FTM's and Transitioning

[Jet]

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

I started on Androgel today for the first time. Starting low at 2.5 g per day. In a month I check with my endo doc and see if she wants to take me up to 5g. This is it, the first day of the beginning of a new life, and I'm not scared at all.

um *puzzled* why would you be scared?

[Leigh]

Originally Posted by Linus

Congrats!!! You must be very excited about this. BTW, when you have the first shot, not a lot will happen afterward other than slight pain at the shot site

Thanks bro, I'm very excited about finally being able to begin My transition

Originally Posted by Sam

great news. good luck, you feel great after a few months.

Thanks Sam, I appreciate it

Originally Posted by Liam

Congratulations, Braedon!

Thanks Liam

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

I started on Androgel today for the first time. Starting low at 2.5 g per day. In a month I check with my endo doc and see if she wants to take me up to 5g. This is it, the first day of the beginning of a new life, and I'm not scared at all.

Thats fantastic news bud, I'm glad your finally on the right path in life

[Logicaly]

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

I started on Androgel today for the first time. Starting low at 2.5 g per day. In a month I check with my endo doc and see if she wants to take me up to 5g. This is it, the first day of the beginning of a new life, and I'm not scared at all.

I had at one point considered the gel. I would be curious, if you don't mind sharing of course, what made you decide to go with the gel as opposed to another method?

I would also be curious to hear your experiences with it, since most people that document it, that I can find, are on shots rather then gel.

[The Oopster]

Originally Posted by Logicaly

I had at one point considered the gel. I would be curious, if you don't mind sharing of course, what made you decide to go with the gel as opposed to another method?

I would also be curious to hear your experiences with it, since most people that document it, that I can find, are on shots rather then gel.

I started with T cream, it was cheaper then the gel. I had health problems and it was a good way to see how my body would react to the T. It made me stronger. The draw backs were 1) it's more expensive 2) you do it every day 3) the effects are slower

The advantages were 1) the effects were slower. It gave me time physically and mentally to see how I would react and if T was the right thing for me. By the time we got the dosage up to as high as we could go on the cream I knew i wanted to do the shots.

I recommend if someone is hesitant to start here, or if there are reasons that you don't want to have a lower voice and be hairier over night. Ultimately since i still have female innards is the cream wasn't enough to stop my cycle and more then anything i wanted that gone.

HOpe that helps

[Logicaly]

That does help a lot. My partner is very much against me getting the cream because we did some research and what we did find out is that its possible for her to absorb it into her body as well. Unfortunately there is no convincing her that I can make it safe for her.

[The Oopster]

Originally Posted by Logicaly

That does help a lot. My partner is very much against me getting the cream because we did some research and what we did find out is that its possible for her to absorb it into her body as well. Unfortunately there is no convincing her that I can make it safe for her.

I'm not saying it couldn't happen but I'm guessin that it's more of a wive's tale then anything else or that there are other factors like the partner already having a high level of T.

For me the effects were really slow and like I said some changes just weren't going to happen while on the cream ... gel works a lot like the cream in the fact they are both topical, so I would think someone would have to put it on and constantly rub against their partner just after applying for them to get major effects.

I applied it on the inner part of my upper arm below the pits and my inner thighs ... if I thought i was going to be giving a lot of people hugs and I was wearing a sleeveless shirt then I put on my inner thighs. I generally put it on at the beginning of the day and in general if I was going to be in a position to rub it off on another it wouldn't be til night when it's already been absorbed in my body. I also tend to have underwear on when i have sex so i would also then make sure to have boxer briefs on.

But again since the changes were so slow and I was applying it directly on myself on a daily basis it's hard to see how it would effect a partner unless like I said their were other factors already contributing to a high level of testosteron in that person.

[atomiczombie]

I am on the gel because my doctor and psychiatrist felt that with my history of mood and panic disorders, I should avoid getting the shots. They don't want to have me hit the highs and lows of the cycle with the shots, basically. As far as topical transference to others, I just wash my hands throughly after I apply it to my upper arms. I then wait 30 min or so for it to completely dry and absorb into my skin, then I shower. Voila! No chance to transfer it to others.

[Jet]

Okay....

Finally, I took my first shot of 100 cc yesterday in the thigh. My doctor explained a lot to me as far as what I can expect.

I won't do another shot until one week after next which will be 200. He prescribed my T and syringes etc for a 6 week supply administered every 2 weeks.

I'll be doing my own injections....although my straight friend, Mel said she would do them since she used to be a nurse. God lover her.
I have no idea what i'm going to tell my family.

The only other glitch that might arise is insurance. My doc carries my plan and he's submitting a claim that I hope the company will take. if they deny it, I'll be really pissed off.

[Thinker]

Originally Posted by Jet

I have no idea what i'm going to tell my family.

You tell them the truth. Expect the worst and hope for the best. That way you won't be disappointed, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

You're an adult, and it's time for you to live for *you*......to find your own happiness in this world.

I pray their minds and hearts will be open and that you will experience the best possible scenario.

[little man]

Originally Posted by Jet

The only other glitch that might arise is insurance. My doc carries my plan and he's submitting a claim that I hope the company will take. if they deny it, I'll be really pissed off.

if your insurance doesn't cover the costs for you, there should be a clinic in atlanta that deals with trans patients. i've been without insurance for a number of years and have been out of pocket on my expenses. i found clinics in richmond, DC, and st louis that all deal with transfolk. while it is more expensive for the T, you still have access to medical professionals who are (hopefully) more interested in helping than turning a buck. a more price effective alternative to "name brand" T is to find a local pharmacy that does in-house compounding. that cuts the cost by almost 2/3.

good luck!

[Jet]

Originally Posted by little man

if your insurance doesn't cover the costs for you, there should be a clinic in atlanta that deals with trans patients. i've been without insurance for a number of years and have been out of pocket on my expenses. i found clinics in richmond, DC, and st louis that all deal with transfolk. while it is more expensive for the T, you still have access to medical professionals who are (hopefully) more interested in helping than turning a buck. a more price effective alternative to "name brand" T is to find a local pharmacy that does in-house compounding. that cuts the cost by almost 2/3.

good luck!

thanks wil
the doc says there shouldn't be a problem, but.....you never know.
he gave me prescriptions for the next six weeks, we'll see.

yanno, I felt so good yesterday..and then worrying kinds of shit started coming up...family...a job....etc...but between you and me and God...i'll tell ya...it feels...right.

[little man]

Originally Posted by Jet

thanks wil
the doc says there shouldn't be a problem, but.....you never know.
he gave me prescriptions for the next six weeks, we'll see.

yanno, I felt so good yesterday..and then worrying kinds of shit started coming up...family...a job....etc...but between you and me and God...i'll tell ya...it feels...right.

it won't take long before you realize you've actually settled into yourself. i can't begin to tell you how that feels. what used to be a really good day for me is now my day to day existence. i never suspected that one could feel this good on a daily basis. T has been a wonder drug for me.

just keep putting one foot in front of the other...most everything else will sort itself out. i was worried about family and work and all that shit, too. while i can't say my family actually understands, they do accept. neither of my brothers (both fairly religious christian guys) even batted an eyelash. the pronouns have been difficult for my parents, but mom got adjusted before she passed and dad seems to be trying. can't ask for much more. i think family gets more accepting as they see how much more comfortable we are within ourselves.

[Jet]

How long was before you started seeing the effects of testosterone injected?

[Linus]

Pretty quick, actually. I think the beard started in a couple of weeks and voice in a month or so. How long it takes varies from one person to another. So patience is needed, unfortunately.

[Jet]

Originally Posted by Linus

Pretty quick, actually. I think the beard started in a couple of weeks and voice in a month or so. How long it takes varies from one person to another. So patience is needed, unfortunately.

he told me it would be longer than that. but like you said, it varies.

[The Oopster]

Originally Posted by Linus

Pretty quick, actually. I think the beard started in a couple of weeks and voice in a month or so. How long it takes varies from one person to another. So patience is needed, unfortunately.

Originally Posted by Jet

he told me it would be longer than that. but like you said, it varies.

Once i went to the shots my voice dropped probably within a week or so ... I know it was fairly quickly. facial and body hair actually is still a slow process. However my lower body is pretty hairy but I think that was helped out by applying to cream for a couple of years although it didn't really take off until I started the shots. Fortuntately I'm lazy and not thrilled with shaving all the time so am not disappointed with the facial hair although I would like sideburns ... am working on them again. Pretty much no chest hair eaither but I sort of like having a chest that looks like a teenager.

My pleasant surprise has been hand hair although it's not real noticeable.

I'm fortunate also that i don't seem to perspire like others. In fact a female friend of my mine was sweating terribly at a function last night and I just don't have that problem.

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by Jet

How long was before you started seeing the effects of testosterone injected?

My mental outlook changed immediately...like within minutes, but I think that had to do with so much hullaballoo around actually getting the T in the first place.

I saw changes of different sorts within the first two weeks. It took about a month before my voice changed...although, other people noticed a change sooner than that.

Hair started sprouting pretty quickly. Maybe a couple weeks or a month.

Hair line changed within about 4ish months, and I thinned out up there a little.

It's both faster and slower than I thought it would be when it comes to physical changes. The things I want seem awfully slow, and the things I don't really care about or didn't want are coming much sooner than expected.

But, like you said...it feels right, and I guess I just won't have a flowing, Fabio-hair (but I've never had Flowing Fabio-hair anyways, but I also wasn't hoping to look like Friar Tuck either).

I'm still wondering how long it takes for the T to make me six foot 2 though


Dylan

[Jet]

Originally Posted by Dylan

My mental outlook changed immediately...like within minutes, but I think that had to do with so much hullaballoo around actually getting the T in the first place.

I saw changes of different sorts within the first two weeks. It took about a month before my voice changed...although, other people noticed a change sooner than that.

Hair started sprouting pretty quickly. Maybe a couple weeks or a month.

Hair line changed within about 4ish months, and I thinned out up there a little.

It's both faster and slower than I thought it would be when it comes to physical changes. The things I want seem awfully slow, and the things I don't really care about or didn't want are coming much sooner than expected.

But, like you said...it feels right, and I guess I just won't have a flowing, Fabio-hair (but I've never had Flowing Fabio-hair anyways, but I also wasn't hoping to look like Friar Tuck either).

I'm still wondering how long it takes for the T to make me six foot 2 though


Dylan

heh...I wish it would height hehe

[Jet]

Good news
my insurance WILL cover my T

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Jet

Good news
my insurance WILL cover my T

Congrats! That's a regular expensive cost covered.