Kathy's journey

[steph2.0]

Thanks, Christine.

We drove across the province to Bridgewater, where our favourite dog rescue society was holding a fundraising bake sale at a pet store.  If I'd known I'd get photographed, I'd have worn a different sweater than I did on Friday.  But, what the heck, even half out of the picture, I think I look okay.



On the way home, on the recommendation of our friends, we stopped at a deli in the middle of nowhere to try their vegan felafels.  Yum.  I caught a woman who was eating at the counter eyeing me suspiciously.  So I just gave her my biggest "I'm way more awesome than you'll ever be" smile, and she looked away guiltily.   

Oh yay, Kathy! Rocking the look and the attitude! It's wonderful to see you posting slices of everyday life both here and on Facebook. I think we may both be on the same arc. I picked mom up from the rehab this evening and took her to dinner and everything was so... normal!

Life as it's supposed to be!

Stephanie

[JudiBlueEyes]

"So I just gave her my biggest "I'm way more awesome than you'll ever be" smile, and she looked away guiltily."

Well of course she did.  How could she compete???

The photo in the store is a good one. 

[KathyLauren]

Oh yay, Kathy! Rocking the look and the attitude! It's wonderful to see you posting slices of everyday life both here and on Facebook. I think we may both be on the same arc. I picked mom up from the rehab this evening and took her to dinner and everything was so... normal!

Life as it's supposed to be!

Stephanie

Thanks, Stephanie!  (And Judi.)

Weird, isn't it, that you and I had to transition to become "normal"!  Glad you had a nice dinner with your Mom.

As for slices of everyday life, ... Ow, ow, OW!!  I pulled a muscle in my neck last week torquing the lug nuts on my summer tires.  It hurt like a SOB on the weekend, but it was recovering nicely by this morning, and I had a good range of motion. 

But today, we had two truckloads of gravel spread on the driveway.  "Spread" was the intention, but there was as much "dumped" as spread.  So guess who got to use shovels and rakes (and implements of destruction*) to spread out the piles?  Loss of upper body strength notwithstanding, yours truly still gets to do the heavy chores like that.  So now, my neck and shoulders are almost siezed up again.

Ow!

* Bonus points for identifying the reference.

[Jayne01]

I hope that implement of destruction comes with an engine and hydraulics. It is the only way to do "manual labour".

Glad your sore neck is getting better.

Jayne

[steph2.0]

Thanks, Stephanie!  (And Judi.)

Weird, isn't it, that you and I had to transition to become "normal"!  Glad you had a nice dinner with your Mom.

As for slices of everyday life, ... Ow, ow, OW!!  I pulled a muscle in my neck last week torquing the lug nuts on my summer tires.  It hurt like a SOB on the weekend, but it was recovering nicely by this morning, and I had a good range of motion. 

But today, we had two truckloads of gravel spread on the driveway.  "Spread" was the intention, but there was as much "dumped" as spread.  So guess who got to use shovels and rakes (and implements of destruction*) to spread out the piles?  Loss of upper body strength notwithstanding, yours truly still gets to do the heavy chores like that.  So now, my neck and shoulders are almost siezed up again.

Ow!

Around here we call it the "new normal." But the "old normal" didn't feel this good!

As for the rest: Wow... ow!!

First of all, where's that beautiful backhoe you used to trench for the cable? My wife voiced her concern over muscle loss with HRT, and I informed her that that's why humans invented tools. I even have opposable thumbs!

Summer tires already? You really are tempting fate. Both Cassie and I are lucky we didn't pull something after all the times we changed tires on Christine. And it's not over yet. I received two out of the four new trailer tires I'd ordered today. So all four will need to be removed and reinstalled soon.

As for the pain, we have some bizarre parallels going on here. All through Sun-N-Fun it felt like someone had stuck a knife between my shoulder blades. I actually saw the doctor about it today. Yup... pulled muscle. I suspect it was from trying to single-handedly lift the generator into and out of the truck bed before, during, and after the show. In any case, it's getting better, and I can give my hypochondria a rest.

* Bonus points for identifying the reference.

Ding ding ding!! Bonus points for Stephanie!! Such implements are required for cleaning out the church after throwing all the trash down there from the bell tower...

Stephanie

[KathyLauren]

Close enough, Steph!  You win ... extra cookies when you come to visit.

Speaking of pain, my electrocutioner finally was able to get the stubborn white hairs on the left side of my neck today.  She had suggested a new technique: covering the lidocaine cream with not just two layers of plastic, but also sandwiching two layers of gauze between the plastic.  The idea is to retain heat while the lidocaine percolates into the skin, making it more effective.

I tried it last week on my chin, with promising results, so this week, I tried it on my neck, which so far has resisted any attempts at pain control.  It seemed to work.  Some of the zaps were at my limit, but none were over it.  Nice to finally make progress in that area, which has been resisting for a couple of months.

[Jayne01]

You have totally lost me with this mysterious implement you speak of. I need to start googling, or perhaps a photo?

I am glad the new pain control technique is helping to make the zapping more tolerable. I too find the neck area more sensitive. There is a more distinct sting with each zap, I have found. Fortunately my pain tolerance is quite high and so far have been able to cope without any kind of numbing aids, except for my upper lip. That always brings tears to my eyes.

Jayne

[Northern Star Girl]

Close enough, Steph!  You win ... extra cookies when you come to visit.

Speaking of pain, my electrocutioner finally was able to get the tubborn white hairs on the left side of my neck today.  She had suggested a new technique: covering the lidocaine cream with not just two layers of plastic, but also sandwiching two layers of gauze between the plastic.  The idea is to retain heat while the lidocaine percolates into the skin, making it more effective.

I tried it last week on my chin, with promising results, so this week, I tried it on my neck, which so far has resisted any attempts at pain control.  It seemed to work.  Some of the zaps were at my limit, but none were over it.  Nice to finally make progress in that area, which has been resisting for a couple of months.

Kathy:   From my experiences, this is worse that "waterboarding"   I endure lots of pain and end up with a terrible rash and also lots of bumps after those procedures.   Fortunately most of my body hair has stopped or has become very thin and light so there will be less $$$$ going to the "electrocutioner"....
Danielle

[KathyLauren]

You have totally lost me with this mysterious implement you speak of. I need to start googling, or perhaps a photo?

You are obviously tougher than I am!  I need lots of lidocaine before an electrolysis session. 

The normal procedure is to apply it an hour before the session and to cover it with plastic wrap (Saran wrap here, I don't know what you call it down under).  The plastic is taped around the edges to make it airtight.  In my continuing quest for better pain control, I started using two layers of wrap, each taped separately.

This latest version is lidocaine, then one layer of plastic wrap.  Then a double layer of gauze, then the second layer of plastic.  There ain't gonna be any photos!

My electrologist has to do a lot of peeling and cutting to remove the covering.  Sometimes, she will remove it in sections, to keep half of the area covered for later in the session.

@Alaskan Danielle, I get the rash with bumps, too.  Looks great for my dance class later the same day!  (Better the rash than the stubble: it's one or the other.)  I am glad I don't have to deal with body hair.  I never had much, and it has mostly disappeared on HRT.

[Jayne01]

You are obviously tougher than I am!  I need lots of lidocaine before an electrolysis session. 

I don't know if tough is an accurate description. Probably more a limited sense of pain. I have to be careful not to damage myself when doing things because level of pain is not always a good indicator for me that I may be getting myself into trouble.

The normal procedure is to apply it an hour before the session and to cover it with plastic wrap (Saran wrap here, I don't know what you call it down under).  The plastic is taped around the edges to make it airtight.  In my continuing quest for better pain control, I started using two layers of wrap, each taped separately.

This latest version is lidocaine, then one layer of plastic wrap.  Then a double layer of gauze, then the second layer of plastic.  There ain't gonna be any photos!

My electrologist has to do a lot of peeling and cutting to remove the covering.  Sometimes, she will remove it in sections, to keep half of the area covered for later in the session.

We call it either Glad Wrap (brand name) or cling wrap. I am familiar with the term Saran Wrap from visiting my wife's family over there.

I'm sorry you need to go through such a complicated process to help reduce the pain. The good news is that it is a finite process. It WILL come to an end. The parts that I do feel more pain, I generally try not to think about the zapping process. Instead, I kind of go to my happy place thinking about doing something fun with my wife. If I am lucky, I can sometimes manage to zone out completely and have been known to momentarily fall asleep.

@Alaskan Danielle, I get the rash with bumps, too.  Looks great for my dance class later the same day!  (Better the rash than the stubble: it's one or the other.)  I am glad I don't have to deal with body hair.  I never had much, and it has mostly disappeared on HRT.

I also get the rash and bumps. They are usually cleared up after 2 or 3 days. I agree, better rash than stubble. My electrologist is always apologising for making a mess. She focuses on working faster than working neatly. So I end up having to shake the hairs off my shirt after a session. I tell her better on my shirt than in my face. The quicker she can work, the happier I am.

Jayne

[Michelle_P]

As you progress with electrolysis, you'll run out of big, mature follicles at some point (100-120 hours?), and the electrolyst will be dealing with immature follicles, many just waking up for the first time.  The body seems to have a reaction to losing all that hair, trying to wake every possible follicle to replace the pelt!

These immature follicles will be shallower, closer to the surface, and smaller.  My electrolyst switched to a smaller probe (#3, with extended insulation and a smaller live tip), and a lower current setting for thermolysis. This has a huge impact on discomfort.   I can still (barely) feel the probe insertion, and the pulses of heat from the probe being energized, but it is nothing like when I started out.  Clearing hairs on the upper lip is now quite manageable, and sometimes I don't even sneeze when she works near the nostrils!

Hair is also sparser, so the work in a session is spread across a much larger area of skin.

TL; DR - It gets easier.  Much easier.

 

[JudiBlueEyes]

I agree with Michelle that it does get easier to take.  I think it hurt as much to pull out the mature hair and root than the actual zap.  The younger hairs are much easier to deal with.  It seems each area triggers different nerves to fire.  When hairs on my neck are zapped I swear I feel it in my toes!  I am finally seeing an end in sight.  I've been doing 2 hours a week for some time.  I want it finished!!

[KathyLauren]

TL; DR - It gets easier.  Much easier.

Thanks, Michelle, that's good to know!  Right now, she's working on stubborn white bristles on my neck that require the machine to be turned up to "kill".  Yesterday was the first session in that area where she didn't have to scrape me off the ceiling.  Looking forward to zapping the wussy hairs.

I was at the dentist today for my regular cleaning and checkup.  The dentist has my prescription info on file, and knows my history well, since it is she who freezes my lips in preparation for electrolysis of those areas.  As she was poking and prodding, she asked me for information on my medications - easier to take her instruments out of my mouth than to look up my file, I think.  I told her, and she said, "Ah, that makes sense!"  Apparently, my gums looked "weird" for a male mouth, but more in line with a female mouth.  I guess that E has similar effects on the skin of the gums as it does to the rest of one's skin.

Apparently, this is a recent dental discovery, that only came to light once more women were doing research in dentistry.  It is interesting in light of @Alaskan Danielle's experience of being outed by her teeth.

[davina61]

Losing upper body strength and aching muscles, yes getting that. finding it hard to lift some wheels back onto motors when on a lift but was never that strong  anyway. Now find myself aching if I do work other than inspections (MOT).

[KathyLauren]

I got my eyebrows waxed today.  I go every couple of months to the local beauty school, where you get a good price and the students get to practise on you.  There are always instructors nearby, so they don't do too bad a job.

The student working on me was having a hard time getting all the hairs to come off on one spot on my left eyebrow, and had several attempts at it, by which time it was getting pretty sore.  She called over the instructor and explained that she was having trouble in that spot and didn't want to continue "because it is hurting him."  I don't allow misgendering to go unchallenged if I know I heard it clearly, so I said "Her."

The instructor solved the immediate problem by finishing that spot with tweezers.  Then the two of them disappeared for a couple of minutes.  When my student esthetician returned, she was very apologetic for misgendering me.  So I suspect there was a teaching moment backstage.

Which makes me feel really good, because I gave that student, and perhaps others who have that same instructor, a chance to learn about working with transgender clients, something that might not have occurred to them in the standard curriculum.

The rest of the session went well, and we chatted about all kinds of beauty-related stuff.  Apparently, it is common for people's left side to respond more strongly to pain than their right side.  That was certainly the case with my eyebrows, and has been the case with electrolysis on my neck.  Which got us talking about electrolysis (Who did I see?  What did I think of her?)  Very enjoyable girl stuff.

And she did a decent job on my brows.

[Laurie]

  Good for you Kathy. You are right about it giving those students an opportunity to learn. I'm afraid I have had very few opportunities to be a teaching tool myself do to my not having indulged in very many female activities. I probably should just get over my insecurities and do some. I mentioned in my own thread that I don't know how to be a woman and I see a lot of that is because I don't give myself opportunities to learn.

Hugs,
  Laurie

[Northern Star Girl]

I got my eyebrows waxed today.  I go every couple of months to the local beauty school, where you get a good price and the students get to practise on you.  There are always instructors nearby, so they don't do too bad a job.

The student working on me was having a hard time getting all the hairs to come off on one spot on my left eyebrow, and had several attempts at it, by which time it was getting pretty sore.  She called over the instructor and explained that she was having trouble in that spot and didn't want to continue "because it is hurting him."  I don't allow misgendering to go unchallenged if I know I heard it clearly, so I said "Her."

The instructor solved the immediate problem by finishing that spot with tweezers.  Then the two of them disappeared for a couple of minutes.  When my student esthetician returned, she was very apologetic for misgendering me.  So I suspect there was a teaching moment backstage.

Which makes me feel really good, because I gave that student, and perhaps others who have that same instructor, a chance to learn about working with transgender clients, something that might not have occurred to them in the standard curriculum.

The rest of the session went well, and we chatted about all kinds of beauty-related stuff.  Apparently, it is common for people's left side to respond more strongly to pain than their right side.  That was certainly the case with my eyebrows, and has been the case with electrolysis on my neck.  Which got us talking about electrolysis (Who did I see?  What did I think of her?)  Very enjoyable girl stuff.

And she did a decent job on my brows.

Kathy:  I have gone to beauty schools previously when I lived in a larger city...  I agree with you, they do a decent job, instructors nearby just in case, and a good price.   
Oh yeah, I have had stubborn eyebrow hair that caused me great pain and the student beautician great anxiety... but as you stated, it is a good learning moment for the student....   and surely the best learning moment for the student was the "correct gendering" moment. 
***I am curious however, were you clearly dressed in female mode when that happened?

I loved reading your updates....   but with this one, where is the picture?  I love seeing pictures.
Thanks for posting your updates regularly.
Hugs,
Danielle

[KathyLauren]

***I am curious however, were you clearly dressed in female mode when that happened?

I loved reading your updates....   but with this one, where is the picture?  I love seeing pictures.
Thanks for posting your updates regularly.
Hugs,
Danielle

Oh, yes, I think my presentation was quite femme.  I was wearing a gray sweater with lots of embroidered flowers over a pinkish-purple T-shirt and very skinny jeans.  My wig was a short pixie-type cut, that I don't think was very boyish.  Oh, and I had pink laces in my sneakers.  If she truly thought I was male, she must have thought I was the gayest male she had ever seen.

"Pics or it didn't happen", I know!  I'll have to take a picture of me in that outfit. Maybe when my eyebrows cool off.  They are still ouchy and red.

[Jayne01]

Kathy, well done on taking the opportunity to correct the student with the pronouns and especially for not letting the misgendering get you down. You are clearly secure enough in your own identity that you are able to treat misgendering incidents as a teaching opportunity. I will try to remember that for when I find myself in school molar situations. Thank you.

Oh yeah, photos or it didn't happen! (I need to be careful what I say here since I don't even have a profile pic) [emoji57]

Jayne

[Northern Star Girl]

Kathy, well done on taking the opportunity to correct the student with the pronouns and especially for not letting the misgendering get you down. You are clearly secure enough in your own identity that you are able to treat misgendering incidents as a teaching opportunity. I will try to remember that for when I find myself in school molar situations. Thank you.

Oh yeah, photos or it didn't happen! (I need to be careful what I say here since I don't even have a profile pic) [emoji57]

Jayne

@Jayne01  Oh yeah, about your picture: a Galaxy far, far away, or is it a Nebula???   
I am looking forward to any pictures that you eventually post,
but obviously only when you feel comfortable doing it.
Hugs,
Danielle