So Whats Next? Plans?

[DriftingCrow]

My next step is to see a gender therapist; need to see who will take my insurance. Then it'll be coming out, but I an going to wait to fully come out til I get a divorce.

[Robert Scott]

Within the next year I plan to have both a hysto and top surgery.  I am approved for both and my doctor is ready to do the hysto ... just want to loose 20 more lbs before I do anything

[mm]

Great to hear you have found a dr todo your hysto.  Do you have insurance that will cover it?  Do you know what method the dr will use.  I am young with no insurance or money so mine is years away.  I just hate the pain and mess every month.

[Mosaic dude]

First endo appointment for me in 2 weeks, get a bunch of tests done, and use the results to figure out what happens next.  And I'll do my level best to get hysto on the national health. 

[eVan24]

Well currently I'm working on getting on T. I went in today and talked to my Dr's nurse. He's FTM which is great because he's given me several ways to get ahold of him in case I have any questions with my transition. He also informed me that he has been working to get the process for the clinic changed so there aren't so many hoops to jump through for us and that he was going to talk to my doctor to see about bypassing the therapist and getting me started on T at my next appt which is in April (only because after talking for a bit he saw that I had really done my research and had spent almost 8 months mentally preparing myself and my fiancee for the change, don't want anyone thinking I just jumped into this and got a free pass). I've got my first appt with the therapist on Thursday though anyways and I plan on using him as a reference for when I come out to my parents. My 2 year goal is top surgery so hopefully that can go just as smoothly.

[Robert Scott]

Great to hear you have found a dr todo your hysto.  Do you have insurance that will cover it?  Do you know what method the dr will use.  I am young with no insurance or money so mine is years away.  I just hate the pain and mess every month.

My trans doctor is also a gyno ... so she will be the one doing it .. by laposcopy ... and since I have gyn issues that are none trans related that is what she is going to bill it under

[mm]

Thanks for the infor.  Laposcopy is a great way to go, minimum scars quick recovery.  Keep us updated with how it all goes.

[ford]

Have an appointment next week to get some pre-T blood work done, then I should have my letter and subsequent prescription by April. Also looking into top surgery late this summer, depending on my work schedule, financial situation.

And, I'm filling out my name change paperwork. It goes quickly in my state, so that should be done by April too. Finally moving things along. Really the only thing holding me up on a lot of this stuff is that I need to come out to the rest of my family. There's not much incentive when they live 1000 miles away and we rarely talk, but it's the right thing to do.

[Jeatyn]

I'm just about to set off to see my new endo and I'm very excited about it, I forgot to mention this in my plans. He's been looking at my levels and although I've been on T for a while now my shots have been all over the place and so have my levels....so he's gonna sort that out, and possibly give me an E blocker to speed things up, and apparently also some vitamin D because I'm low on that, which would explain why I'm so tired. It sounds like he's gonna fix everything for me today and I'll finally be on a proper shot schedule and getting my levels sorted out ^___^

My helpful GP is on holiday (this always happens to me ) so I'm late for my shot by almost a month and I feel really crappy, I have felt my levels dropping this whole time and I am totally psyched that I'll be getting my shot today. At least that's what they told me the endo would be doing, if I don't get my shot today I'll be really disappointed.

[FTMDiaries]

I've done everything I can to transition socially including changing my name etc. so all that's left now is the medical bits. I've been waiting about 7 months since I was referred to a GIC but they haven't even processed my paperwork yet so I don't even have an appointment with them. But I've just heard today that my GP has now referred me to a different GIC with a much shorter waiting list.

So... plans are: T as soon as possible, hopefully within the next few months; followed by top surgery as soon as possible. Then in about 2 years or so I'll see what I want to do about the bottom end, based on the options that are available then.

I must say that FtM bottom surgery has greatly improved since I looked into the options when I first realised back in 1990 that I needed to transition. I decided at that time not to transition for various reasons, but one of them was the lack of any suitable (to my standards) surgical options for the nether regions. The options available today are so much better and I'm hoping they'll continue to improve.

[Marion]

I must say that FtM bottom surgery has greatly improved since I looked into the options when I first realised back in 1990 that I needed to transition. I decided at that time not to transition for various reasons, but one of them was the lack of any suitable (to my standards) surgical options for the nether regions. The options available today are so much better and I'm hoping they'll continue to improve.

That's really encouraging, thank you. I keep telling myself I don't want bottom surgery but I genuinely don't know how much of that is because I don't want what's available now. I guess it's really easy to get stuck in the trap of thinking that things will remain as they are.

[Liminal Stranger]

Read somewhere around here about female lab mice that were able to impregnate other females using the magical thing called "growing biologically functional body parts with science". Sperm cells can be made from the bone marrow, and who knows? Maybe we'll get to see the day that they can insert a Y chromosome into the mix in case a guy decides he wants a son. Here's hoping that will happen in the near enough future so we aren't long gone by then.

Even better would be if they could just somehow correct the mistakes made by not having that Y in the first place instead of having to get T in a bottle (or preloaded syringe). The feminists over at the blogger-who-shall-not-be-named's site seem to make a lot of arguments referring to chromosomes and/or the biological functionality. I'd like to see what they have to say to those mice.

Anyway, enough of that derailment. I'm slowly coming out on facebook, so my next step is to keep widening the circle of those who know so I don't have to endure the name and pronouns anymore, while figuring out an exact plan for how I'll be navigating the Land of College.

[Ponyboy]

Right now, coming out.  All my closest friends, my child's other family (including bio dad) already know, and eventually the rest of my family will.  I think they already know, but opening the dialogue is not my strongest point.

I am also choosing a new career.  Being a teacher, I don't foresee myself being able to easily come back to work as Mr., especially in a small rural school district in the Bible Belt.  I plan on returning to university and obtaining a Master's degree in Psychology.  In the meantime, I will find work somewhere in which I can begin as Evan.

The biggest priority for me, before any surgeries or hormones, is my name change.  I will be pursuing that first.  Why?  I foresee everything else as a "hurry up and wait", and I get discouraged easily, I will admit.  If I take that first step and solidify my identity, maybe the depression won't hit.  My therapist agrees and actually pointed me toward everything I'd need to fill out and apply for.

[FTMDiaries]

That's really encouraging, thank you. I keep telling myself I don't want bottom surgery but I genuinely don't know how much of that is because I don't want what's available now. I guess it's really easy to get stuck in the trap of thinking that things will remain as they are.

When I first investigated bottom surgery back in 1990, the info I found suggested that phalloplasty was possible but they couldn't do anything to save the nerves... so you could have a penis but you would permanently lose your ability to orgasm. That turned me right off the idea of bottom surgery; it's not a price I was willing to pay. I'm delighted to see that procedures have moved on from that point - so much so that I'm once again weighing up the procedures.

Think about it this way: there are people living today who were alive before DNA was discovered. Medical science moves on very rapidly; who knows what will be discovered in the next few years?

[geek]

Think about it this way: there are people living today who were alive before DNA was discovered. Medical science moves on very rapidly; who knows what will be discovered in the next few years?

I think this too, especially because trans issues are becoming more and more out in the open, and theres so many of us, i have hope for the future but only the near-ish future :p my cut off for bottom surgery is 40 years old for me (then i wont bother) im 29 now, so fingers crossed :p

[King Malachite]

I think this too, especially because trans issues are becoming more and more out in the open, and theres so many of us, i have hope for the future

Same here.  I've only been in the trans community for only about a couple of years and I'm already hearing about improvements in bottom surgery since the first time I looked them up.  It makes me feel old lol.

[Darrin Scott]

In the near future I am getting a legal name change. Hopefully by the end of this month.

[AdamMLP]

Come out to my parents, visit my GP again and try and find a path that works for me in getting a GIC referal/self refer, and change my name, although not necessarily in that order.  Then go to sixth form as male in September with as few people knowing about the label that was previously stuck on me as possible.

[Make_It_Good]

Next step for me is my GRC (Gender recognition certificate). Ive been putting this off for about 18months now simply because Im too much of a wuss to have to face a solicitor who I will need to sign my stat dec, as I hate having to explain that Ive been through transition. But Ive finally made an appointment to and its on Tuesday :p

Also, in 13 days Ill be having stage 2 of lower surgery. Im pretty eager for the nerve work being done.

After my GRC and 3rd/final stage of lower surgery, that should hopefully be it. Well, actually, the last thing will probably be my beard finally coming in :p

I've done everything I can to transition socially including changing my name etc. so all that's left now is the medical bits. I've been waiting about 7 months since I was referred to a GIC but they haven't even processed my paperwork yet so I don't even have an appointment with them. But I've just heard today that my GP has now referred me to a different GIC with a much shorter waiting list.

So... plans are: T as soon as possible, hopefully within the next few months; followed by top surgery as soon as possible. Then in about 2 years or so I'll see what I want to do about the bottom end, based on the options that are available then.

I must say that FtM bottom surgery has greatly improved since I looked into the options when I first realised back in 1990 that I needed to transition. I decided at that time not to transition for various reasons, but one of them was the lack of any suitable (to my standards) surgical options for the nether regions. The options available today are so much better and I'm hoping they'll continue to improve.

Good luck with your GIC referral. I really hope that this second place youve been referred to see you soon.
I was on the waiting list for 15months, and now the GIC has a list of between 1-5 months apparently, so I can empathize with your frustrations! Hopefully youll be hearing from them soon

[spacerace]

Next step for me is my GRC (Gender recognition certificate). Ive been putting this off for about 18months now simply because Im too much of a wuss to have to face a solicitor who I will need to sign my stat dec, as I hate having to explain that Ive been through transition. But Ive finally made an appointment to and its on Tuesday :p

best of luck with your appointment.  I bet you will feel really relieved once Tuesday is over.