Hello everyone. I already semi-introduced myself in another thread, but I'll do so again here, since the background I'll give is relevant to my question.
I've been coming here every once in a while when I've been feeling particularly lost/lonely for awhile now. Reading all your posts has been very helpful for me, so thank you.
So. First things first. I'm 23. 5'3". ~104 lbs. (yes... underweight). MtF. Have wanted to start HRT since Feb 2009. I went through the proper channels (Got a therapist, got a trans-friendly GP) in order to get started on HRT, but hit a snag a while back. In Dec 2008, my new GP wanted to refer me to an Endo, but before doing that, wanted to check me out to make sure HRT was even viable. I got a bunch of blood tests done for various things, and a bone scan to check the strength of my bones (since, depending on your HRT path, a lack of both T&E can lead to bone loss). I got the scan in Jan 2009 and it came back positive for osteoporosis. A second scan a few weeks later on a different machine confirmed it. This came as a shock to everyone since I've never broken anything... which is (in a way) a prerequisite to a diagnosis of osteoporosis (along with being 2 or 3 times my age). This put a big delay on me starting HRT as this was looked into. My endo is baffled and so is my GP, but they both agree that a proper HRT regime will only help the situation, since my overall T+E levels will be higher after HRT then before.
So, finally, I started HRT 3 weeks ago today. Before starting, I did plenty of research (some of which on this site. Thanks for providing it) on what to expect, but so far, the only thought that has crossed my mind is: "Is something wrong? Is this not working?".
The original plan was estradiol patches + spiro. However, a week before I saw my endo to talk about getting my first prescription, my endo went to some conference where he saw a presentation by some other doctor from Chicago. This other doctor described a new technique for treating TG patients that he used successfully on... some number of his patients (somewhere from 1-5 I think). This technique, apparently, is a single shot of Lupron (I won't say the dosage, or method) that is given once. Then, E is started at a specific time. Apparently, the result of this method is that the patient stops producing T all together, forever, so long as E is present. No AAs are required.
Honestly, when my endo told me this, I was skeptical, and just wanted to stick to the plan. I had never heard about this method, and the internet was of no help. I told him I'd rather not do it. My endo really wanted me to try it though, so we ended up with a compromise. I'd take this, and spiro, with E. A blood test after a couple months should confirm if it worked or not, and if it didn't, the spiro would take care of me. However, when I went to pick up my prescription (finally), the pharmacist basically told me that sprio is discontinued... (he actually said that it was unavailable and would never again be available and also isn't available at any other pharmacy) which I didn't believe for a second. Either way, he didn't give me any so I took the Lupron and E patches and left. I told my GP and endo about this and they were both baffled... I asked my endo to prescribe me cyproterone instead, but he said why don't we wait till my next appointment (now near the end of Feb 2011) to look at the results of my first blood test since starting to see if the new method worked or not.
So now I'm waiting... I'm still taking my E patches and have been this whole time. Assuming the method worked, I should have practically no T as of 3 weeks ago. However, since I started all of this, I've felt no changes at all. Physical, or emotional. I'm really wondering if any of this is working... I've got no changes in my hair, skin, fat, muscle. I haven't been crying or teary more then usual (i.e. at all), angry or sad. Everything seems unchanged. Issues relating to my "junk", as far as I can tell, remain normal as well. I know that mileage may vary, but I was expecting that I'd get some sort of painful sensitivity in my chest pretty early on. After a few days of E and no signs of that I figured I was just assuming too much of E, so I figured by 2 weeks in, I'd definitely have something. Now that 3 weeks are gone though, I'm really losing faith that this is working. I feel like I'm just throwing away the patches while all the precious E is still on them.
Anyways, I've been reading all these posts lately from other girls saying that their progress is/was much better then what I'm getting. I feel really happy for you all, but I'm wondering if anyone out there has had results like mine (i.e. none) after this length of time. I'm also wondering if anyone has heard of this Lupron method or if anyone thinks that my low weight or bone condition has anything to do with my results. I've always had a low appetite. I'm not forcing myself to not eat if thats what you're thinking. I'm also not ultra thin, since I have compression fractures (unconfirmed, but I'm beyond 100% sure I have them) in my vertebrae and have lost (at least) 1 inch of height (I distinctly remember being 5'4") in my abdominal area, which has caused my abdominal area to balloon out kind of like if you squish a tennis ball with your hands. However, this has a strange psychological effect on me since I know I'm underweight, but I appear to have a belly and muffin top...
Any comments/input is appreciated.
Thanks everyone. (Hope this isn't too long of a post
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