Hi Liz,

My husband Reggie has had a permanent stoma since Feb 2010. He too had to build confidence when he first started to speak with his new voice. It will take time. You must encourage him. I was lucky. Reggie's voice sounds very close to the way he did before the laryngectomy.He still has problems with his baseplate because his stoma is so deep in his throat. Not flat along the neck like most. You have to try different sizes or shapes until he finds one that is a good fit. Also the skin must be well prepped for the baseplate and he shouldn't talk for about 30 minutes after placing it to get a good seal. If you need me to go into great detail about what my husband does to prepare his skin for placement, please feel free to e-mail me. Good Luck!