I attended the Saturday event. There were several "vendors" from the DAV and the Black Hills VA Mental Health Department covering everything from filing disability claims to substance abuse, homelessness, and other new VA programs.

Attendance was rather lackluster, but that was attributed to people having difficulty getting through the gates. The event was held at Camp Rapid, the local National Guard base. The NG does not provide its own security. That is handled by a contractor. To begin with, people were being turned away if they did not have a military ID. By the time I arrived, things had been worked out and I was able to get in just showing my VA ID.

The vendors packed up and left at about 3:30 and the LGBTQ+ Listening Session began at 4:00. Tom Johnson, Public Affairs Director for the Black Hills VA Healthcare System gave us some insight into how the Black Hills system works a little bit differently than other VAs around the country.

Every VA has staff and providers who truly care about their veterans. The problems they all face are budgeting and policies dictated to them by Washington, DC., such as Gender Affirming Surgeries that are prohibited by regulation.

Since electrolysis is an ongoing issue that I am dealing with, my question was what can be done when a service is declared by everyone under the Sun as medically necessary, yet not a single VA clinic in the country provides that service. He said he would need to investigate that further, but promised to get me a response. I suggested several methods that the VA could use to offer electrolysis, but they do not fit into the way the VA currently operates. And we don't want to wait 8 years while they postpone services until such a system is in place.

A woman asked about secondary disabilities. She is disabled due to service-connected PTSD. That PTSD causes stress, which in turn is causing alopecia (hair loss). She asked if that too would be considered a service-connected issue and if she could then get hair transplantation as treatment. Mr. Johnson noted that the VA does cover hairpiece prosthetics for medically necessary therapies and transgender veterans are included. I suggested the VA do a cost comparison to see how much money they spend on wigs x the number of veterans receiving them over their lifetime, versus a single hair transplant, with possible follow-up treatments. It may save money by doing the transplants. He said he did not know the answer about whether a secondary disability would also be considered "service-connected" and that he would talk to the experts who make those decisions and get back to her with an answer.

Most of the other questions were very general about how to handle VA employees or contractors who are rude or abusive. Answer: Report them immediately to the Clinic Manager.

He stated that the VA is there to serve us who served. Technically, they work for us. If you have a problem with any of your providers, you can fire them. Talk to the Clinic/Hospital Manager and ask to be assigned to a different PACT Team. The reason our healthcare is broken down into teams is each team has a variety of specialties and they work together to provide the best care. PACT stands for "Patient Aligned Care Team" and they work for the patient.

Our one-hour session ran to two hours, but all agreed it was very beneficial and there are plans to do it again. It never hurts to get more feedback.

If such a session is happening near you, plan to attend.

"Decisions are made by those who show up."

@Sweet luck
Dear Sweet luck:
Thank you for following the Link that our lovely Official Greeter Sarah B provided for you to come to here to the Introductions Forum to let other members be aware of your arrival as a member of Susan's Place and the Forum.

Please be certain to read and look over the information that was included in the Welcome Message that
was a reply to your very first posting on the Forum on April 06, 2024,
        https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247807.msg2267425.html#msg2267425

Since you won't be able to send Forum Private Messages until you achieve 15 postings... if you have
any questions please feel free to contact me via my Email at  alaskandanielle@yahoo.com

I am so very glad that you have posted again and I will be looking forward to seeing and
reading you future postings, thoughts and comments around the various topics and threads around
the Forum.

Warmest Regards and again, WELCOME TO Susan's Place and the Forum.
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]
The Forum Administrator           
                        cc: @Sarah B  @LoriDee

Quote from: Sweet luck on Today at 01:16:38 PMHi, everyone! I'm glad to introduce myself here) My nickname is Sweet Luck, I'm transgender woman on the beginning stage. I'm from Azerbaijan a small post-soviet country in Caucasis region. I have been taking HRT for more than 2 months already and I'm so excited seeing my body and face changes little by little)) My height is 177sm and weight is 58kg, so I'm going to gain some pounds on HRT to get more feminine body. I'm doing yoga almost everyday, that helps me to be fit and getting relaxed 😌. I'm also found of cycling, hiking, rock climbing and all kinds of active tourism. For me the first priority of being here is to find close transgender friends from other countries and find some useful information regarding transition. Thanks everyone, I will be glad, if someone feedback me))

Quote from: Sarah B on April 06, 2024, 08:09:06 AMHello Sweet Luck

My name is Sarah B   and I would like to formally, Welcome you to Susan's Place!

You mentioned in your first post;

• You can expect your boobs to be smaller than your closest female relatives by up to a cup size.
• You may notice signs of breast enlargement around the third month if you're using both hormone blockers and hormones.
• Breasts take 3 to 5 years from  tanner stage 1 to tanner stage 5.

When I first started HRT I knew it would take time for my breasts to develop and I heard at the time it would take about 5 years.  I was patient, so in the end I did not worry about them growing.

We strive to make this a safe place to find information and to share your thoughts and comments regarding your journey. Just about everyone here has been confused about their gender at some point in their lives. Some discover they are transgender and others realize they are non-binary, while others may feel they fit best somewhere else along the gender spectrum. No matter where that may be, you are always welcome at Susan's Place.

Once you feel comfortable here, it would be appreciated if you add a little bit more about yourself in the Introductions Forum.  I'm always learning something new.

In addition members of Susan's will more than likely will discuss problems or issues that are similar to yours as most of us have experienced these as well.  You can read about my story (still in progress)  in a link listed below my signature.

Please review the links at the end of this message, they include information which will help you navigate the site and use the available features. When you reach 15 posts, you will be able to send and reply to private messages and you will also be able to add an avatar to your profile, until then if you have any questions about the Susan's Place site and the Forums, please feel free to contact, the Forum Admin Danielle Northern Star Girl alaskandanielle@yahoo.com

Once again, Welcome to Susan's Place!
Sarah B
Offical Greeter
@Sweet luck
@LoriDee
@Northern Star Girl

---

Things that you should read

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Hello, dear Sarah! Sorry for posting so late, since April I suffered from a strong gender disforia. So even I wanted to give up my HRT, I was disappointed with no effects. But now everything is all right! I feel my body is getting more and more feminine, I feel my new brests growing and I'm so happy 😊. By the way I've posted my newcomer's introduction.

I'm very glad to see that Susan's is back online. I would have been a shame to lose such a popular site.

MaryEllen

Hi, everyone! I'm glad to introduce myself here) My nickname is Sweet Luck, I'm transgender woman on the beginning stage. I'm from Azerbaijan a small post-soviet country in Caucasis region. I have been taking HRT for more than 2 months already and I'm so excited seeing my body and face changes little by little)) My height is 177sm and weight is 58kg, so I'm going to gain some pounds on HRT to get more feminine body. I'm doing yoga almost everyday, that helps me to be fit and getting relaxed 😌. I'm also found of cycling, hiking, rock climbing and all kinds of active tourism. For me the first priority of being here is to find close transgender friends from other countries and find some useful information regarding transition. Thanks everyone, I will be glad, if someone feedback me))

Quote from: Iztaccihuatl on Today at 12:50:45 PMHi Jenn,

Just checking in to see how you did in your bicycle race? If I had to guess, I'd say you were sore from it all day yesterday and maybe you are still feeling it today. I hope it was a great Type 2 Fun activity and you are ready for more.

Watching out for that race report.

Hugs,

Heidemarie

Hey!

I had hoped to post before... but I think the site was down.

I had a great day! The camaraderie among riders was stellar. I wound up texting new besties all day yesterday. Yes. Yes I finished. I had a good first 45 miles, then fought muscle cramps and hills for 40. My daughter met me at the finish and I crossed in under 8 hours. 84.4 miles. 6300 feet of climbing, I got it done.

I am meeting friends tonight. will post a longer trip report tonight or tomorrow night.

thanks for asking.

Jenn

It's hard to say whether or not you have Klinefelter syndrome without a karyotype test to verify. There are plenty of cases of people with Klinefelter syndrome who don't exhibit most of the symptoms, and plenty of people with numerous of the typical symptoms who do not have the extra chromosome (XXY). If you really want to settle any doubts, ask your doctor to perform a karyotype test. Chances are that it won't be covered by insurance since it is not medically necessary, so be ready to shell out some money.

As was already stated, chromosomes and the abnormalities that can accompany them don't dictate who we are. I am not a woman because I have am X chromosome any more than I am a man because I have a Y chromosome.

But I will say this: there does seem to be a connection between gender identity not matching phenotypic sex and having unusual sexual development. I was recently interviewed by a journalist from Outsports, who also happens to be trans. As were conducting the interview, she was asking about the "permanent effects of male puberty" and all of the arguments in the sports world about that idea. I mentioned that as a kid I didn't have much endogenous testosterone, and that I was put on exogenous testosterone to try to "normalize" me at what should have been the onset of puberty. She was silent for a moment before telling me that she had also had an unusual puberty and didn't develop much for masculine features, and had heard similar stories from several other interviewees during her career covering trans related sports issues.

So, at least at an anecdotal level, it does seem like there could be a connection between gender identity and unusual sexual development.

No data was lost...
A fresh backup is being done now.

A hard drive had been removed and we had one that's been on the verge of failing for a while .
Susan needs to get the money to replace it soon.

We don't lose any data unless we lose more than 3

Danielle [Northern Star Girl]
The Forum Administrator       

cc: @Iztaccihuatl [Heidemarie]

Quote from: Iztaccihuatl on Today at 12:47:27 PMThat is good news!

Any word on what happened and what improvements can be made?

Thanks,

Heidemarie

I love it!
Awesome choice.