I'm in the process of figuring out the best time to go for VFS later this year.

I'm wondering, from those who have been to the Yeson Voice Center from another country, is it necessary for me to bring along a friend or family member or would I be able to handle going on my own? I only speak English.

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on January 23, 2018, 04:13:31 AM
I'm in the process of figuring out the best time to go for VFS later this year.

I'm wondering, from those who have been to the Yeson Voice Center from another country, is it necessary for me to bring along a friend or family member or would I be able to handle going on my own? I only speak English.

I went alone and had no trouble. There were English speakers at my hotel (and almost everywhere)  and there is a subway Korea app that I highly recommend. I was able to take the subway to my appointments at Yeson and all the way to the airport (saved a ton of $ not using cabs). Yeson has several English speakers on staff, including Jessie, and Dr. Kim himself has near perfect English and can explain very clearly what he plans for you. Of course, the trip would have been more fun if I could have brought a friend, but I got around just fine. Yeson gives you a sheet of paper with some phrases in English and Korean for after surgery when you can't talk. Even voiceless, I was able to roam about and go shopping, occasionally using the sheet to explain that I was on vocal rest and everyone was very accommodating.

I had a similar issue when I went to Dr Haben. There was a requirement that the day of surgery you need to remain in the hospital or have somebody to care for you. As I didn't have anybody, I stayed the night in the hospital. Other than that, I was able to fly home, purchase food and even carried out a conversation with a women seated next to me with plenty of notes. As long as you have plans for the period of time that the drugs are wearing off, you shouldn't have any problems.

Quote from: Dena on January 24, 2018, 09:08:06 PM
I had a similar issue when I went to Dr Haben. There was a requirement that the day of surgery you need to remain in the hospital or have somebody to care for you. As I didn't have anybody, I stayed the night in the hospital. Other than that, I was able to fly home, purchase food and even carried out a conversation with a women seated next to me with plenty of notes. As long as you have plans for the period of time that the drugs are wearing off, you shouldn't have any problems.

Unlike the Haben practice, Yeson has both operating and recovery rooms at their home facility and you are not required to stay overnight so bringing a chaperone is less of an issue. When I went to see Dr. Haben I traveled alone, which meant that like Dena I had to stay overnight at the hospital. At Yeson, however, when I awoke they monitored me for a few hours, fed me some delicious soup, and then allowed me to travel back on my own to my hotel.

Thank you!

I'm happy to go alone then..just need to convince my mother that I'll be okay.

I have another question... does anyone know if having a tracheal shave under general anaesthesia 3 months after VFS would compromise the results?

I'm planning to have the tracheal shave with Suporn at that time. The anaesthetist is experienced with VFS as well as the need for a small intubation tube.

Yeson says to wait 2 months before another surgery, Suporn says to wait 3 months. I just want some more opinions especially from girls who have had VFS.

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on January 29, 2018, 05:37:47 AM
I have another question... does anyone know if having a tracheal shave under general anaesthesia 3 months after VFS would compromise the results?

I'm planning to have the tracheal shave with Suporn at that time. The anaesthetist is experienced with VFS as well as the need for a small intubation tube.

Yeson says to wait 2 months before another surgery, Suporn says to wait 3 months. I just want some more opinions especially from girls who have had VFS.

Most of the reporting I've heard from girls who have had it done before and after vfs is that it turns out fine, but I would definitely email Jessie (assuming she is your liason) and get Dr. Kim's opinion if you haven't already. Tracheal shaves can have a negative long term effect on a CTA surgery where they basically pull the muscle down, but this is not the case for the web procedure Dr. Kim performs so you should be fine.

Tracheal shave are safe as long as the surgery isn't aggressive enough to weaken the larynx. I think Face Team works with Dr Kim so they know what the restrictions are but if your  going to use another doctor, check it out very carefully. My doctor told me he couldn't totally remove what I had because it would affect the voice. I was agreeable to a less aggressive approach as I would rather deal with a little bump than a damaged voice.

Thank you, both of you!

Quote from: kwala on January 29, 2018, 07:58:15 AM
Most of the reporting I've heard from girls who have had it done before and after vfs is that it turns out fine, but I would definitely email Jessie (assuming she is your liason) and get Dr. Kim's opinion if you haven't already. Tracheal shaves can have a negative long term effect on a CTA surgery where they basically pull the muscle down, but this is not the case for the web procedure Dr. Kim performs so you should be fine.

Quote from: Dena on January 29, 2018, 02:03:11 PM
Tracheal shave are safe as long as the surgery isn't aggressive enough to weaken the larynx. I think Face Team works with Dr Kim so they know what the restrictions are but if your  going to use another doctor, check it out very carefully. My doctor told me he couldn't totally remove what I had because it would affect the voice. I was agreeable to a less aggressive approach as I would rather deal with a little bump than a damaged voice.

So I ended up emailing Jessie about this and she told me they had a patient have a tracheal shave 6 months after VFS and she told me they lost their results (voice reverted). I know they have to give every warning to cover themselves but how likely is this to happen really? She also recommended getting the trachea shave with Facial Team if I had to have it done at all...but that's just not really possible...

Kwala you said you've heard from girls who had it after and it was fine right? I'm a little concerned about it, I really don't want to have to reschedule things because I'm having my tracheal shave done with my SRS by Dr Suporn. I think he knows how to perform a tracheal shave without disrupting VFS results but I can't be sure... will 3 months after VFS be enough time?

If someone could give me some reassurance that would be really great.

This is an older thread that should give you some more info:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php%3Ftopic%3D212338.0&ved=2ahUKEwih4djx5N3aAhWEdt8KHUH4BxEQFjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0J6K-2rsZt5KwV4gE1opop

Keep in mind I'm only basing this on my memory of reading online posts here and other places over the years, but what I've gathered is that the more extreme the shave, the more likely it is to affect the vocal cords. I think it was more common in the past, as there were many plastic surgeons who were not proficient in ENT studies and didn't realize that removing too much could in fact compromise the encased vocal ligament.  I know that Jenny (the sort of "poster girl" for Yeson whose video went somewhat viral) disclosed her prior trach shave and it definitely didn't prevent her from having an absolutely amazing result.

I would just say that being up front with your surgeons (for both potential procedures) is extremely important. If they express too much concern, you may want to also consider FemLar with Dr. Thomas because the entire procedure reshapes the voice box including downsizing the trachea.

Quote from: kwala on April 28, 2018, 03:30:48 PM
This is an older thread that should give you some more info:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php%3Ftopic%3D212338.0&ved=2ahUKEwih4djx5N3aAhWEdt8KHUH4BxEQFjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0J6K-2rsZt5KwV4gE1opop

Keep in mind I'm only basing this on my memory of reading online posts here and other places over the years, but what I've gathered is that the more extreme the shave, the more likely it is to affect the vocal cords. I think it was more common in the past, as there were many plastic surgeons who were not proficient in ENT studies and didn't realize that removing too much could in fact compromise the encased vocal ligament.  I know that Jenny (the sort of "poster girl" for Yeson whose video went somewhat viral) disclosed her prior trach shave and it definitely didn't prevent her from having an absolutely amazing result.

I would just say that being up front with your surgeons (for both potential procedures) is extremely important. If they express too much concern, you may want to also consider FemLar with Dr. Thomas because the entire procedure reshapes the voice box including downsizing the trachea.

Thanks kwala. Where can I find more information on FemLar with Dr Thomas?

Okay I just found Dr. Thomas' website with images of the surgery. That incision is very intimidating. I am curious to see some post-op photos of the scar.

I REALLY liked how transparent he was about results -- good and bad-- the procedure, what he has learned, etc. I don't recall many doctors' web sites with that level of transparency...

I feel really good about FemLar and have spoken to my parents about it already... it will only end up costing $500 extra compared to going to South Korea too. It seems there's less room for error and generally better results especially with younger girls in their 20s, which I am.

I don't know if there are rules here about linking to other forums so I won't post a direct link, but in addition to my own experience, there was a recent series of posts by a girl on ->-bleeped-<- who had a great outcome and eventually included some photos of how her scar was healing.  I was already convinced that Thomas knows what he's doing, but reading her story helped assuage any remaining doubts and gave me an idea of what to expect. If you Google "3.5 weeks Dr. Thomas femlar ->-bleeped-<-" it should get you started. She didn't have any of the prior complications that I was dealing with, so it might be a better example for you.

That being said, having been operated on by both Dr. Thomas and Dr. Kim, I think they are both excellent surgeons and both capable of providing good results. The added bonus of a trach shave and voice modification in one go is certainly an advantage worth considering, however.