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Just whatever. I feel like a complete failure.

Started by Trez123, June 12, 2014, 06:33:55 AM

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Edge

I'm glad it helped. I have a lot of anger too.
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randomroads

 Bipolar is hell. I don't have it, but I've been with people who did and watched them go through the motions if they were doped up or become manic if they went off the meds. The mood swings were difficult for me to deal with, so I can't imagine how bad it is being stuck in your body with no magic button to just turn it all off.


The good news is that this point of your life won't last for forever. You're young enough to have a legal guardian, and that will end once you come of age. You've already helped yourself to a doctor who, despite seeming unwilling to help, HAS helped you reach a few goals. I urge you to take your studies seriously so that you can either go to college or a trade school where you can learn valuable skills to pull yourself out of the hole you're in right now. It's difficult, but the strongest people in the world are those that deal with problems like yours and still manage to create a life free from worry or hurt.
Binding - have you thought about taping? I'm unable to wear a binder because of claustrophobia and started using medical tapes. I had an allergic reaction to one brand, but found that the 'paper' tape works very well and doesn't harm my skin. I also recently bought 'k-tape' and it seems to be working better than any of the tape I've used. I don't wrap in it, I just use the tape to hold the tissue to the side and wear a sports bra over it. The results give me a decently flat chest that I can hide under a loose fitting button up.

If you ever want someone to talk to, you can send me a message. We cal exchange alternative chat options if that works better for you or keep it to the forum.
I believe in invisible pink unicorns

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Trez123

I'm 19, though. I am a legal adult where I live. Never mind. Yes, I used the Aussie version of ACE bandage tape, it's called ElastoSport or something. It really hurts, though. And gathers up under my arms. My doctor told me to stop using it because I could be getting top surgery soon, could, but because it's a possibility, I had to stop a few months ago. I now use a kind of waist trimmer or something? Made of spandex, with the elastic part of underwear. I have two of the spandex things, and use 4 elastic band things in between to bind. It's an ass, not very discrete, always falls down etc. But just until I know for sure if I'm getting top surgery or not. If I can't stay where I live, and it's a no for top surgery, I'll go back to tape.
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Trez123

And the order might never end, it's not age dependent. It's government, authority dependent. Just so you know.
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Edge

Don't use tape. That can damage your lungs and ribs. Binding sucks in general though.
Out of curiosity since I don't know what it means, what is the order and why is it there?
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Trez123

I'm under an adult guardianship order, have been since my 18th last June. I got put on it because of a few things:
a) I'm transsexual, and the government need to see that I'm "actually transitioning" -_-
b) I had a vast history of childhood abuse
c) I was in psych hospital a lot as a teen
d) Because of my bipolar and borderline personality disorder, despite the fact that my gender psych (also a reg psych) said that I am capable of living an independent life as a young adult. And I was also in foster care for my entire life. Until just before my 18th.

Because of that order, I don't manage my money, a person called a Public Trust officer does. And I have "support" workers come to my house for 4 hours every morning. I'm not allowed to make adult decisions for myself without my guardian's permission. Basically, my life is controlled by idiots that don't even know me.
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Edge

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Trez123

Welcome to the reality for people have mental disorders in Australia. Trans* people here have to check in with the government in other ways if they don't have a mental disorder, or aren't under this order. I live in Queensland, on the Gold Coast.
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Edge

That sucks. I wish there was some way to fix that.
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stephaniec

sorry your in so much pain. I myself have some what similar issues. I would love to have surgery to help with dysphoria but money is the issue. I've dealt with the pain of having the wrong equipment all my life. I also am borderline. Life has definitely been a challenge. I'm lucky though that I have good medical support and a great psych team. HRT for me has been a miracle .I hope some how you  can get some sort of professional care because for me its been the difference between life and death.
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Trez123

Yeah, I don't think professional care exists here. Maybe I just haven't given T enough time, but most guys I've spoken to have gotten further than me by my stage. It just feels like extra punishment on top of all the other garbage I have to deal with. Oh well. Life goes on. Unfortunately.
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openwater1

Sorry to hear that you've been having such a sh*t time, Trez. I know reading that doesn't change anything, but, as I'm learning for myself, there are people who care.
I'm another one with BPD; and while I have found some things to be helpful with certain aspects of BPD, I still struggle with anger a lot. I've been in and out of psych wards almost a half a dozen times in the past year and a half for suicide attempts and SI because of dysphoria and feeling like my trans issues are never going to get better. I started seeing a therapist who, while knowing all of my issues, still proceeds to try to talk me out of hormones. Some people just don't get it. Sounds like you've got a lot of those in your life right now.

I guess my point to all this rambling nonsense that I've typed, is that, despite how you're feeling right now, eventually things will start to look up for you. I'm repeating what a lot of other people have already said, but it is true.
It takes a long time to get past childhood trauma, and then throwing in being trans on top of that? Trust me, I really feel for you. I juggle all that crap every day as well. Having a safe haven such as this makes it a lot easier to bear the burden.
Just remember that you're never as alone as you feel.
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Edge

Heh. We should start a trans, borderline, childhood trauma club. That was a bad joke.
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Alexthecat

Quote from: Trez123 on June 12, 2014, 11:21:05 AM
I'm under an adult guardianship order, have been since my 18th last June. I got put on it because of a few things:
a) I'm transsexual, and the government need to see that I'm "actually transitioning" -_-
b) I had a vast history of childhood abuse
c) I was in psych hospital a lot as a teen
d) Because of my bipolar and borderline personality disorder, despite the fact that my gender psych (also a reg psych) said that I am capable of living an independent life as a young adult. And I was also in foster care for my entire life. Until just before my 18th.

Because of that order, I don't manage my money, a person called a Public Trust officer does. And I have "support" workers come to my house for 4 hours every morning. I'm not allowed to make adult decisions for myself without my guardian's permission. Basically, my life is controlled by idiots that don't even know me.
That doesn't make much sense that you can't have your own money. Even small children are given an allowance to spend on whatever they want.

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Trez123

BPD is common among trans* people. And thanks. Yeah, I know, they do give me just enough for me to survive and not starve, because I'm on a pension that only gives me about $540 a fortnight, it's difficult. I was doing better with my pension as a younger teen, before they got involved and the order got put in place. I did manage to save 10 grand for top surgery, after all. I definitely wouldn't be able to save for anything anymore, my pension got cut by $180 a fortnight last year, and I also have rent and adult things to pay for (Or that gets paid for by either department of human affairs or Public Trust). All of it makes me feel a lot worse, and my own SI has increased a lot since it happened. Been to emergency psych ward at least 20 times in the 11 months. There isn't really a day that goes by and I'm not suicidal and completely numb. I've noticed my dissociations have come back too, so has my severe paranoia. I've told all these dumb people how this makes me feel, and no one really cares, they just blame it on me. They keep complaining that I'm not working with them, and I'm too angry at the workers that do nothing wrong. They do, they call me shim, ask where my penis is, how I have sex, why I'm "doing this ->-bleeped-<- to myself", what my bottom half looks like, how come I have body hair but not facial hair except sideburns, tell me it's ->-bleeped-<-ed up that I like men too, tell me I'll be single for the rest of my life because no one wants to be with a freak etc, the list never ends really. I stopped letting them inside, and if I go out, I lock all my doors so they can't get in. I don't let them take me anywhere, because the places I do go, I don't need help. There's just so many things wrong with this situation.
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viktor_tokyo

Trez I think you are amazingly eloquent. I wish I can express myself as well as you can. I hope that your voice can reach the right people.

I'm 32 years old and can't really remember how I felt and viewed the world when I was 19, but I know that environment is a big factor in how you feel. You know, unless you're Buddha and transcended beyond mere mortals or something, you'll have emotions that change depending on how people teat and react to you (meaning it's obvious why you feel so bad!). I hope you can get out of that mess somehow and move on to a better place with much better people. I have a feeling your dysphoria should become easier to deal with when you're surrounded by people who respect you as a person.

Anyway sorry I can't be much of help, but I hope that you can find a way to get out of where you are now. You're still just 19, there are still tons of opportunities ahead of you to get life rolling. And please don't ever blame yourself for who you are. I wish you the best of luck.
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Trez123

Thanks. I'm trying to get out of it. But so far it's getting nowhere. Sigh. Life goes on.
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Felix

Nothing you say here is a waste of time, especially since you don't have a therapist to vent and reflect with. I'm sure you know what's best for yourself, and avoiding unhelpful therapists is good, but you should try again sometime to find one if you ever end up in a different area or if you wait long enough for different mental health providers to be on the market. I've had a lot of therapists who didn't do me much good but the ones who did were worth sifting through the rubble for.

The way I approach testosterone is that it's what my body would naturally be producing if I were cisgender. I went into it with very low expectations. I mostly wanted to have T in my body so I would feel like a normal person. Normal guys make testosterone a lot more than estrogen. If you were cis, you wouldn't have a lot of control over how your body develops though, right? Seeing as we have to seek out external sources for what we should already have, we do have to think about hormone levels and effects, I know. But it's not a golden ticket. Our genetics aren't always ideal. A lot of us still have female gonads, which tempers the effect of testosterone.

I know it's easy for me to get on a high horse about that. I'm happy with my body. I like my hairiness even if it doesn't extend to my face as much as I want, and I got my breasts cut out with no copay on the technicality that everybody in my family gets cancer, and I can't afford bottom surgery until civil rights legislation catches up and makes my insurance cover it (but I know it will eventually), and the people around me are mostly supportive and polite. I apologize for criticizing from a position of privilege, but it's where I'm at right now.

It sounds like your caretakers are abusive. No one should ever call you names. No one has any right to tease you about your genitals, and anyone who even needs to be told that should not be working in mental health. No one should question your sexual orientation.

Your having major diagnoses and being under a guardianship order probably makes it hard for you to get people to take you seriously when you complain about things, but I hope you have some way to put a stop to those comments and questions. If you were in the states I would advise you to contact Lambda Legal. Maybe there's something similar where you live?
everybody's house is haunted
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Trez123

Yeah............. I wish I could feel like that.........
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