Transition order-- preference?

[mikke]

I'm very much at the beginning of my transition. I bind, dress as a guy, act like a guy. I pass about a quarter of the time though.
I have an appointment for intake at a LGBT counseling centre so I'm hoping I can get a letter to being hormone treatment.

SO what I want to know is: what order do you do things?

When do you come out? Before or after beginning T?
When did you change your name?
Is it recommended to have a hysto before chest surgery or beginning T? (or if not...have you?)

[Mario]

Mikke,
   Here goes. The best thing is to change your name as soon as you can. It will just make things easier as you go along. Come out to maybe family and friends you plan to keep in touch with after your transition now. Once you start seeing a theripist, it will depend on how fast you can convince them you are ready for T, then you will need the letter from them so you can bring it to an endo and get  your prescription. As soon as you can learn to self inject because you will save a whole bunch of money with not having to go back every 2 weeks to get a injection in the Dr.'s office.

The next letter you will need from your theripist will be for top surgery. I have been told you have to wait 1 year before sheduling a hysto, and also bottom surgery. But it may be diferent where you are. Yuor theripist will be able to answer that I would think.

                                              Marco

[mikke]

Ok, I might come out after I start seeing my trans counselor. I might need a little help on that line.

So you suggest after coming out I change my name? Or maybe have the paperwork going through while I come out?

[tinkerbell]

Hi Mikke,

Please check the following link: TS ROAD MAP.   

tinkerbell

[mikke]

Jeez you have so many resources! Thanks!!!

[Nero]

Is it recommended to have a hysto before chest surgery or beginning T? (or if not...have you?)

Hey bro,
I would never recommend a hysto, at any point, unless of course it is medically necessary (and by medically necessary I mean that you have one of several female maladies in there).
But of course that is my opinion and not a popular one among FtMs.

[LostInTime]

M2F here. 

I started seeing a therapist.  At that point my mom and dad knew I was T something and I was still in denial as being TS.

I started hormones and did not tell anyone except for the few close friends I had made within the community.  For me it was a trial to see if I really wanted to make the change or not.  Three weeks later (when additional breast development started) I decided to move forward with transition.  I did not tell anyone and continued going to see a therapist and also being part of a support group in the real and on line.

Once I knew when I was going to go FT I outed myself to those I felt had to know.  My family, my friends, and my employer (who had been begging me to come back to work for them).

It takes 10 days in my state to change your name and I timed it so I went FT and the name change hit on the same day.  That night a friend and I went out and got drunk to celebrate my new birthday. 

[Scott]

Mikke,

Just wanting to put my two cents in. This is just my opinion, everyone else may have a different idea. The way I did it was to start with T, then once my changes started, I changed my name. I didn't want people associating my old self with my new name. Besides it was just more comfortable for me to be called my male name with my newer male face.

Some FtMs don't have the hysto but I definitely wanted it, besides not wanting anything about myself being female, the risk of cancer increases significantly after 5 yrs. on T (battling hormones). Plus if there is any reason you have to stop your shots, everything will start back up again.

It took me about 5 yrs. to save enough money, but I'm so glad I had it done. Hang in there. I don't know what your beliefs are but I just put everything in God's hands and He has helped me all along the way.

Take care brother,
Scott

[Dennis]

I think everyone is different and there's no required order.

Mine was to start T, do the paperwork to change my name, have chest surgery, and then change presentation to male and use my name change paperwork to change all my ID. I was on a low dose of T to start, so things didn't really start happening for 6 or 7 months on the T, which was about the time I had the chest surgery.

Dennis

[nonie]

I'm still in the very beginning of transition.  I've been dressing and binding for a month or so and am planning to set up therapy tonight after my TS support groupd (which I've only gone to once before).  I haven't done anything else yet, but the next thing I plan is the name change.  And I came out before I started dressing.  I want to start T in around 9 months I think - so the visible changes will probably start happening in about a year.