So how long have you really been transitioning?

[kathyk]

I have another appointment with my therapist today, and was thinking about how long I've been going through some sort of transition without even knowing it.  Yes, it's been a very long time. 

In 1984 I began looking for, then routinely took a lot of different over the counter medications to help grow breasts, and to make little changes to my appearance if I were lucky.  I couldn't shave off my beard so I figured I'd just grow small breasts and do lots of body care to at least feel like the woman I wanted to be.   There were already a whole lot of years spent dressing, shaving, and waxing when I could.  But as my need to change took hold, so did the desire to take whatever legally available drugs I could find.  I didn't care if I damaged my health, or if it could possibly kill me.  Wow, was I f'd up. 

I guess that's what they call denial, and until about ten years ago I somehow couldn't even remotely accept the fact that I was transgender.  Yes, I knew I had gender issues, but being transgender?  No way.  This sounds so incredibly stupid now, but I'm sure there's a couple girls out there who went through similar things.  Just wish I'd had the nerve to do what the woman I admired did, and followed the example of Renee Richards.

[Heather]

Well if you go back to when I came out as a teen it's been 20 years. But it's been 5 since I really put serious planning to get me to the point where I'm at now. I don't regret the times when I was a teen or when I was 20 or many of the other times I started but chickened out. I'm so successful now because I learned from my younger days and actually used those earlier times to help me now.

[HoneyBunny]

Well I guess that depends on what you mean by transition. I remember I wanted to be a girl when I was five, but I only found out what a transsexual was when I was thirteen. However, I foolishly thought I could over come my problem until I was about sixteen after which I came to the realization that I could not function as a guy. I consider that the starting point of when I started transition because I started growing out my hair then and started to 'mental' transition. That said, i started hormones by self medicating at nineteen just right before my twenty birth day and got a prescription from a doctor a few months later. I have been on hormones for over three years now and I am still transitioning. I still wear guy clothes some times too because they are comfy, but for the most part I am kind of a feminine girl who is boy crazy.

[Nicole]

More than half my life, lived fulltime, on blockers when we moved to another state, quit high school, went to TAFE and did my years 11 & 12's there my 18th b'day started HRT.
I'm 34 (that hurts to say)

[Eva Marie]

I guess that i've been "transitioning" since I was in my early 40's (I'm 51 now); i just didn't know it back then. I was doing a lot of what you were doing Kathy with over the counter medications and by the time I  was in my late 40's thinking that there could be no way that I was TS - I was wrong   

Officially I accepted that I am TS on July 20, 2013.

[Jill F]

I guess that i've been "transitioning" since I was in my early 40's (I'm 51 now); i just didn't know it back then. I was doing a lot of what you were doing Kathy with over the counter medications and by the time I  was in my late 40's thinking that there could be no way that I was TS - I was wrong   

Officially I accepted that I am TS on July 20, 2013.

I started wearing articles of women's clothing in October 2012 to finally see why I felt the need to do so. 
I got all dolled up for the first time after Thanksgiving 2012 and shaved for the first time in years.
I got on a low dose of E January 22, 2013
I went out for the first time in Feb 2013
I went full time in Mar 2013
I accepted the fact that I am truly a transsexual in early April and that a full transition is warranted.
I got the full dose of HRT in July 2013.

I grew my hair out and pierced my ears in 1990.  Pierced nose in Jan 1991 when the only dude who did that was Slash.  Yeah, I knew.