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My voice is really changing now. People are noticing and commenting. Yay!
Way to go Logicaly, good luck with the T. :) |
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Glad to hear you were prescribed T. After having all my blood work I also found out I had high cholesterol. When my doctor prescribed my T six months ago he also prescribed cholesterol pills. The last time I had a check-up with blood work my cholesterol was lower and my T level was fine. Get your cholesterol lowered and you will be fine. Rufus |
I don't remember if I've posted this before and if I have, I'm sorry for being redundant.
A good natural, non-prescription way to control cholesterol is Niacin . You can buy it over the counter at any drug store, health food/vitamin store or...ugh...Walmart. You should get the timed release or long acting type, such as "Niaspan". A typical therapeutic dose of this stuff is usually around 500 mg. Twice a day. Even the sustained release stuff can cause hot flashes or flushing, but if you stick to it, your body should get used to it after awhile. I found that my cholesterol went down appreciably after adding niacin to my diet. Good luck to everyone fighting the cholesterol war!! Theo :bouquet: |
Thanks for the advice Theo. I'm not too bad, im only 9 points over where they want me to be, so I figure with a good workout schedule and improving my eating habits that I should be able to get it fixed. So I would like to try and do it without any pills first. Doctor said I have 3 months to get it to go down or they will put me on a prescription for it.
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So I got my first shot today. A cute medical assistant did it for me while teaching my girl and I how to do it. They have me taking only .25ml every two weeks to start while we watch my cholesterol for 3 months. After that they will talk with me about upping the dosage.
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This is amazing news bro, I'm very happy to hear - this month it'll be four months for Me being on T and I couldnt be happier so yay for you :D :dance2: |
What kind of changes have you noticed so far in yourself Matthew and whats your dosage like?
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My dosage is .5ml every two weeks and I've been on T for almost four months now. What I've noticed is that I'm starting to get some hair where sideburns usually go, some hair on My upper lip, and quite abit of hair on My chin and on My neck (atleast the top part of it below My chin anyways). My voice has definately gotten deeper, even after a couple of months one of My very closest friends noticed it had gone down an octave or two. I'm definately noticing a spike in My sex drive (not sure how this will be for you) but personally its like I want it *alot* more than I did before. The biggest thing that I've notived is I'm much more comfortable in My own skin, even when I talk and I hear the deepness in My voice I cant help but wanna talk to actually hear it *LOL* :canadian: |
So I am participating in a study that someone is doing on FTM voices for their grad project. Every two weeks or however often I would like he is going to record my voice in normal conversation as well as having me read the same script every time. At the end of it, I get a cd with all the recordings and 50 bucks. The recordings will go on for a year.
I think its pretty neat, and I really like that I am getting the recordings so I will have recordings for the first year. I also like that I am able to help someone out. |
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My top surgery date is May 4th. *happy dance*
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I'm happy for you, Drew! |
might not be true for everyone, but...
I don't know if it's been brought up here before, and my apologies if it has, but when it comes to changes in your voice it also helps significantly (for some, maybe not all?) if you retrain your voice (as a singer might) so that you speak "out of your chest," as male bodied people naturally tend, instead of out of your throat, as is common for female bodied people. You'll find doing so even without the assistance of T will drop your range an octave or two. I wish I could give more technical input, but that's all I've got! While the T will drop the normal range, still speaking out of their throats is why many transmen have that "strangled chipmunk" sound. I mean no offense, this is simply how a few of my friends refer to it. Anyone else have any experience with this? |
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I admit that I made a conscious effort to speak differently when my voice started to change. What I did NOT want to happen was for me to start sounding flat and lifeless, so it's been quite an effort to strike that balance. Good stuff, Mr. B... |
So, question for everyone whose doing the shots. Today was the first day my girl gave me the shot, rather then a nurse doing it. My thigh now hurts big time. The nurse supervised the shot, and said she did every thing right. So I am wondering if y'all that are doing it in the thigh, end up hurting a lot sometimes? The entire thigh muscle is sore and even just sitting here, I can feel it hurting. Its 6:30 now and the shot was done at 11 to give you an idea of how long it has been too.
What do you do for the pain? Besides the obvious of popping an advil, as I try to avoid any medication if at all possible. |
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Perhaps an ice massage will help. In college we used small paper cups to make ice "popsicles" and used those to give ice massages to affected areas. That will allow you to go deeper and stimulate circulation as opposed to simply laying ice on the area. I'm sure others will have better feedback for you. I hope you feel better. |
I'm not sure if I can post in here or not. I get confused sometimes as who can post where. So, i'll make this brief or ummmm, try to.
Logically, Since i am a nurse and i read your post i wanted to offer some thoughts to you..... I have never given T injections but have read that you can give these IM (in the muscle, bigger needles) or SubQ (small needle just under the skin) Not sure which way you are taking it. However, I have a few thoughts on why this hurt you today and it hasn't normally. 1. You may have been tensed up. Especially knowing this was her first time giving it. If it is an IM injection and your muscles clinch, it will certainly hurt worse and it will be more sore. Sorta like clinching your jaw while having dental procedures and then feeling how sore the muscle is after. So.......moral of that is....relax next time. 2. She *may* have, not saying she did, but being new to giving injections, she may have "moved" the needle around a tad not meaning to while it was in your muscle. Almost EVERYONE does this at the beginning. I'm sure she was nervous somewhat at least, and had to aspirate (making sure she was not in a vessel) and learning to do this takes practice. So... moral to that is.....practice makes perfect. 3. Nerves. Not the kind that make you nervous. Nerves as in the ones located on and under your skin. You can't see them. Ever hear someone who has just had blood drawn say "wow i didn't feel that" or "omg that nurse hurt me bad". Honestly, a lot of it is luck. You can't see nerves and yes they are everywhere, however the nerve base or root when it is hit by a needle.....it HURTS. You have no contol over it. It's just luck. Moral to that is......you have about a 40/60 shot (not pun there) to not hit a nerve root. That is my opinion from experience that's not scientific. Just a few things i wanted to mention. I hope that helps. ps. ice is good for pain but remember this....it slows down the travel of the medication that is put into a muscle. The med will eventually get into the blood stream but icing it may slow it down just a tad. pss. I would suggest messaging that muscle, NSAIDS and a hot bath. I hope i haven't overstepped by posting in here. I'm just honestly trying to be helpful. Peace all.... |
You certainly haven't over stepped at all! I do very much appreciate the advice! I was using a heating pad, but it seems everyone suggests ice, but I don't want it to travel any slower than it already does, ha.
There is a good chance she may have moved the needle, I know I felt her inject, and then pause, and then she felt like perhaps she might have moved deeper, but I am not entirely sure, so its highly possible. I might take that hot bath though, as it sounds completely relaxing altogether. Thank you very much for the advice! |
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Another natural alternative to Niacin in lowering cholesterol is Red Rice Yeast capsules, available in the vitamin section in most drugstores, Walmart, etcetcetc. Just an FYI.
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Hi Logicaly, try oatmeal as well, it's good at lowering cholesterol as well!
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Fish makes me want to vomit, I have never been able to stomach it unfortunately. Any other suggestions to raise good cholesterol? You mentioned Omega 3, I suppose I could always find things that have that added in it.
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There are fish oil capsules you can take with out the taste of fish. |
I take fish oil pills, the Omega-3. I take 2 1200mg pills a day and my good cholesterol rose about 12 points over a 3 month time period. The Omega-3 I find doesn't give you those fishy burps if you know what I mean, lol. They even make them Entric coated just in case fish does give you indigestion. Also, there is the Schiff MegaRed Omega-3 Fish Krill oil, which is a one a day dosage and costs significantly more than just the Omega-3's. Also, there is a new prescription one that your Dr can give ya but it generally runs in the higher tiers of most insurance policies. I order all mine online from Puritan's Pride, they run a lot of specials, buy 1 get 1 free, buy 2 get 3 free, buy 5 get 5 freei. They ship out quickly and via UPS or Fed Ex, I think UPS.
Here's the link. http://www.puritan.com/ They sell tons of supplements, vitamins and other stuff. God Luck!! I was typing too slow, lol. Puritan's has Enteric coated fish oil pills Logicaly that do not upset your stomach or give you that fishy aftertaste. link---> http://www.puritan.com/fish-oils-056...6885?NewPage=1 |
So I've finally got a consult scheduled. Apparently this surgeon (Dr. Jewell -- Theo, I know you recommended Dr. V but he doesn't work with insurance and I wanted to see if I could get some if not all of this covered) has done top surgery before for FTMs. I'll ask her if she has before/after photos but I was curious if others have used this surgeon before.
She is interested in helping me work with my insurance provider (they listed her so I'm hopeful that they will cover majority of it. I'm thinking of asking her the following: 1. What do I need to do to prepare for the surgery (e.g., weight loss, hormones, etc.). I expect weight loss to be on there since I'm 5'1" and 220 (it's already a goal for me anyways and once my back is better I'll be able to really pursue this more) 2. What procedure would she use and what the risks involved? 3. Expected time for recovery 4. Time in hospital; length of time for the surgery itself 5. If revisions needed (e.g., dog ear effect) will she do this? 6. post-op care for reducing scars and such 7. estimated costs (granted this will depend on insurance and such) What else should I ask? What generally happens during the first consult? |
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I would be super clear about what you want. The not-so-great stories are that the patient ended up with, essentially, a double-mastectomy. There is some reconstruction that occurs to get a more "male chest", so I would make sure she's clear that that is what you want (assuming, of course, that *is* what you want). I'm happy for you. :) |
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I'd ask if she uses drainage tubes? Most people have come to expect them and if the surgeon does a really good job they aren't needed. Dr. V said he prefers to take any extra fluid out with a syringe if needed. Less chance of infection. Luckily that wasn't necessary for me. I'd ask about follow up. Since newport was still a good hour away I stayed overnight and went in the next day then didn't have to go back in til the stitches were taken out. from what I remember at my initial consult is I asked my questions ... looked at pics of previous patients. They did take pics and he drew on my chest roughly what he would do. I'm not sure if they took pics because I did go ahead and schedul surgery. http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/foru...ead.php?t=1184 is a thread where I posted my questions and experiences. It's hard for me to remember now a lot of the stuff but I posted right after the surgery while i remembered. |
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Linus, it's all in what you're comfortable with. Remember, this is something that you're going to have to live with and be comfortable with. When I was ready for surgery, it was my goal to have a physician who had lots of experience working with FTMs and doing the reconstruction surgery. You want something that's going to look reasonably decent and the results are, largely, dependent not only on your body build and health, but on the surgeon's skill. The more experienced the surgeon, the better job you're going to get. If you're not satisfied with the results, how important is it going to be that your insurance paid for it?? Another thing to consider is this. Is the surgeon you choose willing to provide you with the necessary letters and/or documentation that will allow you to legally change your gender markers?? Some surgeons who might be less experienced with doing top surgery as legal GRS (Gender Reassignment Surgery) might be hesitant to sign affidavits attesting that their work now determines that you are, in fact, legally male. In other words, it's good to get a surgeon who is familiar with the legal aspects of gender reassignment surgery and is willing to provide you with appropriate documents, post op. The only reason I can think of that Dr. V would not be willing to go the insurance route is that he is a board certified cosmetic/plastic/reconstruction surgeon. Most of the procedures he specializes in, like tummy tucks, face lifts, botox and other procedures done for strictly cosmetic reasons, have traditionally been considered to be purely elective and not "medically necessary" under traditional legal definition and therefore, not covered by most insurance policies. When you deal with insurers, you need staff in your office who are familiar and proficient with medical coding, because this is how doctors bill for their services.....ICD-9 Codes. If you don't know what you're doing with these codes, or the intricacies of medical coding, you can get yourself into some really deep trouble with mail and/or insurance fraud......and it doesn't have to be intentional. So yeah, I can understand why Dr. V doesn't want to be involved with trying to bill an insurer. One thing he did do for me, however, was to send the tissue samples from my procedure to a pathology lab that my private insurance DOES work with. This saved me nearly $500 out of pocket for pathology fees. Anyway, do what you feel comfortable doing. I think that, ultimately, that's what we all do!! Good luck to you on this leg of The Journey!!! I hope your experience is as great as mine was. Having my top surgery completed was one of the best things I've ever done for myself and I am soooooo much more comfortable, physically, mentally and emotionally. :winky: ~Theo~ :bouquet: |
Alert!
OWN network (Oprah Winfrey) on right now (9pm)transgendered folks. Have seen it before. Don't know the title. Loren Cameron on right now. I think that is his name.
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FYI - today (Sat 3/5) at 2pm (EST) on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) they will be showing the "Transgender Lives" episode of Our America with Lisa Ling...
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One of these days, we should get together on that date and celebrate together!!! :clap::wine::danceparty: Good luck to you, Drew!!!! I hope your experience is as wonderful as mine was!!! :winky: Keep us posted, willya??? :) ~Theo~ :bouquet: |
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