Hey All...
Well... Here we go!!!... I have VFS scheduled with Dr Katherine Yung for May 23rd, 2018...
She will be performing a Web Glottoplasty using a similar methodology to Dr Kim at Yeson...
It will be performed without external incision and two permanent sutures will be left in place and I will be seeing speech therapists from UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center in San Francisco both pre and post-op...They are highly experienced in helping VFS patients through the process...
Here is her website:
http://www.sfvoice.com/
At my initial consult she placed a scope and observed my vocal chords while I made different vowel sounds etc... She said everything looked good other than some thinning of the chords which is common for my age which will be 57 before the surgery date...
I will keep this thread updated as I move through the process
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀❤️🌻
Good luck Ashley!! I'm excited for you [emoji4][emoji173]
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
I'm so happy for you Ashley! We have communicated often, but never by voice. Expect a call from me soon, so I will be able to give a comparison report afterward.
Hugs and smiles, Jess
Ashley I am excited for you! I know you researched and decided very carefully. My VFS was in March, so hopefully by end of this year we will have developed the voice we want.
Allison, Jessica and Kendra!
Thanks so much for the good wishes sent my way!... I will keep this well updated since I am sure others will be interested in the option of this VFS technique without the overseas travel... After my surgeries over the last few years I remain an advocate of having some geographic proximity to your surgeon in case follow up procedures are needed.
I feel I am in very good hands with Dr Yung... She did work on a friend of mine who has struggled for years with less than optimal results from VFS many years ago performed by another doctor... Dr Yung's methodology employs what I feel is the most important aspect of Dr Kim's technique... the permanent suture to keep everything under the desired tension... Dr Yung does want you to do 2 weeks vocal rest as opposed to the 30 days advised by Yeson and uses a laser to prepare the tissue before suturing...
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀❤️🌻
Good luck and thank you for sharing your experience.
Hi Ashley,
I'm new to the board, but am very interested in working on my voice and learning about the surgical options as well. Voice has taken a back seat for me in my transition over the last two years for a number of reasons. Now, I'm starting to work on improving my pitch and tone. I'm making small progress.
Your surgery seems like a great fit for you. I wish you all the best and will keep an eye on this thread to see how you are as you heal and improve your voice after your procedure. You seem very prepared and committed.
Good luck!
Billie
Quote from: BillieC on May 06, 2018, 10:41:15 PM
Hi Ashley,
I'm new to the board, but am very interested in working on my voice and learning about the surgical options as well. Voice has taken a back seat for me in my transition over the last two years for a number of reasons. Now, I'm starting to work on improving my pitch and tone. I'm making small progress.
Your surgery seems like a great fit for you. I wish you all the best and will keep an eye on this thread to see how you are as you heal and improve your voice after your procedure. You seem very prepared and committed.
Good luck!
Billie
Hi Billie!... Sorry for the delayed response!... I wish you all good things as you explore the road ahead and where it will take you!!... Tomorrow is the big day and I am feeling good and positive about all that is to come in the days to come... I met last week with the speech therapist at UCSF, who will be helping me with the post-op therapy and feel very good about working with him!
I will keep things updated here as I move through the surgery and healing process including some before and after voice recordings... I have a little blind kitty and I am used to talking and singing to her throughout the day... I recorded some of that for her that I can play back on my phone during the vow of silence portion of the post op journey!
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀❤️🌻
Quote from: tgirlamc on May 22, 2018, 02:45:55 PM
Hi Billie!... Sorry for the delayed response!... I wish you all good things as you explore the road ahead and where it will take you!!... Tomorrow is the big day and I am feeling good and positive about all that is to come in the days to come... I met last week with the speech therapist at UCSF, who will be helping me with the post-op therapy and feel very good about working with him!
I will keep things updated here as I move through the surgery and healing process including some before and after voice recordings... I have a little blind kitty and I am used to talking and singing to her throughout the day... I recorded some of that for her that I can play back on my phone during the vow of silence portion of the post op journey!
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀❤️🌻
You will do fantastically Ash!
Love ya sister!
I'm curious why you chose this surgeon over the others?
Quote from: AnonyMs on May 22, 2018, 04:13:44 PM
I'm curious why you chose this surgeon over the others?
Hey Sister!... I'm just got home from surgery this AM... all went well and I feel pretty good other than the obligatory sore throat.... Dr Yung said it went very well and showed me a couple pics of the surgical site before, during and after!!! I will post some thoughts for you in the next day or two about my reasoning in selecting her and I will be keeping this updated as I move forward as a post VFS patient...
For now, just know all is well and I am back home with my husband and kitty!!!
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 🙂❤️🌸🙏
Best healing, no complications, and welcome home!
Quote from: Kendra on May 24, 2018, 02:38:58 AM
Best healing, no complications, and welcome home!
Thanks Kendra!... It's an honor to be in healing mode side by side with you, so to speak, my dear sister!!!
Hey All,
I am 2 days post op and feeling good... sore throat is mostly gone... I have to fight off the occasional urge to cough or clear my throat but, so far so good... Finding new inventive ways to communicate with husband and kitty and trying to let the healing process do it's thing!
All Shall Be Well 😀
Quote from: AnonyMs on May 22, 2018, 04:13:44 PM
I'm curious why you chose this surgeon over the others?
AnonyMs...
Here are a few of the reasons I went with Dr Yung in no particular order....
I had first heard of Dr Yung when she worked on a friend of mine to correct years of issues she had had after procedures with one of the well known voice surgeons and was impressed with what I heard about her and her experience which you can explore on the website.
http://www.sfvoice.com/
Our first meeting was very much unexpected synchronicity and I am at a place in life where I place some value in that....
Her technique is very much what Yeson does except for laser in place of micro-scalpel and she uses the permanent sutures which I think are important to keep everything tight and in good position...
INSURANCE!!!! Dr Yungs services were covered by my insurance which would not have been the case if I went to Yeson... not to mention hotel and flight expense and time away from home, husband and kitty!
I think this procedure has put me at the 40 hour mark for time spent on surgical tables and I continue to believe that geographic proximity should always be a consideration to some degree... if you need follow up work... not having to fly across or out of the country, is a plus in my book!
Fortunately, for me, I live within a couple hour drive of the San Francisco Bay Area so that afforded me a lot of good local choices for my surgeries... Deschamps-Braly, Ousterhout, Bowers and Dr Yung!!
I will keep you all posted as I continue the process!!!
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀❤️🌻
Thanks.
Hey All...
Here is my one week post-op update!!... I went up yesterday to San Francisco and did a one week post-op check with Dr Yung... She had me read the obligatory rainbow passage and then make some vowel sounds while she watched my vocal folds on the camera... my voice is, of course a bit weak and raspy at the one week mark but everything looks good on the healing front!!!
Dr Yung shared the photos she had taken throughout the procedure, in the operating room, and her work looks very beautiful, clean and impressively precise from a technical standpoint! I had seen them in the recovery room but I was still coming out of anesthesia so I got to appreciate them a bit more this time!
I am cleared to begin using my voice in a metered way... I've been setting timers throughout the day and I speak a few words ( trying to have it add up to about 1-2 minutes of speaking an hour )...and already feeling improvement but, I am being very careful and back off when it feels like too much!... Dr Yung cited some newer studies saying that it is better to get patients using their voices to some degree sooner than some of the durations of complete vocal rest we see with some of the other doctors so, that is a difference of note for anyone considering VFS.
I also wanted to add that Dr Yung's office staff, and especially her Medical Assitant Chantelle, have been wonderfully responsive and pro-active with taking care of all my needs and fielding all inquiries in expeditious fashion!!!
I will be going to my first post op speech therapy at the end of the week and I will update again after that!!!
I am summing up week 1 post-op as "I'm feeling good...It's nice to be on the other side of it and...so far, so good!!!"
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀💕🌻
Congratulations Ashley! Is there any weird or panicky feeling being awake while she looks at your vocal chords. I don't know that I could do that. Happy for you!
Moni
Quote from: tgirlamc on May 30, 2018, 07:44:34 PM
Hey All...
Here is my one week post-op update!!... I went up yesterday to San Francisco and did a one week post-op check with Dr Yung... She had me read the obligatory rainbow passage and then make some vowel sounds while she watched my vocal folds on the camera... my voice is, of course a bit weak and raspy at the one week mark but everything looks good on the healing front!!!
Dr Yung shared the photos she had taken throughout the procedure, in the operating room, and her work looks very beautiful, clean and impressively precise from a technical standpoint! I had seen them in the recovery room but I was still coming out of anesthesia so I got to appreciate them a bit more this time!
I am cleared to begin using my voice in a metered way... I've been setting timers throughout the day and I speak a few words ( trying to have it add up to about 1-2 minutes of speaking an hour )...and already feeling improvement but, I am being very careful and back off when it feels like too much!... Dr Yung cited some newer studies saying that it is better to get patients using their voices to some degree sooner than some of the durations of complete vocal rest we see with some of the other doctors so, that is a difference of note for anyone considering VFS.
I also wanted to add that Dr Yung's office staff, and especially her Medical Assitant Chantelle, have been wonderfully responsive and pro-active with taking care of all my needs and fielding all inquiries in expeditious fashion!!!
I will be going to my first post op speech therapy at the end of the week and I will update again after that!!!
I am summing up week 1 post-op as "I'm feeling good...It's nice to be on the other side of it and...so far, so good!!!"
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀💕🌻
Goad things are off to a good start. Best of luck and thanks for sharing your experience!
Quote from: HappyMoni on May 30, 2018, 08:37:29 PM
Congratulations Ashley! Is there any weird or panicky feeling being awake while she looks at your vocal chords. I don't know that I could do that. Happy for you!
Moni
Hey Moni... I hope all is well dear sister!!!... To answer the question, I don't have any issues with it... the camera is small and at the end of a wand type handle...You open your mouth wide, she pulls out a bit on your tongue to open things up as she puts the camera in your mouth... It makes it a bit difficult to make the vowel sounds she wants while it is in there but other than that no issues!!!.. I guess everyone is different but, I'm pretty tolerant of stuff like that if it is getting me what I want!!!
Quote from: kwala on May 30, 2018, 08:42:27 PM
Goad things are off to a good start. Best of luck and thanks for sharing your experience!
Thanks Kwala!!! :)
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 🙂💕🌸
Ashley,
I had laser eye surgery. They at least numbed it and gave me a valium. I think there is no way I could have someone grab my tongue. You are brave, sis!
Moni
Ashley, so great to hear your results are on track so far. Yayyy!
If my tongue needs to be pulled a magnet might work... had mine pierced. ;)
Awesome news Kendra.
I had glottoplasty May 14th in Philadelphia and 1 week after surgery I am cleared for 10 minutes an hour of speaking. The doctor stated the vibration helps in the healing process and reduces swelling or something to that effect.
I have a few questions, how low (vocal power ) is your voice?
Do you hear in your head a similar sound as prior to your surgery?
If you use a tuner how high does your pith reach?
When you say hoarse, can you rate it 1 to 10 on degree of hoarseness?
When you speak do you notice air goes to the back of your nasal passage automatically?
I am sorry to ask so many questions but I am nervous about what my outcome will be. Thanks and I understand if you do not answer the questions.
Quote from: Rachel on May 31, 2018, 09:27:46 AM
Awesome news Kendra.
I had glottoplasty May 14th in Philadelphia and 1 week after surgery I am cleared for 10 minutes an hour of speaking. The doctor stated the vibration helps in the healing process and reduces swelling or something to that effect.
I have a few questions, how low (vocal power ) is your voice?
Do you hear in your head a similar sound as prior to your surgery?
If you use a tuner how high does your pith reach?
When you say hoarse, can you rate it 1 to 10 on degree of hoarseness?
When you speak do you notice air goes to the back of your nasal passage automatically?
I am sorry to ask so many questions but I am nervous about what my outcome will be. Thanks and I understand if you do not answer the questions.
Hi Rachel
Just checking if these questions were directed at me or Kendra?... 😀 Happy to answer if they are mine but you are 9 days further along than me... My procedure was May 23 😀🙏🌻❤️
Hi, I was directing them at you. I meant to say awesome news Ashley, sorry.
In the past week of so I have some improvement but only modest. I am impatient I know.
Quote from: Rachel on May 31, 2018, 09:53:08 AM
Hi, I was directing them at you. I meant to say awesome news Ashley, sorry.
In the past week of so I have some improvement but only modest. I am impatient I know.
Hi Rachel!!!!
Okay then!!...... Here we go... these are my answers from the perspective of 8 days post-op
Vocal power is very low compared to before but, I had no problem being heard by the cashier when shopping yesterday... at a week post op, this is better than I anticipated... I'm not whispering by any means
The way I hear the voice in my head is similar but certainly not the same...
I just did a quick test and hit 402 making an EEEE sound but I am trying not to push anything right now
I guess I would put myself at a 6 or 7 on the horseness scale but again, at a week post op I think this means next to nothing
I am not sure exactly what you mean about the nasal air question but nothing feels unusual about the way I am breathing or using air when I speak...
I see you have been through a lot of procedures dear sister!!!... This last one puts me into the 40 hours in surgery club!... Healing can be a time that is absolutely brimming with opportunities to worry about healing and outcome but, try to just let the worries drop away... In the end, the worry serves no real purpose... Patience is our very best friend right now!!!!... I don't even plan to start worrying about anything even remotely linked to final outcome from this until 3 or 4 months down the line!!!
All Shall Be Well 😀...
Onward We Go Brave Sister!!!
Ashley 😀❤️🌻
Thank you Ashley.
If you do not mind, I will check back with you and Kendra to see how the progress is going.
I know with my last vocal surgery I was improving for 6 months post op then I had the glottoplasty.
Quote from: Rachel on May 31, 2018, 12:57:04 PM
Thank you Ashley.
If you do not mind, I will check back with you and Kendra to see how the progress is going.
I know with my last vocal surgery I was improving for 6 months post op then I had the glottoplasty.
Please check in anytime here or by PM!!!... Happy Healing Dear Sister!!! 😀🙏❤️🌻
Hey All... Just a quick 2 week post-op update...
Healing continues to go well and, although as expected at this point, I can't blab for hours... I am speaking comfortably with a 210-230hz aveage frequency range and my peaks go easily into the 300s... So far, so good!
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 😀💕🌻
Your VFS healing is progressing waaaay faster than mine. I am currently on track but the method I went with has a fairly gradual improvement schedule, and not set to truly show improvement until 4 months post-op. I am amazed you are already averaging 220hz, I'd be thrilled to get anywhere near the 200 line.
Hi Ashley,
Was literally just thinking where has she been?? Congrats on your voice surgery! - it sounds like its working a charm.
Hope you find your new voice!
Take care,
Sonja x
Quote from: Sonja on June 13, 2018, 06:19:33 PM
Hi Ashley,
Was literally just thinking where has she been?? Congrats on your voice surgery! - it sounds like its working a charm.
Hope you find your new voice!
Take care,
Sonja x
Thank You Sonja!!! 😀
Just curious. What did the surgery cost? And what is the cost of the follow up voice therapy? Can the subsequent voice therapy be referred out of state?
Quote from: Complete on June 15, 2018, 09:33:20 PM
Just curious. What did the surgery cost? And what is the cost of the follow up voice therapy? Can the subsequent voice therapy be referred out of state?
Hi Complete!
Since my insurance covered the procedure and therapy we never got as far as discussing the cost of the procedure if I was paying out of pocket... I am doing the speech therapy through UCSF... Dr Yung mentioned getting in house therapists soon for her practice... I really don't know if she would refer therapy out of state or not but, I'm sure a call or email to SF Voice could answer your questions better than I... Here is her website...
http://www.sfvoice.com/
Onward we go brave sister!!!
Ashley 😀❤️🌻
I'm researching into voice surgery and Yung is the closest option (I don't want to have to travel, I may be paying out of pocket when I get it). I'm kind of worried because Yung's site(s) like some others say that vocal therapy will be utilised to the fullest extent before surgery becomes an option. I can hit a female range and similar resonance consciously (self vocal training for singing), but want it to be less effort, and also want things like my laugh, sneezes, coughs, etc. to be more feminine. Ashley, do you think there's any hope?
Quote from: BriBriMW on September 13, 2018, 01:21:20 AM
I'm researching into voice surgery and Yung is the closest option (I don't want to have to travel, I may be paying out of pocket when I get it). I'm kind of worried because Yung's site(s) like some others say that vocal therapy will be utilised to the fullest extent before surgery becomes an option. I can hit a female range and similar resonance consciously (self vocal training for singing), but want it to be less effort, and also want things like my laugh, sneezes, coughs, etc. to be more feminine. Ashley, do you think there's any hope?
Hi BriBri and welcome to the forum!!!...
I would say that if you are here in the area, why don't you do a consult and see what you think... I have gone through some ups and downs with the recovery and things are still in a bit of a state of flux so I am waiting for full resolution to do my final results posting to finish off this thread
I am a fan of geographic proximity to your surgeon in case of complications or if follow up treatment is needed... I have about 40 hours now spent on surgical tables and a fair number were to correct things... I think surgical results on any procedure are always a bit of a mixed bag... I have found you often mostly get okay to great results but there are always little things you wish were a bit different and I think Voice surgery is very prone to mixed results... I had very good improvement in frequency but my vocal power is lacking right now and we are in the process of addressing that... when I have a better sense of my final result I will post more details on the issues and resolution!!!
All good things to you as you explore the road ahead sister!!!
Onward we go!!!
Ashley 😀💕🌻
Quote from: tgirlamc on May 30, 2018, 09:12:37 PM
the camera is small and at the end of a wand type handle...You open your mouth wide, she pulls out a bit on your tongue to open things up as she puts the camera in your mouth...
Before I started Speech Therapy with the SLP, she had me go to an ENT to look at my vocal chords for potential pathology. In my case, there was a thin cable with a camera and light at the end, which was inserted up the nose and down to the vocal chords. No noticeable impact on making any sounds at all. And, gross as it may sound, was not uncomfortable at all. It was pretty cool to see the video afterwards of my vocal chords and them working...
And, a huge congratulations, Ashley!!!
Kate
Quote from: KatieP on September 13, 2018, 04:07:47 PM
Before I started Speech Therapy with the SLP, she had me go to an ENT to look at my vocal chords for potential pathology. In my case, there was a thin cable with a camera and light at the end, which was inserted up the nose and down to the vocal chords. No noticeable impact on making any sounds at all. And, gross as it may sound, was not uncomfortable at all. It was pretty cool to see the video afterwards of my vocal chords and them working...
And, a huge congratulations, Ashley!!!
Kate
Thank You Katie!!!
I have since been introduced to the nose version so they can see what they are doing while going through my mouth at the same time with the apparatus to inject Prolaryn into the folds!!! Fun!!!! 👍🙂🌸
Ah well... Keeps life interesting!!!
Onward we go brave sisters!!!
Ashley 🙋♀️💕🙂
Why were they injecting prolayrn?
Quote from: Complete on September 13, 2018, 05:19:52 PM
Why were they injecting prolayrn?
Not a doctor, but the Prolayrn web site says, "Having a weak, breathy voice or hoarseness may be a sign that your voice cords (also called vocal folds) are weak or not closing all the way. This is called vocal fold insufficiency.
PROLARYN GEL and PROLARYN PLUS are treatments your doctor may recommend to help your vocal cords close more properly."
I could imagine those symptoms post VFS...
Kate
Yes, thank you, Katie. I too googled prolayrn and l understand it's use.What I am wondering is if this "insufficiency" is a result of the surgery, (probably), and is it permanent?
Quote from: Complete on September 13, 2018, 07:10:05 PM
Yes, thank you, Katie. I too googled prolayrn and l understand it's use.What I am wondering is if this "insufficiency" is a result of the surgery, (probably), and is it permanent?
Hi Complete!
The insufficiency is a result of surgery combined with the thinning of the vocal chords we saw at the original consult... I mentioned that factor in the first post of the thread and it ended up being more of a factor than anticipated... as a side note, thinning comes to some degree with age and smoking, which I did off and on from late teens to early 30s...
I suspect that I will doing semi annual touch ups with prolaryn in the years to come but, we shall see but, I really don't want to put forward any speculation .. my goal is to wait until the more or less final results make themselves known and then I will give a better assessment here of the entire journey... I will say now though that it is nice being completely in female frequency range... power or not!!!
Onward we go ladies!!!
A 😀🌻💕
OMG! Ashley, I'm so sorry for the late reply! I'm new to being an actual user on the site and was expecting a notification.
Unfortunately, I'm at the age in my life where I can make all my own decisions, but also can't. That being said, I am unable to go in for consults, but able to research and plan so that as much falls into place as possible when the time comes.
Right now, I know I want the surgery but am afraid they'll deem I don't need it. Anything you can share from your experience on what happened and what they had you do in the steps before you were allowed to get surgery?
Thanks!
Quote from: tgirlamc on September 13, 2018, 02:46:59 PM
I am a fan of geographic proximity to your surgeon in case of complications or if follow up treatment is needed...
Can I also ask if you've had FFS, if so, with Dr. Beck?
Quote from: BriBriMW on September 14, 2018, 12:11:33 AM
Can I also ask if you've had FFS, if so, with Dr. Beck?
Hi BriBri...
Since I had done voice work over the years with various people, Dr Yung didn't require anything further before the procedure...But, I did one preliminary session at UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center and got baselines...
I did FFS in 2015 with Dr Deschamps-Braley and Dr Ousterhout...The pioneer of FFS!
There are a couple of my before and after pics on this page
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,210798.msg2173406.html#msg2173406
I don't know where you are at in your journey but, some of the thoughts I posted under the pics in that thread may be hold some value for you...
All good things to you as you navigate the road ahead little sister!!!
Onward we go!!!
A 😀🌻💕
Haven't even started yet :'(
I am definitely the little sister here... Entering junior year in college, not transitioning due to financial agreements with family. Also, my major is pretty intense, so life changes probably wouldn't be a good move on top of that...
But I'm taking the time to save money and plan for everything! I plan to start the journey as soon as possible!
Thank you so much!
Quote from: BriBriMW on September 14, 2018, 01:38:52 AM
Haven't even started yet :'(
I am definitely the little sister here... Entering junior year in college, not transitioning due to financial agreements with family. Also, my major is pretty intense, so life changes probably wouldn't be a good move on top of that...
But I'm taking the time to save money and plan for everything! I plan to start the journey as soon as possible!
Thank you so much!
Hey BriBri 😀
Good planning goes a long way in life!!!
Sounds to me you will be successful in your studies... your transition and your life!!!... Enjoy it all little sister!!!
Onward we go!!!
Ashley 😀💕🌻