When should I go full-time? Do I need a "transition plan" to go forward?

[A]

Surgery before HRT, I agree, but I would personally not necessarily be against surgery before full-time. Yes, it might end up being unnecessary, but if there's enough delay, there should be no physical (HRT should be mostly done on the major facial things) or psychological (the person shouldn't live the same anxiety as sysm29, having already experienced many changes of HRT) harm. It could just give the confidence boost needed to jump into full-time.

This, of course, is considering the rather uncommon case of a person still going as male after 12+ months of HRT, but you know what I mean.

[Annah]

The only reason why I would not recommend surgery before fulltime because what would happen if you got FFS, then went fulltime and realize this wasn't for you?

[Stephe]

My problem with doing all this stuff before going full time: until you have lived as a woman, you assume that is what you need/really want to do. I am willing to bet 90% of the people who are not happy with their surgeries (either GRS or FFS) or regret HRT feel this way because they later figured out, they don't really want/need to live as women full time.

Honestly, if you can't gather up the courage to do this, having GRS or even years of HRT isn't going to change most people enough to make it "easy" like some people believe it will. And at that point if you do start living full time and realize it's not the bed of roses you imagined it would be, you can't really go back. I think that is what the OP is/was freaking out about. I'm glad I lived several years full time before I did anything. Now I KNOW this is how I want to live the rest of my life.

[A]

I figure you're right.