Like a rolling stone

[AmberSkyeArisen]

I'd be interested to hear your "timelines" as well. I think it would be good for people to see that things don't happen all at once.

1.5 years ago: I started out my trans journey pretty slowly. I got hormones from the interwebs,
After 1.5 years: I came out to people slowly over a long period of time.
16 months ago: I shaved all my body hair.
10 months ago: Then I realized i'm basically out to everybody now except for  family. Start wearing jewelry
9 months ago: I started wearing more gender neutral clothing. I'm out to my parents and they support me, but don't fully understand everything.
7 months ago: I got makeup and had nail polish.
1.5 months ago: I got my ears pierced.  Saw a psychiatrist to finally address my bipolarness
18 days ago: I got an appointment with a therapist for gender therapy
5 days ago: after 2 sessions he said he will write a letter for HRT if a doctor wants him to.
today : I called my insurance to see if I was covered by the doctor a previous therapist (at a consultation) told me *might* prescribe hormones (the only person in over 100 miles (and no car). There are no endocrinologists where I live). I am covered with him.

And now: waiting to hear back to see if I meet the criteria to be a new patient. Fit insurance and age requirements. Possibly not all requirements because of medication i'm taking. If I don't I will have to self-prescribe like I have been, or find a different doctor (I have about 4 months left of hormones, so I have 4 months to find a doctor and have them prescribe hormones to me)

[spacerace]

March 2011: First heard the term 'top surgery' and checked it out. Couldn't stop reading about transitioning.
August 2011: Moved across the country
November 2011: Knew I had to transition - joined Susans after lurking for a long time

January 2012: cut off my hair and started binding
February 2012: went to therapy  - referred to a psychiatrist, diagnosed and medicated for bipolar disorder
March 2012: Changed my name

<no progress for awhile>

July 2013: first appointment to discuss hormones
August 2013: started taking T

It was a drawn out process because I had to get stable mentally and find the right medication/dosage for the bipolar issue

[Lo]

2010: Had a pregnancy scare that had me in tears and panic attack mode for several days. First conscious inkling of "something is wrong".
Spring 2012: Had a series of conversations about life with my aunt before moving away from NYC where she'd taken care of me and been my confidant since starting school there in '07. She kept bringing up kids, and I found myself getting irrationally angry inside whenever she did. My second "something is wrong" moment.
Spring 2012: I cut all my hair off for a mohawk. Several weeks later I shave the back off (it looked like a mullet) and start wearing a quiff.
Fall 2012: I started going into the gender forums on AVEN.com (the primary asexuality website) and found myself agreeing with many people's sentiments. Start identifying as genderqueer after panicking about it for a few weeks.
Fall 2012: I tell my husband what I think is going on. He is scared and confused, but ultimately wants to be supportive.
Winter 2012: After lots of self-reflection I realize that I'm definitely not a man or a woman. Start identifying as nonbinary.
Spring 2013: Realize that I don't feel like any gender. Start identifying as agender/genderless/neutrois.
Spring 2013: Start buying sports bras. Buy first binder.
Spring 2013: Commit to this part of myself by getting my chosen agender symbol in ink.
Summer 2013: Become comfortable presenting as "myself". Become comfortable wearing sports bras most of the time. Husband is very supportive now and is not scared anymore. I ask him to stop referring to me as his wife. I've come out to a few people in private, one at a time. Contemplate a mass coming-out. Plan for surgeries, possible legal name changes, and possible title changes. Those are still ahead of me.

[Judiana]

2008, figured out about my feelings.... read miles ( kilometers) of pages on the internet, investigated the first steps how to take,

2009, told a dear friend about my feelings, and helped me out with the basal stuff... tried on a bra filled with rice in sandwich bags...

bought my first dress in 2010... figured a lot out on my own, ->-bleeped-<-? nope wrong crossdresser? nope transgender? Y E S !!!!!

told a couple of other friends, and had my coming out to my mother, that got ugly, and it has been difficult ever since until last year new eve..
she asked if Judiana wanted to celebrate new years eve and so on....
bought with a close shopping friend my seccond dress heels jewelery and panty's ( have to buy knickers yet)

in october 2012 i've hit the psychological wall and got stuck real bad, so i've searched some pro help... and this is like 10 months ago... never been happier since... accepted my feelings and now trying to cope with my surrounding enviroment, and trying to find my way in dressing when i like indoors because going outdoors is extremely dangerous for me... also trying to cope with absolute exhausting because of the psycological balancing act between being born as man and trying to give myself room enough to be Judiana ( in my house with al the curtains closed, phones of the hook and switched off the doorbell, and trying to be myself but with such amount of stress that i cant handle this anymore)

[suzifrommd]

Winter 2011-12: Finally tried to figure out why I have so much trouble fitting in to gendered spaces.
Spring 2012: Googled "part man part woman". Found the androgyne community here.
Summer 2012: Started realizing I really was a woman at the core.
Aug. 2012: Put my first female clothes on.
Nov. 2012: Saw my first competent therapist
Jan. 2013: Started hormones.
June 2013: Went full time.
June 2014 (projected): SRS?

[ZombieDog]

2008-2009 - protrayed self on internet as male as part of a videogame, realized how good it made me feel that people thought I was a man.  Out of curiosity I researched gender change and found out about FtMs.  Began therapy for anxiety and panic attacks.  Never discussed male feelings with therapist.

Summer 2009 - divorced husband over unrelated matters, moved closer to family, hid my feelings of gender and tried to be happy.

Fall 2009 - couldn't stand trying so hard to be something I wasn't when around family, moved to Midwest with boyfriend and tried to be happy again.

2011 - feelings of masculinity rear their ugly head and begin to become obsessive, lots of research done, flip between wanting to try and be a woman and being miserable in wishing I was a man.  Talk to therapist about male feelings and told to go to a LGBT center.  Stop seeing therapist.

Summer 2012 - decided to do something about my transition and begin more research.

August 2012 - finally go to a support group meeting and get hooked.  Begin seeing a therapist specifically for dysphoria.  Wear male clothes, start binding, get male hairstyle.

December 2012 - see endocrinologist and get prescription for T.

Jan 2013 - Take first T dose.  Start trying to present as male at all times except at work.

May 2013 - Come out at work and started presenting as male full-time.

Next steps: name change, top surgery, gender marker change.