Well, well, well, the critter went and done it. After months of hemming and hawing, procrastination and chickening out, and other delays, I FINALLY actually journeyed to Los Angeles to see Dr. John O'Dea and got the estradiol pellets installed and thus, it has begun.
Never been to Los Angeles before, and haven't traveled in over 10 years.
Since I was going to "become a gal", I decided to dress the part, I went fully dressed out as lady. Travel day was May 22, 3:10 p.m. from Orlando. I scheduled a face makeup makeover by a MAC artist rather than trust my own hand at makeup. That was scheduled at 10:30 a.m. I was an hour late because I got lost in the strange part of Orlando which she lived. Then she took longer than I thought because she is such a thorough and meticulous artist. Now I was 1.5 hour behind. So I would get to airport 1:30. Less than the recommended 2 hours but, I usually get through okay. Then I got lost getting out her area. The stupid GPS doesn't work unless I have a full address. I couldn't find my way to the airport. I got turned around then finally ended up on Semoran Blvd which I knew but is riddled with stoplights and slow drivers. By this time I was sweating bullets. Finally got to airport but took several minutes to find a parking. Was hoping for a shaded spot on level 2,3, or 4, but all full. Had to settle on a sun-baked spot on the top level. DESPARATE for time, I charged on out of there. Ever try to run on high heels? Also, my ao-dai dress was breezing behing me. (I wore an ao-dai, a type of oriental dress. Search for "Tall, Fit, ->-bleeped-<- Cross-Dresser in Ao Dai" on Google to find the Youtube video where I model that very one. Include the quotes ("). Only difference, on the video, I do not wear the usual pants that go under the ao dai. For travel, I wore the traditional silk white pants that go underneath. Don't worry, video is completely G-rated.
I worked my way through the airport labyrinth to the long line for TSA. I was afraid TSA would give me hard time like some stories I heard. But not so. I handed a young man my boarding pass and driver's license and joked, "I've changed a little over the years! Transwoman..." He smiled and said "Have a nice trip, Miss". Whew, well, that was that. Now the actual exam. Took off shoes, etc, walked through the thing. Short Afro-American lady on the other side said I must scan for indicated anomalies. (Hah-hah! Anomalies indeed! (One was in my chest area, I believe it was due to the underwire bra. (Holds the tissue-paper fillers better, hee-hee!))) She asked "do you want someone else to do this?" "No, you fine!" Then she asked, "Do you want to do it in private?" "No, here's fine." So that was that. Total time through TSA, maybe 3 minutes. No probs.
Then I charged on out thinking for sure I had missed the flight. Had I missed the flight, MY GOOSE WOULD HAVE BEEN COOKED! As I neared the terminal gate, I saw a clock say 2:45. Whew, just in time, although they may close the gate soon. When I got to the gate, I found out plane 15 minutes late. Hallelujah praise Jehovah! Never been so glad to see a plane late!
Safely on the plane, I was absolutely jittery from adrenaline for almost the whole flight.
Upon arrival to Los Angeles and check in motel, (Oh, yes, once again, I presented reservation and ID, joking, "I have changed a bit over the years!" No probs. This is LA! They see unusual stuff all the time!) I was then met and took a ride with none other than Erika Simone of "Driving Is A Drag", the drag queen Uber/Lyft driver of LA. It was an arrangement I had made in advance. That was an experience! (Look up Driving Is A Drag and Drag Queen Uber/Lyft driver on Google.)
Enough fun. Next day, 23rd of May, after good sleep, got up what I thought was very early for the 10 a.m. appointment with Dr. John O'Dea. I was an hour late for that because it took longer than I thought to rent the rental car and then actually get there. Fortunately, they are very easy going and forgiving especially of their "long-distance" clients/patients.
So, what is Doctor John O'Dea like?
Very fun and blunt, explains everything in detail, and KNOWS HIS STUFF better than most any other Doctor that does transpeople out there, and with decades of experience. He is from Ireland, and had various artifacts, pictures, and a book about Ireland in his office and waiting area.
I came expecting to get into an argument over my NOT wanting to use spironolactone. But, I had nothing to worry! He is AGAINST its use! He says it kills the libido, breaks down muscle, and can cause all manner of problems due to its tendency to dehydrate someone and upset their electrolytes.
As it turns out, the emission of copious and steady amounts of estrogen (estradiol) from the pellets causes a shut down of the body's production of testosterone. However, it is not immediate. May take a couple months. So I guess spironolactone advantage is faster, but, never mind! I'll wait! I don't need that stuff.
The shut down of testosterone is so complete, till he advises one testosterone pellet if one wants to keep some "sexual ability" and some muscles. And I want to keep as much muscle as possible. Pre HRT, I am 6 feet tall and 142 pounds. Biceps 12.5 inches. ALREADY girl arms, for crying out loud. He said I will still loose some or a little arm muscle but adipose deposits will maintain size and give the succulent look of a woman's arms. Sounds good. And of course, there should be considerable growth of adipose on hips, butt, thighs and calves. And face. Which I need. I am way too gaunt.
So the final decision was 8 estradiol pellets, one testosterone and one progesterone. In addition, a progesterone shot of his own formulation that they call "pink panther". Cost, 1300 and my card maxed out at 1100 because of the 200-dollar deposit for the rental car. They let me pay the rest a couple days later after returning home. I have an extra income that will pay off the cards in about 4-5 months.
At this point, (June 2nd early morning, I am only a few days into it. Pellets take a couple weeks or so to get going, and, with the androgen-blocker-free approach, a couple, few months for the testosterone to go way down. For some reason, however, my tits (nipples) have enlarged a bit, risen, and hardened a bit. Must be the pink panther shot. Can't wait for the rest of it to kick in.
Other interesting aspects of the trip include the fact, that I was in such a horrendous hurry to get to the terminal, I forgot all my male clothes and shoes in the car! I had to dress as woman the WHOLE TRIP! No choice. A number of people complemented my ao dai.
I forgot my rough ol' hands. I looked every bit the lady, all be it a tall one, except for the dad-blamed hands. I brought white lace gloves to wear, but I forgot those too, dagnabbit.
And there you go! That's the size of it! If you have further questions about Dr John O'Dea or his method, feel free to ask.
Thanks for reading!
