1 month after VFS, it’s normal?
Hey everyone. I wanted to ask if anyone who underwent VFS had a similar experience. Here is my context:
I had surgery 1 month ago (Wendler Glottoplasty + LAVA) and started speaking 2 weeks ago. I feel like my voice hasn't changed much and I still have a low pitch. It’s true that if I push myself, I can reach higher peaks (+200 Hz), but I have to "fake it" or constantly overthink how I'm speaking; it doesn't come naturally at all.
I’ve been tracking my progress with apps and the metrics are stressing me out: my current median pitch on Genderfluent is 164 Hz and my mean is 167 Hz. I know that on paper this is close to the feminine pitch range, but I’m still hitting random lows of 85-93 Hz, which terrifies me. In the formant analysis, my F3 is stable at 2621 Hz, but my F2 is at 1646 Hz. Because of this, the app still slaps the 0.12 (Completely Masculine) label on me, which feels like a massive punch in the gut after spending €10,000.
I am doing speech therapy, and my SLP says it's normal to have such a low pitch right now because I have a lot of hoarseness from the surgery. She claims that this is actually good because the voice will end up higher once the tissue heals. Honestly, I'm having a hard time believing her and I'm terrified that something went wrong.
I know it's early to judge the results, but I wanted to ask here if anyone could share their honest opinions or experiences if they went through the same during their first month. Thanks.