Well, it is the end of another year, and tomorrow we start a new one. Time for the dreaded year end report!
TL;DR: Yay me, and happy New Year!
2018 has been a good year for me. It was my first full year of full-time RLE (2017 was just 8 1/2 months of RLE), and I have enjoyed every minute of being me. The people I interact with regularly are all used to me. No one is negative, and all are either supporting or at least accepting. Strangers see me as a woman. Perhaps they read me as trans, mostly I think they don't (I know for sure some don't read me), but it doesn't matter: they treat me right. That is all one could ask.
My wife continues to be my biggest supporter and fan. I am constantly amazed at how lucky I am to be married to her.
It was my second year of HRT. My bust measurement has not changed a bit since pre-HRT days, still 39.5", but I have lost muscle and fat and gained breast tissue in equal measure, and I can now fill an A-cup bra. It's a bit underwhelming for two years' growth, but I'm not complaining. They are mine, all mine! They are still growing, too, so I may yet grow to a B-cup. If I did complain, a cis woman friend of ours would whack me over the head, because mine are much bigger than hers.
The surplus bits down below are a mere shadow of their former selves. Tucking is a non-issue except in the tightest, stretchiest pants. Even then, they tuck easily and the result is convincing.
My face has changed noticeably. When I look in the mirror, I don't see any of my former face. I just see Kathy in the mirror, especially if I am wearing a wig or hat to cover my hairline.
I have completed two years of facial electrolysis, around 100 hours. I see real progress, and I can see being finished in a few months. Already, parts of my face are baby's-butt smooth even after not shaving for a couple of days. I started the year needing a dental block to get my upper lip zapped, but now I can do 15 minutes with just topical numbing cream.
Most of that is steady-as-she goes stuff. But I have had a couple of real transition developments this year. Most importantly, I have got the two referral letters I need for GRS. My application is in to my insurance for funding, and I am just awaiting their response, hopefully early in the new year, to send off my request to Dr. Brassard's clinic in Montreal.
The other development, less exciting, but still important, is that the Nova Scotia government announced this year that it is changing the regulations surrounding gender markers so that you no longer need a Nova Scotia birth certificate to officially change your gender. Without that change, I had to wait two years before I could change my U.K. birth certificate before I was able to change my gender on government ID. With the new regulations, as soon as they come into force in the new year, I can apply for a gender marker change that doesn't depend on my birth certificate. I will be able to get all my government ID updated finally. And then, using that ID, I can use a different process with the Brits to change my birth certificate before the two years are up.
So, looking ahead to next year, I will be updating my documents, getting into the queue for surgery, finishing electrolysis, and maybe even having my surgery. Which would make 2019 the best year ever for me.
I hope everyone else has as good a year as I am hoping for!
The pic is the "Flaming Star Nebula", taken last night.
