was a bit cheaper.
Thank you Anjzq
I have found some really good offers on other websites, even cheaper than phil house. Not sure I will keep the booking after what you mentioned in your post!
I personally liked Phil house. I liked getting up late and having a fridge and kitchen to have breakfast at 10 or 11 am , after breakfast time was long over. I liked to bring less clothes because I could wash them. i liked that there was a supermarket right next to the house to buy ice cream and aloe drinks and the subway is 1 minute walk by foot, lots of restaurants nearby. I remember Amy liked that there are a lot of young and open minded people running and visiting the hostel - personally I was not in the mood to get to know people while i am mute, though. The BBQ they do must be great, but I missed it. Well and in the end, it was a low price option for a room for two.
Oh and while the breakfast is only sandwich with peanut butter - you cannot imagine how hard it is to actually buy sandwich bread to make those yourself if you want them :P - so in a way that breakfast was special ;)
The friend who came with me did not like Phil House because it had no proper room service, the bedframes were a bit cheap, there was no good breakfast and she was cold because the blankets were to thin for her and the beds too hard. In retrospect I guess for her it was a bad choice, for me it was ok, but I am younger than she is.
I hear there are sometimes also good deals on renting a flat or appartement for 2 weeks via some online portals - also I know some people did sort of "couch surfing" to save costs - so basically its all up to the individuals expectations on how to stay. In the end one spends $8000 on the surgery, so I guess one should not try to save $200 for the hotel costs by getting an option one does not feel good about - the first week recovery period is important and one should be in a safe and clean environment one feels good about.
Thanks Anjaq
I will be travelling on my own so having a room service will be imperative, especially post surgery. In terms of slcialising, I doubt it will be possible while not being able to speak or whisper.
regards,
Ritana
P.S. I hope Phil House does provide a wifi service?
Rita
Phil House does have free Wifi, yes.
I did not have any need for room service or therelike. They cleaned the room about 1 or 2 times a week, not daily, but to me that was not an issue. There are lots of restaurants around and a 7/11 sort of shop downstairs, I was able to go out and get food the day after surgery (there are a lot of take-out restaurants and street-kitchens), its really no problem at all. And the day before surgery, I went shopping and filled some parts in the fridge to have it ready post op. Ice cream, Aloe Drinks, bread, cheese, ham, mustard sauce, fruits... I know others who have bought veggies and whatever they need to make nice soups and such in the kitchen in the room.
In the end I might keep my booking at the phil house. After all, I'm not there on holiday.
What foods/ drinks and medication did you buy prior to surgery?
Rita
I brought some codeine anti-cough medicine with me in case the ones they give me at Yeson are not strong enough, but I did only need it twice. I also brought of course my hormones (I did not stop them before surgery because it is only a short surgery and transdermal bioidentical hormones have no negative effects during a surgery according to my endocrinologist. I also brought some vitamins and minerals and an inhaler to keep my throat moistureized during the flights (planes have incredibly dry air). That thing got me probably into serious trouble at the chinese transfer stop though :( .
Near Phil house there is a "french" bakery that makes pretty descent sandwich bread, we bought some plus some margarine, something that probably was artificial cheese and some ham plus mustard sauce - so we could make our own breakfast even if we got up late. Those euro/american style foods are not really great and rather expensive though, so after a few days we basically exclusively ate korean foods except the breakfast. I also bought some bananas and other fruit, Aloe Vera Drinks, Ice Cream. There is that small shop downstairs in Phil house that sells some stuff and across the main street with the subway station there is a small market wuarter that has many small shops and restaurants and street kitchens. Phil House also has a map with recommended restaurants downstairs including images of what they offer for food and how much it costs.
I advise not to try to go to Euro/american style restaurants unless you dont care about the money, but a pizza seemed to run at $30 or something :o - so getting something like fried chicken or gimbap is probably much better choice. I would rather avoid the soups though - they often seem to be spicy and koreans seem to put weird things in the soups like octopus or some sort of sausage made from blood(?) - so we tried to stick with things that can be identified - chicken, pork chops, fish, rice, salads, gimbap ("sushi rolls")... the korean tabletop BBQ is fantastic but expensive. Beware of some of the Kimchi they give you to it though, some of them are very spicy. Make sure you show the waiters the flash card from Yeson that says "I should not eat spicy food" in Korean writings when you order ;)
Quote from: Ritana on December 24, 2015, 12:12:28 PM
Ikate,
Hotels don't normally ask for 50% upfront. You normally book by providing your credit card details (which will be bited later). Then, upon completing the reservation, they provide you with a booking reference that guarantees your booking.
I have emailed phil house and they confirmed the total price of 540000 won for 9 nights.
Rita
Yeah, I've booked tons of hotels for business and personal travel and I am a member of four hotel rewards programs with elite status in two. I know a little about how it works.
However, as mentioned, Phil House is a hostel and B&B and a pretty small operation. I think I got good value for money though. I got a terrace, kitchenette and a full size fridge. Reminds me a bit of the navy lodge here in the states which I stay at sometimes.
Quote from: iKate on December 20, 2015, 09:38:01 PM6. They give you a full medical report and some sheets with common phrases in Korean. There is one explaining how you had surgery and are unable to speak. If your passport is male, you may encounter some hassle (I did) but it is a hit or miss. Some people encounter no hassle. Others get strip searched during layovers in China etc.
My surgery is also on January 8th and I have 4 hour layovers in China on each flight to and from the UK. Whoopee :(
Oh no. From personal experience, if you travel through China, make sure you have minimal hand luggage - really only the bare neccessities. If possible, even avoid hormones and other medication. Make sure your passport is 100% ok. I know this is a bad question, but do you think there would be "anomalities" possible when they check your passport and pat you down or put you through a full body scanner? Do you have the correct gender on the passport and did you have GRS?
We spent 3 hours in the security area - thats because they let you enter China (immigration) and then funnel you to the security check again , which checks again all your hand luggage and the whole ordeal. they stumbled upon an inhalator i had with me to keep my throat moisturized and my hormone gel in my handbags which led to them shutting down the whole row of security check, all 5 of those security guys being busy with our bags and with stipping us down naked, the other passengers had to be rerouted to one of the two remaining rows and wait longer to enter the airport. They made a huge fuzz out of it... :(
Quote from: anjaq on December 28, 2015, 02:32:41 PM
Oh no. From personal experience, if you travel through China, make sure you have minimal hand luggage - really only the bare neccessities. If possible, even avoid hormones and other medication. Make sure your passport is 100% ok. I know this is a bad question, but do you think there would be "anomalities" possible when they check your passport and pat you down or put you through a full body scanner? Do you have the correct gender on the passport and did you have GRS?
We spent 3 hours in the security area - thats because they let you enter China (immigration) and then funnel you to the security check again , which checks again all your hand luggage and the whole ordeal. they stumbled upon an inhalator i had with me to keep my throat moisturized and my hormone gel in my handbags which led to them shutting down the whole row of security check, all 5 of those security guys being busy with our bags and with stipping us down naked, the other passengers had to be rerouted to one of the two remaining rows and wait longer to enter the airport. They made a huge fuzz out of it... :(
Well now I'm stressed. My UK passport now has an 'F' listed, however I have not had GRS yet, so yeah there would be a potential anomaly with any body scanner or pat down. Did you go via China on the way there and on the way back? Also was it just the inhalator and hormone gel that got their attention or was that just one of the factors?
I am sorry to stress you :( - its just what I experienced and I basically told myself not to go through China again if I can avoid it.
Now if you lay low, I believe it will all be fine. If you cannot change flights now - or if that is expensive now - I would advise you to really make an effort to not stick out at the security check. They do not have those "porn scanners" the TSA has, so they just rely on metal detectors and pat-downs. Make sure you have no metal on your body or clothes - no jewelry, earrings, fingerrings, piercings. If you use some device to deal with whats between your legs, make sure its metal-free. No belts either. Leave all your medication in the main luggage unless you really need it during the flight.
The items that caught their attention in my case was the inhaler, the hormone gel, a bag with 5 or 6 different pill packages (anti cough medication, hormones, thyroid pills,...), the charging station for my cellphone (battery pack) and of course my Laptop eventually (after the other stuff was already out).
I think they run the battery pack four times through the scanner and I had to explain all the pills to them, I demonstrated application of the gel eventually, but among the first things they did was to strip me down to the underwear in a separate room with a female officer in it. I did not have to undress my underwear though. The chinese woman apologized about 100 times for having to do this. Some of the guys were also uncomfortable, but apparently one of the guys who was in charge thought this is needed.
So again, maybe I am paranoid but I would travel lightly and be prepared.
On my way back, I just did bring everything I had on the flight to Korea , but I had printouts describing in chinese what the inhalator is and I had Jessies Phone Number ready so they could call her if questions come up and they could maybe communicate in some language ... Apparently they made a note about us though and at the security check they did not even ask one thing... or maybe that first incident was just a fluke.
Most people just passed the security check without any question, so I think by avoiding anything that can be interpreted as suspicious one can pass safely.
Thanks for this. I have checked the flights and it would mean losing £840 (1,150€) on the original flights and forking out an additional £1,400 (1,900€) for direct flights. If I had known this before then obviously I'd have paid the £600 or so difference and gone direct. Silly me trying to be frugal :embarrassed:
My main issue is my height (187cm) is going to make me stand out. My face is feminine enough (I think) and my passport photo is current and has been done post-FFS, so their recognition of me shouldn't be an issue.
I guess I'll just have to put on a relaxed smile and make sure I have absolutely no metal on me at all and then cross my fingers and hope! :-\
Because I have previously read about Anjaq's experience, I specifically chose to avoid China at any cost. Yes, luckily I am post-op and have F for gender on my passport but I didn't want to take any risks being delayed or himiliated by Chinese customs.
Charlotte, what hotel will you be staying in Seoul?
Rita
Quote from: Ritana on December 28, 2015, 04:13:48 PMCharlotte, what hotel will you be staying in Seoul?
We're staying in the Gangnam Artnouveau City hotel, assuming we get there ;)
Quote from: Charlotte_W on December 28, 2015, 04:04:15 PM
Thanks for this. I have checked the flights and it would mean losing £840 (1,150€) on the original flights and forking out an additional £1,400 (1,900€) for direct flights. If I had known this before then obviously I'd have paid the £600 or so difference and gone direct. Silly me trying to be frugal :embarrassed:
Well, I thought the same, trying to save money. Rebooking would have cost me more than the original flights. I considered to change booking because I was having a cold in the week before going and thought it would be better to postpone the surgery.
That sort of money is too much to spend now, I guess.
QuoteMy main issue is my height (187cm) is going to make me stand out. My face is feminine enough (I think) and my passport photo is current and has been done post-FFS, so their recognition of me shouldn't be an issue.
I guess I'll just have to put on a relaxed smile and make sure I have absolutely no metal on me at all and then cross my fingers and hope! :-\
I think that will work. I doubt the height is an issue - compared to the chinese officers, all europeans are tall - whats a few cm more or less :P
I do not think they would check you more thoroughly because they suspect you are trans, really. I doubt they have a great sense of detecting trans euro people anyways. the issue would more be that if they search you for something else they do not like, they may start to pat you down and then this would come up as an issue - I am not even sure what would happen if they DO find out that - maybe they would just accept this as long as you have valid papers and post no security issue... i have no idea.
But thats why I said - if you avoid raising any suspicion at the security check, they will just wave you through as they did on our return flight.
I think the main issue really was the inhalator (which probably to them looked like a pipe for smoking pot) and the hormone gel (which probably showed up as alcohol liquid in their scanners).
Just wondering,.Charlotte, there are plenty of
flights from the UK through space Turkey and Rome. Any reason you chose China?
Rita
Anjaq and Katie,
What foods were you allowed to eat post surgery?
Thanks
Rita
I chose China as a stop because it was the cheapest and I di not think it would be a problem. I also assumed that transfer means transfer and not immigration and then entering the airport again through security...
the food that are allowed are basically everything that does not cause you to cough, sneeze or get a lot of reflux. Also nothing that dries out the throat. Out of precaution this meant no spicy food, no acidic food or beverages, no coffee, chocolate, alcohol or green/black tea and avoid fatty foods if you tend to have reflux (acidic stomach)