Christine's Adventures on the "Transition Highway"

[christinej78]

Tuesday 27 March 2018 - This is day one of the medical start of my transition from male to female.

Arrived at my endocrinologist's office about an hour early for my 1200 hrs. appointment. Checked in and took a chair in the waiting area. I had dropped in last Friday to do all the paperwork so that was out of the way.

In about 10 or 15 minutes after arriving they came for me and took me to the exam room. One of the doctors assistants asked me a few questions, the first being how I preferred to be addressed. Extremely courteous and professional. We chatted while she was entering all the data from the forms I filled out Friday.

About five minutes after the assistant left there was a knock at the door; I responded with "come in;' When that door opened the place lit up with a sparkle. Doctor "X" walked in. I immediately knew I had struck gold. She is very petite with long shinny black hair and eyes that smile.

We talked for awhile and then I gave her the bio I wrote, which is a very personal document. After she finished reading it I answered a couple questions she had. She then gave me an exam. Since I had a complete physical a couple of months earlier, she didn't need to draw blood or take a urine sample this visit.

She follows WAPATH. We discussed the AA's, which I told her I wanted to avoid. She agreed that they would not be necessary for me since I have been dressing and living as a woman for six years. She explained how she wanted to start HRT and I was in complete agreement. I will only mention her prescription in general terms so as to not provide dosing or the actual medication. She preferred to use Transdermal patches rather than oral or injections.

She spent over an hour with me during which we discussed a lot of things about my personal life, which I did not include in the bio for brevity. As the time passed I knew for certain that she is a blessing.

I asked her if she would be willing to treat other members of our community. She said yes but she can't take anyone else on at the moment. She is the only endocrinologist in this practice. She said she has to assemble a team to help her and once that is done she will tell me that it is ok to give out her name.

They have everything computerized so she entered my prescription and sent it to my favorite Drug store, which I have been using for 22 years.

I applied my first patch at 1600 hrs. CDT Tuesday 27 March 2018. Since I use two patches per week the second will be applied Friday 30 March 2018.

Since I still have my testes, the meds I am taking will work much slower, that is until I've had my orchiectomy.

She said she would write a letter to the surgeon I am seeing on the 9th of April, for my pre-surgical consultation, approving my orchiectomy without delay.

Her office called me today, Thursday 29 March 2018,  wanting to verify the info I provided as to the surgeon and his address.

I am hoping that when I have my pre surgical that they will schedule me for surgery that week. I want "Borchiday" to get here ASAP. That will be the day I'll feel reborn as the woman I have always wanted to be.

Tomorrow I'll change my transdermal patch; It will stay on until next Tuesday. It's a 3 day / 4 day routine. Eight patches come in the box, which cost $70.00. My insurance did not cover any of it. This actually isn't too bad; I can cut back on my monthly junk food consumption and actually have money left over and less fat on my body; I'm a junk food junky. Fortunately, I have three kids,  Arf, Arf, and Big Arf who require five walks per day each; that's 15 walks for me, so I do get a lot of exercise walking them and even more doing other activities like climbing trees (I'm an arborist among other things).  I think I am outing myself here, which is ok.

I may have gotten ahead of myself the other day. I ordered a bra that I thought would be a good starting point. It arrived today and darn if it didn't fit perfectly. It's a sports bra so there are no wires or hooks. It's all nice stretchy material and it even has removable cups. My nipples are exactly where they should be, right in the center of the cups. I slipped a nice T-shirt on just to see how I looked. Not too bad if you don't see my mug. My hands are another issue; aside from being fairly large, they have suffered numerous interactions with machinery, so the fingers do have quite a tattered look to them; it adds character, I have been told. I think I can do without any more character, having more than enough for several people.

I have not felt anything from the HRT I'm on; should I be? It has been just three days and it is low dose. I want the orchiectomy so I can progress at a more enjoyable pace. Once done, how long before I should see boob growth?

Next update when I have something interesting to post. I know this is a long and boring piece; I felt like I needed to "splain" things a bit more than probably necessary. I'll try to keep the updates shorter.

Thanks to everyone for being here,

Christine

Edited: Thursday 19 July 2018,  0112 hrs CDT - cjh
Reedited: 04 August 2018 - cj78

[Northern Star Girl]

@ Christine:  Thanks for posting your very informative and interesting treatise on your first endocrinologist visit, HRT prescriptions, and a future appointment for an orchiectomy.... and your new bra too.  It is indeed wonderful that your visit and your impression of your doctor went very well for you.
You are certainly moving at full speed and I am certain that you are pleased with that.

Yes, 3 days is usually way too soon to see any results from HRT....  patience is required, as I always tell those that are just starting HRT.

Thanks for starting your own Forum thread that you will hopefully keep updated by frequently posting your progress....  and using your word..... thanks for wanting to "splain" all of this to your readers.

Best wishes and hugs,
Danielle

[christinej78]

Update #2 08 Apr 2018
On my fourth HRT patch. Am now peeing better. Have ditched Flomax, HRT fixed what Flomax could never do. Attended an MTF transgender group meeting yesterday. Really enjoyed the ladies there and plan to continue. Monday 09 Apr 18 is my pre-surgical consultation for an orchiectomy. I am now happier, calmer, able to focus better, sleep better and the aforementioned ability to pee better. My wing-nuts seem to have shrunk about 20% and so has my water spout. Don't think the latter is caused by the cold weather we are currently experiencing here in Fort Worth.

Best always,
Christine

[christinej78]

Today 11 Apr 2018 had my pre-op visit. Borchiday is scheduled for Friday 13 April;  my "Lucky Day." Couldn't have picked a better one.

I know there are a lot of ladies out there that have had orchis; my thinking is that at some point there will be a noticeable testosterone crash. Is this the "proverbial calm" that settles in or is it something else I can look forward to? This is my one and only "Borchiday" so I want to be prepared to enjoy it and the days following.

Best always
Christine
EDITED: 04 August 018 - cj78

[Donna]

Best wishes for Friday. I only wish it could be so quick here. My urologist appointment is next Thursday and I'll discuss an orchi then. It's 2 weeks early at 11.5 months. Then who knows how long if it's approved. If he needs the letter that is still 6-8 weeks away. The one plus for next week is I get my eligard shot to turn off the testicals which will chemically castrate me for now, I can hardly wait.
I wish you well and all happiness to you

[christinej78]

Best wishes for Friday. I only wish it could be so quick here. My urologist appointment is next Thursday and I'll discuss an orchi then. It's 2 weeks early at 11.5 months. Then who knows how long if it's approved. If he needs the letter that is still 6-8 weeks away. The one plus for next week is I get my eligard shot to turn off the testicals which will chemically castrate me for now, I can hardly wait.
I wish you well and all happiness to you

Thank you Donna; I'm happy my transition is happening quickly but I am saddened by what I read here on Susan's Place about how difficult it is for some of you to get the care and treatment you deserve. I wish you all could come here to the Dallas Fort Worth area to have your treatment.

I had a long talk Wednesday with my primary doctor. I told him about how long it takes for some of you to just see a doctor. He thinks it could be that there aren't enough doctors in your area. He also said that here in this area we have everything you could possibly want in the way of medical care. I am embarrassed that when I have my orchi Friday morning, I will have officially been in transition about 6 or 7 weeks while you struggle to just see a doctor in a year.

I asked the folks at the surgery center where I will be having mine about this same thing. They said they have people coming from all over the US and the world because they can't get the care they need at home.

A neighbor lady friend is taking me to the surgery center Friday. I was telling her of your difficulty seeing a doctor. She told me about her sister in Pennsylvania that needed an OBGYN Oncologist. There isn't one in the area where she lives. Periodically, an OBGYN Oncologist comes up from Atlanta to help out.

I'm here in my big bubble where everything is fine and I think it's fine everywhere else. I get on Susan's Place and I'm finding things aren't fine everywhere else. I don't know what the answer is but there has to be one somewhere.

I wish I had that answer. Thanks again Donna.

Best Always,
Christine

[AnneK]

Can't have everything and I'm actually glad they will start to become history this Friday at 1030 hrs. CDT.

Friday the 13th?    Uh-Oh!   

You're probably done by now.  How did it go?

[Donna]

Thanks Christine. I will survive and move forward. I'm doing well the way it's going. Got great news yesterday. Went for a bra fitting and had to dump my 40C which was squishing the girls.
I'm now the proud owner of a brand spanking new 40DD bra and  loving it. Just love the help from the estrogen.

[christinej78]

Friday the 13th?    Uh-Oh!   

You're probably done by now.  How did it go?

All went well; I arrived home a couple of hours ago and a couple of ounces lighter. Thanks for asking.

Best Always
Christine

[Cassi]

Only us Templar Knights have to worry about Friday the 13th!!!!!!

[christinej78]

Thanks Christine. I will survive and move forward. I'm doing well the way it's going. Got great news yesterday. Went for a bra fitting and had to dump my 40C which was squishing the girls.
I'm now the proud owner of a brand spanking new 40DD bra and  loving it. Just love the help from the estrogen.

Donna,

I am glad to hear that you are doing well; 40DD I have no idea what that size means other than it is considerably larger that 40C. I wish only the best for you and everyone in the transgender community. Until I got here I really didn't have much understanding of your fight to be who you really are. Nothing like being hit alongside the head by a 4X4 to awaken one to others plight and it's not just Transgender folks; there are many other folks that are forced to live marginalized lives because of ignorance (I'm a prime example of the ignorance) and outright bigotry of which I am probably guilty of as well.

Going forward I will do everything possible to help those that need it rather than what I have done in the past by turning a blind eye to what has been happening to folks different from what I pretended to be. I have been on this planet longer than most; I hope I can dedicate whatever time I have remaining to helping those that need it.

Muchas gracias and best always to our family here and elsewhere; you all are my salvation. All my love,
Christine
 

[krobinson103]

Six weeks to orchie? Lucky. We have to wait a year here. Working on the red tape now 40DD nice. I don't want to be that big though. At 37c atm and that's just about where I'd be happy to stop. Body has different ideas though, think it may stop around D.

[2.B.Dana]

Christine,

As a veteran I would suggest working with the VA to get your patches. Would be a lot less expensive. You should be able to coordinate a outside physician requesting and an VA physician ordering the meds. My dad did it for years.  They will also do breast forms etc if you want them prior to the real thing showing up.

[christinej78]

Six weeks to orchie? Lucky. We have to wait a year here. Working on the red tape now 40DD nice. I don't want to be that big though. At 37c atm and that's just about where I'd be happy to stop. Body has different ideas though, think it may stop around D.

Thanks Krobinson,

I had no idea this could happen in such a short time. I didn't have to pay someone to facilitate things. I went to my counselor for two sessions and had my first letter. Then it was to my primary care physician where I outed myself and asked him to refer me to an endocrinologist, which he did. The referral was sent to a woman doctor who is in a practice with a male doctor. The male doctor took the referral w/o the doctor it was sent to ever seeing it. This guy looked at it and told the staff he didn't see any need.

I decided I wasn't going to waste my time with him so I started searching the net for a female endocrinologist in the Dallas/Fort Worth area (I live on the Fort Worth side of the DFW Metroplex). I found one relatively close to home so I called. The receptionist told me she had moved on and wanted to know if I wanted her number. Something told me to ask if they had anyone there that treated transgender folks. She asked me to wait while she checked. She came back and said they have a new doctor there that said she didn't have a lot of experience with transgender people but if I would let her she would take care of me. At that moment I knew I had found a doctor that was what I was looking for. She was candid in her response. I agreed and they made me an appointment for Tuesday 27 March 18. This was Friday 23 March, only four days between the call and appointment. Dr. jerk gave me an appointment 3.5 months down the road. I'll write more about this A-hole later.

When I was in the exam room I heard a knock on the door; when she walked into the room I knew I had struck gold; it was like fireworks going off when she came in. She spent over an hour with me checking me over, talking and getting to know each other. She has 21 years experience as an endocrinologist, She had recently attended a seminar on Transgender Health Care. She said she is putting a team together so she can treat members of our community. At the moment, she is the only endocrinologist in this medical center.

If you ever get to meet her you can not help but like her; she is everything one could wish for in a doctor and so are the members of her staff.

I left that day with her having sent my prescription for Estradiol to my pharmacy. I can't describe how happy I was as I left her office and headed for my favorite "Drug Dealer;" who I have been with since 1996. Of course this outed me to them, which was fine and actually fun.

Now that I had the patches I made an appointment with the surgery center to have a consultation with the surgeon that would do my orchiectomy. When I made the appointment it was around the 28th of March, give or take a day. They made me an appointment for Monday 09 April 18. I had to get one additional letter from a counselor and some blood work and an EKG. Got that taken care of and had my pre-op Wednesday and Surgery yesterday Friday the 13th. Went back for my post op checkup today Saturday 14 April, and here I am. Someone has been looking out for me and I know who it is; the "Big Guy Upstairs."

I'm not some rich gal, just an old retiree on SS; nobody special. I am grateful to everyone that has helped me arrive at this point. I learned a lot from all of your posts and am still learning.  Yes Krobinson, I am lucky; I wish there was something I could do to help all of you accomplish your goals in such a short time. It troubles me deeply to see that many of you have to wait long periods of time just to see a doctor. To my way of thinking that is just flat wrong and unnecessary.

As soon as my Endocrinologist gives me the word I will make her name, address and phone number public.
 

Christine,

As a veteran I would suggest working with the VA to get your patches. Would be a lot less expensive. You should be able to coordinate a outside physician requesting and an VA physician ordering the meds. My dad did it for years.  They will also do breast forms etc. if you want them prior to the real thing showing up.

Thanks Dana,

That's a good idea to get the VA to provide some of the transition meds I will need as I travel down the "Highway." I didn't realize you could get trans meds from the VA. That could save me a lot of money.

I do get a few things from them, hearing aids, eyeglasses and some meds. The last time I was there for my annual physical, I asked the doctor for Testosterone patches. I did that so I could see his reaction, which was: " We won't give you those; they cause cancer." I knew I was onto something.

I've had a suspicion that the main cause of prostate cancer is Testosterone. I have searched the Internet and found enough evidence  to make me believe this is true. I provided this info to my primary and urologist. Both agree it is the main culprit; genes also play a roll. PC needs "T" to grow; an orchi is PM (preventative maintenance).

Thanks everyone, love you all.
Best always,
Christine
EDITED: 04 August 2018 - cj78

[Donna]

I've been for 8 counseling sessions and need two more before the paper work. It took two months to get the letter from the doctor asking for the paper work. I'm in no rush as I'm letting every thing sink in. I've got my meds and they are working great. On Thursday I get my eligard and then who knows what the girls will do with zero testosterone. My original idea was DD girls but never expected them already after only 3 months and a bit on Estrogen

[christinej78]

I've been for 8 counseling sessions and need two more before the paper work. It took two months to get the letter from the doctor asking for the paper work. I'm in no rush as I'm letting every thing sink in. I've got my meds and they are working great. On Thursday I get my eligard and then who knows what the girls will do with zero testosterone. My original idea was DD girls but never expected them already after only 3 months and a bit on it.

Donna,          15 Apr 2018

Congratulations, it looks like you are progressing along at a nice pace. I am sure that once the "T" is blocked the "Girls" will progress at a faster rate. You must have great genes to have double D's after only three months. If I have too many of my mother's genes I'll probably be lucky to make it to "Training" bra size. Oh well, that's why they have implants.

Take care of yourself and stay warm up yonder. It's cold here in Fort Worth so I imagine it is a tad more chilly at your place.

Best always; Love
Christine

[Donna]

Thanks Christine. It's acually nice here today. 54 degrees
As for the girls who knows what they will do without T. I've done a photo log of the growth since last may and it's crazy the changes. I do love them though

[christinej78]

For what it's worth, my procedure was an inguinal bilateral radical orchiectomy using general anesthesia (Propofol and Fentanyl only, no Benzos). The cost, $3,225.00 with a military discount. That was for everything, surgeon, anesthesiologist, operating room, and all the other things like Pre-op and 2 post ops. I had to pay up-front as my Ins. would not pay for it or my meds. With GoodRx.com the Estradiol should cost about $40.00 for a 4 week supply of 8 patches, Cutting out some of my junk food will take care of that and will be healthier.

I still feel the same as I did before the surgery, with a minor amount of discomfort and discoloration; Willy has the look of a barber pole and the scrotum is obviously missing something; in their place I am sure there is an accumulation of blood or other fluids. Not a whole lot, just enough to let me know something happened.

I would think that at some point my "T" will crater and I'll feel something as the Estradiol becomes dominant. I have no idea how long it takes to exhaust the remaining "T." I asked the doctor if I could go horseback riding when I returned home; he said wait two months. Today, I know he gave me good advice.

My surgeon is Dr. Peter Raphael MD in Plano, Texas, just north of Dallas.  They do a lot of TG care and I can vouch for the fact that they are as nice of a group of health care folks as I have ever had the pleasure of helping me get where I wanted to go. I get nothing for referrals, which I only give if they are great. They have the American Institute for Plastic Surgery, International Center for Transgender Care and Surgery Center of Texas; all are located in the same large building. It's all first class so if you are interested, google them, you'll get multiple hits as they have a lot going on. There are at least four surgeons on staff.

Best always,
Christine
EDITED: 04 August 2018 - cj78

[christinej78]

Thanks Christine. It's acually nice here today. 54 degrees
As for the girls who knows what they will do without T. I've done a photo log of the growth since last may and it's crazy the changes. I do love them though

Donna,            15 Apr 2018

Please keep me posted on your progress. I'm hoping I can make it past a "Training Bra."

Temp here is 63°F and windy (which it almost always is); not much different than your temp.

Best Always; Love,
Christine

[Donna]

My urologist told me the Twill bottom out with eligard in about 5 days and stay away for 4 months. He has 4 treatments so that should cover me long enough to get the boys gone. I got my WCB claim to cover it due to other issues that it is designed and fall within the guidelines of my workplace accident. This is a good thing as it's $1870.00 per injection.
BTW my wife and I really miss Texas, we where in Laredo sometime 2 or 3 times a month when we where still trucking.