Yeah, learning that all the physical changes were still possible for me and that I wasn't "too late" was a complete game changer. It went from something i could write off to something i couldnt stop thinking about
Yes! I had a very similar experience coming out where my dysphoria was almost entirely about my body. I was sliding over the deadly (for me) cliff of male puberty and hrt appeared like a bridge over the canyon. I grabbed onto that shit so fast and never let go.
Only reason I learned about it was because I was researching intersex traits for myself and inadvertantly discovered I have the body of FTM if you had HRT and then lost HRT, haha.
It was really interesting to compare and learn about
Omg even my doctors who supposedly specialize in treating trans patients don't have a super good grasp of hrt. The official research is subpar and often outdated.
Though I don't even think they know their own hormone levels (they're cis)
When I get SRS I'm just not gonna tell my new doc Im trans
Thankfully hrt is not actually super complicated (adjust dosage until levels match with cis range and you feel good) and there's lots of amateur science being done by trans people to optimize routines and find safe max dosages.
Just sucks that you've got to become the expert for best results
Well, you also need to become an expert in at least the WPATH guidelines and targets because some doctors will massively mistreat you or outright sabotage you
I've met girls whose doctors regime suppressed T, with E levels at the bottom of menopausal. And called those good levels.
My family wouldn't believe that I lost about 2 inches of height til they measured me. Hormones can fundamentally alter the body in ways most people don't even consider!
I knew I wished I was a boy/man, and was eager to identify things about myself that were more associated with men than women. However, I thought being trans was about changing how you talked about yourself and how you asked others to talk about you.
At the time I found idea of looking the same way but talking about myself as a man really repellant. In retrospect it was a source of gender dysphoria for me.
Everything changed the day I found out what testosterone does to a female-assigned body.
When I found out about what testosterone does - particularly some of the subtler, lesser-known things like fat redistribution, changing skin texture, changing smell - and the fact that most trans men are eventually cis-passing, I knew for certain that I wanted that for myself.
I've since learned that gender dysphoria manifests differently for people, and I'm a bit of an outlier in having almost entirely physical dysphoria (discomfort w female aspects of my body) and relatively little social dysphoria (I was a masculine woman and liked that fine in terms of a social role).
But, at the time, I really thought I wasn't trans because A) I didn't know what medical transition did and B) I had no desire to change my pronouns or name as long as I still looked the same.
as several trans folks I know found out, taking testosterone can abruptly shift your hairline by several inches. Sorry, friends! T + genes team up to make for baldness!
Yeah, I was also very comfortable with hairline changes. Might have felt differently if I started younger, but having an age-appropriate amount of balding for a man is totally fine, maybe even mildly in the benefits column.
As a cis guy who isn't terribly happy about going bald, I hadn't actually thought about baldness as gender-affirming for trans men, but that totally makes sense!
I also take hormones every day, but not for gender reasons. I have no thyroid, and my parathyroid was chopped into bits and embedded in my shoulder in 2010. I have not shown signs of thyroid cancer since 2011, but I do have the daily reminder of how grumpy I get when I don't have the hormone I need.
To add to that, I had a total thyroidectomy in 2008 due to Tall Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid cancer. I had 12 lymph nodes removed and all of them were cancerous. In July 2010, routine testing showed the cancer had returned. Dr. Burkey performed a radical neck dissection to remove the cancer.
I don't mind answering the question. Dr. Brian Burkey of the Cleveland Clinic found that my parathyroid was functioning, but it would not have continued to work, if he hadn't surgically moved it. The parathyroid keeps one's blood calcium levels within normal range.
Yes, precisely. My blood calcium level has hovered consistently around 8.2 or 8.3, and the cut-off for the normal range is 8.0. I have had no further issues with it since 2011. I have no external scar on my shoulder either, as the surgeon slid the pieces in place while my neck was already open.
Comments
More people need to see it sooner
It was really interesting to compare and learn about
I've had more than one doctor, when handling medical history, try to gently "remind" me that a BA would count as recent surgery.
I haven't had one. They just didn't realize HRT could grow breasts.
Though I don't even think they know their own hormone levels (they're cis)
When I get SRS I'm just not gonna tell my new doc Im trans
Just sucks that you've got to become the expert for best results
I've met girls whose doctors regime suppressed T, with E levels at the bottom of menopausal. And called those good levels.
And yeah the Dr sabotage is real and self advocacy is critical.
Everything changed the day I found out what testosterone does to a female-assigned body.
I thought there was no magic juice that would fix me. I was wrong