So a week ago I didn't even know about Yeson Voice Center and now I have an appointment on November 12th. To say the least, I'm extremely excited about the possibility that I'll finally be able to just talk, with no "warming up" to get my voice right, no apprehension about it outing me, and no more feeling that my voice isn't mine. I've been full time for going on 6 years now and I've had FFS, SRS, BA, and the excitement I had for all of those, though they were great, don't compare to the excitement I have for this surgery. I am, however, cautiously optimistic in that I do understand there are still some risks and I appreciate that fact, but hearing the results I've heard I can't help but feel excited that there has finally come around a technique for voice feminization surgery that is actually viable for us women.

Now that I have a date booked, I have a lot of preparation to do. I'm going to try to go without talking as much as I can the week prior to my departure so that I can get into the mindset of not talking, coughing, clearing my throat, etc. I am going to continue to do additional research to find any more information about it (although I think I've read and listened to everything there is about Yeson at this point). I need to tell some key people at work so that they have a clear understanding of the limitations this will put on me and my communication at work for the 1-2 months after surgery.

I'm also going to do as Jennygirl did and document my progress, both from the standpoint of the healing process, as well as the little details I notice throughout the recovery that may help others understand all that you go through. I think I'll just update this same thread as I go along, so it's all contained and easy to follow along.

"Like"

and congrats on getting booked!

Yay congrats!

It sounds like you're very well prepared. I did the same thing the week or so leading up to my surgery so I could get used to not talking.

Also get used to drinking water - like a lot of water. It's recommended  to avoid caffeine and alcohol after surgery for several months so if you're a coffee drinker you might want to cut it out now so you can get the withdrawal period over with.

You'll love Seoul, such an amazing city. I seriously am considering going back next Spring for a follow-up and with a friend so I can fully experience everything the city has to offer.

Thank you both. I'm super excited after hearing your results :-)

Hi Sarah
Welcome to the club! This will be the crowning touch to your transitioning. You are smart to mentally prepare yourself for not talking ahead of your surgery.
My wife came with me to Seoul and it was nice to have someone talk for me in different situations
but it has been a challenge not talking because I have someone to talk to.
Kathy

I think my mobile phone keyboard words per minute capabilities doubled in the two weeks I was unable to talk

Quote from: Jennygirl on September 21, 2013, 06:59:50 PM
I think my mobile phone keyboard words per minute capabilities doubled in the two weeks I was unable to talk

Omg, definitely! I'm pretty sure I was breaking 100+ wpm.

Can you please tell me the price for the surgery?

And is it long lasting?

Quote from: Evolving Beauty on September 21, 2013, 08:28:34 PM
Can you please tell me the price for the surgery?

And is it long lasting?

The price is $7,350. And yep, it's permanent.

Wow that's great news Abby! After hearing of Yeson's I'm very eager to book my surgery as my voice (though it isn't that bad) is a pain have to warm up for and the fear and anxiety it presents when talking to others is just getting to me. However my therapist says my voice should be fine but I want to convince her too that this surgery is worth going through as the loss of fear and anxiety is worth the time and money anyday!

Quote from: abbyt89 on September 21, 2013, 09:01:07 PM
The price is $7,350. And yep, it's permanent.

thx abby

Quote from: Paige0000 on September 22, 2013, 02:27:01 AM
Wow that's great news Abby! After hearing of Yeson's I'm very eager to book my surgery as my voice (though it isn't that bad) is a pain have to warm up for and the fear and anxiety it presents when talking to others is just getting to me. However my therapist says my voice should be fine but I want to convince her too that this surgery is worth going through as the loss of fear and anxiety is worth the time and money anyday!

That was my reasoning exactly for choosing this surgery. After several months of voice therapy I had an OK voice (far from great) but it was very forced, tiring, and was basically impossible for me to use in public due to anxiety. My regular therapist agreed that due to the lack of risks with this procedure that it would be worth it for the peace of mind and comfort of not having to worry about my pitch. I am so glad I went for it.

Quote from: abbyt89 on September 22, 2013, 08:30:03 AM
That was my reasoning exactly for choosing this surgery. After several months of voice therapy I had an OK voice (far from great) but it was very forced, tiring, and was basically impossible for me to use in public due to anxiety. My regular therapist agreed that due to the lack of risks with this procedure that it would be worth it for the peace of mind and comfort of not having to worry about my pitch. I am so glad I went for it.

Wow yes, that sounds good but also familiar. I did not do so much voice training but I get the stupid not wanting to us high pitch inpublic thing. Why is that - you have it, Jenny has i, I have it too - why dont we "dare" to use the voice in public if we can do it in private - and after VFS it works out well in public as well, so thats kind of odd.
I feel like I am a bit cheating or having a problem with courage and determination that I would cover up with a surgery if I was to go for this. You know - correcting a mental blockade to do something with an expensive surgery. Hmmm.
Sadly most people I ever talk about voice cringe when I even mention surgery. So I doubt they would be very supportive. Glad that some therapists at least in your case seem to be ok with that, if it is your desire to do it. People keep telling me that I would surely "destroy" my "nice sonorous voice" - go figure - they actually like my low pitch because of some reason. Maybe thats part of why I am not using a higher one regularly.

Quote from: abbyt89 on September 22, 2013, 08:30:03 AM
That was my reasoning exactly for choosing this surgery. After several months of voice therapy I had an OK voice (far from great) but it was very forced, tiring, and was basically impossible for me to use in public due to anxiety. My regular therapist agreed that due to the lack of risks with this procedure that it would be worth it for the peace of mind and comfort of not having to worry about my pitch. I am so glad I went for it.

Hmm I just sent an email to my therapist and it seems shes quite against the idea . Here's what she replied.

Hello Paige



Let me make it quite plain. You do not need voice surgery. Your voice is not that low. We can do some skype sessions to teach you with better projection. If you had voice surgery it could be a disaster and you could possibly end up sounding as if you have swollowed helium.



Try the sessions by skype first.



Thanks


Tracie

I really want to convince her this is worth it for me. I know my voice isn't that low and I can pass when I put effort in my voice. That's not the point though it's the fact that I have to put the effort to keep my voice at the right tone and pitch which takes a lot of work for me and in the end it's a fake voice. I just want a decent feminine voice that's fully me (Genuine not fake) that I don't have to worry about sounding right in public.  How can I get her to see this plus understand that though I would agree most vocal surgeries art worth the risk and can give horrid results Yeson's actually seems a legit way to get a proper feminine voice due to their non invasive surgical methods. Unlike other's I've yet to find any real risks with this surgical method so far and I can only see benefits.

Any advice you can give me girls?

Paige, I think you should make that what you said here clear to your therapist. That the reason is not to get a good voice, which you maybe already have if you put the effort into it, but to get a good voice without having to think of it. What do you mean by a fake voice though - do you feel like your voice sounds fake if you get the pitch up? Because I think in that case VFD does not helpt that much as it basically only raises pitch as well, you hay have to work on other things then. Or do you feel like it if fake because you have to make a conscious effort to keep the voice there unlike just talking without thinking? In that case I would say that this is probably quite right, even though of course one still has to get the resonance control into the muscle memory in order to not have to think about that one all the time. I know that for some people it worked that their higher pitched female voice has become second nature and they do not have to think about it at all. I know for me, it takes conscious effort (and its not reall yeasy actually) to get back to my "male voice". So it seems to work in general, but I did not manage to get pitch up high enough in my "second nature" voice. Its a plus of maybe 30 Hz.
Sounding like inhaling Helium is scary and that was the intention. It is right in that the VFS only changes pitch, so in theory it does exactly what Helium does, but the pitch is not as high as if you inhaled pure Helium of course.

Quote from: SarahR on September 19, 2013, 04:56:24 PM
Thank you both. I'm super excited after hearing your results :-)

Good luck in November Sarah!

BTW - I love your new avatar.  You are so pretty.

Quote from: anjaq on September 23, 2013, 01:48:00 AM
Paige, I think you should make that what you said here clear to your therapist. That the reason is not to get a good voice, which you maybe already have if you put the effort into it, but to get a good voice without having to think of it. What do you mean by a fake voice though - do you feel like your voice sounds fake if you get the pitch up? Because I think in that case VFD does not helpt that much as it basically only raises pitch as well, you hay have to work on other things then. Or do you feel like it if fake because you have to make a conscious effort to keep the voice there unlike just talking without thinking? In that case I would say that this is probably quite right, even though of course one still has to get the resonance control into the muscle memory in order to not have to think about that one all the time. I know that for some people it worked that their higher pitched female voice has become second nature and they do not have to think about it at all. I know for me, it takes conscious effort (and its not reall yeasy actually) to get back to my "male voice". So it seems to work in general, but I did not manage to get pitch up high enough in my "second nature" voice. Its a plus of maybe 30 Hz.
Sounding like inhaling Helium is scary and that was the intention. It is right in that the VFS only changes pitch, so in theory it does exactly what Helium does, but the pitch is not as high as if you inhaled pure Helium of course.

Yep your correct it's defiantly the second reasoning. .

Well here's what I've written as a reply please let me know what you think before I send it off.

Please read everything in detail. Thank you (I'm sorry if that presented rude as that's certainly not my intention, I just like to know you completely understand what I'm getting at that's all.


Hi Tracie don't miss understand I don't want this surgery because I feel my voice isn't passable. In fact I think when I put the effort in it's fine.  My main reason is not to get a good voice, which I already have if I put the effort into it (My true normal voice is actually much deeper I've just never shown it as it is horrible), but to get a good voice without having to think of it, to not worry if it's too deep and to leave the fears of accidently mucking up out of my head for good.


Ordinarily I would never opt the surgical route as I'm quite knowledgeable of the risks involved and most if not all methods present a high risk, low outcome possibility and should only ever be thought an option if your voice was near impossible to pass. That being said I recently came across a 2 month post op vocal recording from a voice clinic called Yeson's and upon hearing it I was quite intrigued and impressed.  (You sound beautiful Jen  )

Here's a link if you wish to hear it yourself.

So I did some research upon them and was actually quite impressed as unlike all other vocal surgeries this one was a new method which is  non invasive, fully reversible and has little to no risk involved. I was very intrigued I must say. I listened to multiple recordings of the surgery results and most if not all were very well done, no raspiness, very feminine.  With one of the support group sites Susans.org I visit regularly, I found those whom know about it or have undertaken it themselves have spoke nothing but good words about it too. 

I just ask if you could just have a look at Yeson's, see their results, their method etc. For honestly unlike all other vocal surgeries which I would never even consider doing, maybe even if I didn't have a passable voice I really believe the method Yeson voice clinic uses is a well done low to no risk, good results method. It's the only method I've seen that I believe is actually worth it even for a passable Mtf.


P.S Oh also Jen is it okay I show the link to your successful surgery postop? I feel it'll help get the point across but if you feel uncomfortable I'll remove it k. xx

I think that is a good reply. The "everyone at Susans' did it may not be that great (really? did everyone here do this? ) as of course "eveyone does it, so I want too" is not the greatest argument but I think you explain well why you want to do it.  So I think you can send that IMO (if Jen is ok with the link).

Out of curiousity however - I know that looking at the surgeons website is not usually the best way to really judge the success rate as he will of course put up all the good results first and it seems that the pre/post recordning are somewhat tainted by the demand to do a uncontrolled voice first (without much resonance control) and the second recording then is with the raised pitch but also with resonance control (the latter not coming from the surgery). Are there any forums that people discuss their experiences in detail - some place where it is more likely to also find people who are less than satisfied with the results? If they do not exist or if there are like 2 of 200 that complain, then I think that would be a great way to show anyone that its worth it (including maybe me )

Quote from: anjaq on September 23, 2013, 03:47:37 AM
I think that is a good reply. The "everyone at Susans' did it may not be that great (really? did everyone here do this? ) as of course "eveyone does it, so I want too" is not the greatest argument but I think you explain well why you want to do it.  So I think you can send that IMO (if Jen is ok with the link).

Out of curiousity however - I know that looking at the surgeons website is not usually the best way to really judge the success rate as he will of course put up all the good results first and it seems that the pre/post recordning are somewhat tainted by the demand to do a uncontrolled voice first (without much resonance control) and the second recording then is with the raised pitch but also with resonance control (the latter not coming from the surgery). Are there any forums that people discuss their experiences in detail - some place where it is more likely to also find people who are less than satisfied with the results? If they do not exist or if there are like 2 of 200 that complain, then I think that would be a great way to show anyone that its worth it (including maybe me )

Yeah I too thought that was abit off base lol. I've edited the susans part (bolded). A bit better.  And true getting opinions from other places would be a good way to add claim aswell.

Absolutely fine with it. Actually, I am flattered

Thanks for asking, that is really nice of you!