Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Quote from: Joan on December 28, 2013, 04:59:08 PM
Tarah! You started HRT! I'm so glad for you :)

How does it feel? Or is it too soon yet?  :D

I'm 2 weeks behind you if all goes to plan.

The first day on Spiro was full of sleepiness. That's the only real difference I've noticed so far! I haven't had hormonal dysphoria since... but it's only been 2 days!!

I notice a few hours after spiro, my head feels fluffy. It's hard to describe. It's not a bad feeling... kind of good, but also kind of fuzzed up, slow to process maybe ~ or just feeling that way.

The premarin hasn't touched me in any way that I'm aware of. My endo described it as "low dose for transgender" but not a "low dose" for HRT (like for menopause). Still... I really do want to get on estradiol vice premarin, I think...

Quote from: KabitTarah on December 28, 2013, 07:08:03 PM
The premarin hasn't touched me in any way that I'm aware of. My endo described it as "low dose for transgender" but not a "low dose" for HRT (like for menopause). Still... I really do want to get on estradiol vice premarin, I think...

Kabit, out of curiosity, did your endo provide a reason for pxing premarin?? It seems a very odd (and anachronistic) choice. I'm curious as to the reasons.

Quote from: GeWnYnNyNwEg on December 28, 2013, 07:14:43 PM
Kabit, out of curiosity, did your endo provide a reason for pxing premarin?? It seems a very odd (and anachronistic) choice. I'm curious as to the reasons.

I was surprised... we'd talked about estradiol, not premarin. I'd mentioned wanting "natural" when I should have said "bioidentical," so that may be why. She also mentioned low dosage, but I don't know how that would matter.

I'll find out at my follow-up.

Quote from: KabitTarah on December 28, 2013, 07:24:50 PM
I was surprised... we'd talked about estradiol, not premarin. I'd mentioned wanting "natural" when I should have said "bioidentical," so that may be why. She also mentioned low dosage, but I don't know how that would matter.

I'll find out at my follow-up.

I felt the E effects at 3 or 4 days with sore breasts, and then about a week to 10 days with skin starting to change to softer. At about 3-4 weeks started to feel mental effects. Prepare for the emotional roller-coaster. Calmness, depth of emotion, and a lot of tears. Libido and aggression fell off at about 1-2 months.

I see why insurance appears to be covering this... If it were a "sex transformation" it would happen more quickly ;)

Day 3 has begun. I do have buds under one breast... but it's been there for >10 years.

Otherwise not much.

Quote from: KabitTarah on December 28, 2013, 07:08:03 PM
The first day on Spiro was full of sleepiness. That's the only real difference I've noticed so far! I haven't had hormonal dysphoria since... but it's only been 2 days!!

I notice a few hours after spiro, my head feels fluffy. It's hard to describe. It's not a bad feeling... kind of good, but also kind of fuzzed up, slow to process maybe ~ or just feeling that way.

Spiro is used to control blood pressure so you may be experiencing the effects of that Tarah; Drowsiness is listed as one of the known side effects of spiro. It made me sleepy too for about a week. Just give your body some time to adjust and I think you'll feel just fine.

My BP is a touch higher on just Spiro than on just Lisinopril...
I think a lot comes from rapid dehydration... and yes, I understand the adjustment needed :D (plus lots of water and cutting down on coffee)

I also had a massive case of giggles in the shower after writing my previous post in this thread... E?
See the "what made you laugh" thread.

Quote from: KabitTarah on December 28, 2013, 07:08:03 PM
The first day on Spiro was full of sleepiness. That's the only real difference I've noticed so far! I haven't had hormonal dysphoria since... but it's only been 2 days!!

I notice a few hours after spiro, my head feels fluffy. It's hard to describe. It's not a bad feeling... kind of good, but also kind of fuzzed up, slow to process maybe ~ or just feeling that way.

The premarin hasn't touched me in any way that I'm aware of. My endo described it as "low dose for transgender" but not a "low dose" for HRT (like for menopause). Still... I really do want to get on estradiol vice premarin, I think...

I'll take being a bit 'fuzzed up' over what I have now.

And I think they're planning estradiol for me too. As I understand things it is more effective than Premarin.

I'm big framed and big bones and quite muscular, so I'm not expecting too much, but let's see how things change for us over the coming months.

That fuzzy feeling is totally gone now...

but the giggles continue like mad!! :D I love them ♥ ♥

My therapist says that the time following the beginning of HRT is often referred to as Gender Euphoria, and to feel free to ride the wave as long as you can :)

How long has it been for you now? I'm on day 10.
I haven't noticed anything yet. Low dose estradiol/spiro. On day 2 I felt kind of good all around, and kind of a warm feeling in my chest, but that's not an unusual feeling when I feel good about something.
My skin might feel softer, but that just might be in my head since I'm expecting it to happen.
I feel like maybe my aereola are a tiny little bit larger in diameter, but that also might just be in my head, since I didn't measure them pre HRT, lol.

I did notice that I've lost weight despite eating a lot since the holidays, so maybe I'm losing some muscle mass.

I'm on low dose HRT and the biggest thing I noticed early on was the big reduction in unwanted erections. It was around the 1 week mark when I really began to notice it even though my therapist said that it was quite possibly the euphoria of finally starting HRT and being in quite possibly the greatest and best mood I've ever been in but before hand I couldn't stop one from happening no matter how hard I tried and now nothing. I couldn't be happier!

Near two weeks my nipples started getting tender.

At three weeks in I feel so much calmer and overall in a good mood which I now understand that I was actually depressed for a very very long time but I never knew what it was like to not be depressed so I always thought that's what feeling "normal" was. My skin feels softer and my sense of smell is different. I can't explain it all that well but things smell differently to me now. This could be an effect from not being depressed as much anymore but colors are much more vivid. Emotionally I haven't changed all that much although it IS easier to cry when I need to.

I have breast buds XD they kinda hurt

anyway Im almost 20 days e and 50 days aa
skin is softer not oily and acne issues gone , I smell a lot better ,and I feel a lot weaker and getting tired more easily...
I dont have insomnia anymore and I feel super calm :) and libido is still very low...

Hhhm about the thing that your sense of smell improves...I m pretty sure I have this too...kinda...when I smell something bad I immediately feel like throwing up...

I feel generally more emotional and more happy...

Coming from the other side, for me, I finally actually want to live. I didn't used to. That was the biggest change and the first.

I got a new one this morning... super sniffing!

A beer I once was making, years ago, exploded in my shower and bathroom. This is one I used to use as a brewery, but having since moved out of my wife's room and into the basement office and bathroom mini "apartment," I've cleaned it up.

This morning, showering, I could have sworn I was smelling pot, over and over - especially near the wall of the shower or using one razor (that sits on the shower ledge). I've smelled it once or twice in the past... though I've never used it ~ I've heard that smell memories are perfect and this is the first time I've noticed. Well... there's never been pot in my basement (not that I'm aware of), but old old hops smell like it (the plants are cousins, though hops have none of the drug in it). I finally figured it out and realized my sniffer had come in.

I'm feeling more socially aware and empathetic.  ;D

I am finding that I am noticing so much more in the world around me. Amazing.

The other thing besides being happy is that my boobies are getting hard for me not to notice now.
Really surprised by how fast they have grown and from what I can see they are not stopping anytime soon.
They are well on the way to tanner 3 already. ;D

There are too many other things to mention all of which are fantastic.

J

Quote from: KabitTarah on January 02, 2014, 08:20:23 AM
I got a new one this morning... super sniffing!

A beer I once was making, years ago, exploded in my shower and bathroom. This is one I used to use as a brewery, but having since moved out of my wife's room and into the basement office and bathroom mini "apartment," I've cleaned it up.

This morning, showering, I could have sworn I was smelling pot, over and over - especially near the wall of the shower or using one razor (that sits on the shower ledge). I've smelled it once or twice in the past... though I've never used it ~ I've heard that smell memories are perfect and this is the first time I've noticed. Well... there's never been pot in my basement (not that I'm aware of), but old old hops smell like it (the plants are cousins, though hops have none of the drug in it). I finally figured it out and realized my sniffer had come in.

Interesting.  I have recently begun to notice a faint cigarette smell in my car.   Last time I smoked one in there was coming back from Vegas- in 2005.   I'm also getting better at my least favorite game that I call "find the smell".  And my cooking just got better, as it seems my taste buds are much sharper now.

I had a runny nose from month 2 through 6. I never had that issue before. I smell better and get a tickle in my nose and then it runs. It is finally calming down in month 7.

I am sober 15 years and straight edge 5 years. I use to drink a lot and every day. About mid day my head started hurting and by evening my head hurt bad. I would drink in the evening and after about 2 pints my headache went away but had a residual fuzzy numbish feeling.  After the 3rd day on hrt to about 2 weeks after starting HRT I realized I had lost the fuzzy numbish feeling but this time my brain was connecting and I realized I had been in a T haze. I have a feeling of well being and calm.

On estradiol and androcur since Feb 2013. Initial feeling was one of extreme calm - finally something was happening to "correct" me
A short while later, libido pretty much disappeared. My skin improved, my face started to round out, people would come up to me at work (I have not transitioned yet) and tell me how good I look. Cool. Shaving much less often now and slowly my breasts have started to become more noticeable. I should note that I have discontinued androcur after maybe 5 months or so (just estrogen now) as androcur gave me some pretty noticeable depressive thoughts. Waiting for my endocronologist to review the latest blood results and maybe come up with another aa. cheers. Monica

the major things i noticed were softer skin, increased appetite with weird food cravings, itchy eyes, hot flashes, lil bit of nu-growth in hair, lots of napping, and wanting to be outside more, but that could just be me, im on spiro, estrodial, prometrium, and prego and b6 supplements since november 2013

...and then there's the constant need to pee.  :-\

Quote from: Gwynne on January 08, 2014, 07:28:01 AM
...and then there's the constant need to pee.  :-\

That's the only thing I've noticed and that was like within a couple hours of taking first spiro.... Of course I just started yesterday so not really expecting much, but the doctor did say inject able estradiol has faster results so we'll see how fast  :angel:

The first impact I had was euphoria.  I don't know if that was a placebo effect, but I definitely had that sensation throughout the day.

I have been HRT for 3 months, but I recently just increased my Estrogen dosage (to expedite the breasts development as I'm getting SRS soon) and today I feel so happy! Its so strange... I've been feeling slightly depressed for the last 3 months... but the increase in dosage has definitely given me a better mood... to think I was going to lower my dosage because I thought that the anti-androgenic effects was causing the depression.

I just started two days ago. First thing I noticed was the next morning. My moobs seemed a little more "jiggly" and soft. My nipples seemed softer too. I was telling a GG friend about it, and she said "yeah, its like that sometimes. Go home, take your shirt off, and have some fun"  ;D I also later that day noticed some wonky emotional issues. I have a customer service based job. Normally when customers give me ->-bleeped-<- I bury it, fake a smile, then afterwards I go off my myself and talk about setting them on fire until I feel better. That day I got really outwardly irritated, while inwardly I wanted to run and cry all blubbery like. ie "w..w..w..why a..a..are p..p..people m..m..mad at m..m..me?"

The only other change I noticed was today. I've been clearing my facial hair with a Tria. It normally hurts like being hit in the face with an electrified cast iron skillet. Today it hurt like being hit in the face with a truck going 100mph. So, increased sensitivity to pain...

But, thankfully at day two my moobs are still soft and jiggly. That eases the pain  ;D

Quote from: missadventure on January 12, 2014, 09:18:48 PM


The only other change I noticed was today. I've been clearing my facial hair with a Tria. It normally hurts like being hit in the face with an electrified cast iron skillet. Today it hurt like being hit in the face with a truck going 100mph. So, increased sensitivity to pain...

But, thankfully at day two my moobs are still soft and jiggly. That eases the pain  ;D

Hi missadventure

By coincidence I started HT two days ago too, and tonight I have an appointment with the Tria face hurt. Now I'm really not looking forward to it even more than I wasn't looking forward to it :D

I've not really noticed much other than slightly enlarged nipples and an overall sense of calm. That calm might just be that I've finally reached the goal of starting HRT after a fee false starts.  I'm looking forward to more obvious changes over the coming months and years.

Three and a half weeks in on low dose, aereola just changed a bit today, the outer part became elevated. Sensitivity and tenderness began at about 2 weeks. I think my skin is softer and nicer now too, but I am not sure. No emotional changes yet.

I have been on low dose HRT for a number of years - I got a good, calm feeling and the dysphoria went away but that's about it.

Ever since I started my transition I've been on a much higher dose of HRT which I started taking on Oct 8th. About 3 weeks ago a switch suddenly flipped in my brain and I have been one happy camper ever since - the change is dramatic. I want to live now and fully experience what life has to offer, and the "bah humbug" thoughts are all but gone. Life is good now  :)

Mind you, this was back a few years, but my main memory of the first few months was that I quit worrying about what HRT was going to do to me.  I can relate to the smell issue for sure, and the calmness with life in general.  I was also able to give my emotions a wider range of names, and intensities, and know what I was talking about, also colors took on more numerous definable shades.  I had my first grumpy cycle at two weeks, and that is going still going on every 14 days 4 and a half years later.  GRRRRR!!  Snark, snark!!   

I'm 75 days on HRT. So far I've noticed that my skin is softer and clearer, mood swings, testicles are shrinking, huge decrease in libido, breast tenderness/buds/growth, eyes seem to be wider, a constant need to pee, and my alcohol tolerance has went down.

About two months HRT:
- peeing more (from spiro)
- euphoria on first few days (placebo effect, but it felt real at the time even though I knew what it was)
- eyes perhaps a little larger
- softer skin
- minor breast pain which is probably due to minor growth, but nothing really noticeable as far as size change
- less grumpy / snappy; more calm

Various Diameter Measurements (just started, somewhat rough):
Weight: 75.7kg
Neck: 38cm
Shoulders: 111cm
Left Upper Arm: 31cm
Right Upper Arm: 31cm
Bust: 94cm
Chest: 88cm
Waist: 94cm
Hips: 97cm
Left Upper Leg: 58cm
Left Lower Leg: 36cm
Right Upper Leg: 58cm
Right Lower Leg: 37cm
Left Foot Length: 26cm
Left Foot Width: 11cm
Right Foot Length: 26cm
Right Foot Width: 11cm

Current Various Diameter Measurements:
Weight: 70.9kg
Neck: 38cm (no change)
Shoulders: 105cm (-6cm) *may be due all or in part to posture improvement
Left Upper Arm: 28cm (-3cm)
Right Upper Arm: 29cm (-2cm)
Bust: 93cm (-1cm)
Chest: 89cm (+1cm)
Waist: 88cm (-6cm)
Hips: 97cm (no change)
Left Upper Leg: 57cm (-1cm)
Left Lower Leg: 36cm (no change)
Right Upper Leg: 57cm (-1cm)
Right Lower Leg: 37cm (no change)
Left Foot Length: 26cm (no change)
Left Foot Width: 10cm (-1cm)
Right Foot Length: 26cm (no change)
Right Foot Width: 10cm (-1cm)

I have been on Spiro for a week (I was also prescribed Estrodil but could not afford to fill both). I have noticed that I am tired and that I have been craving vegetables. The vegetable thing is odd, I would eat vegetables about half the time if they were put in front of me. Now I find myself actively looking for them. I've even had a salad for lunch three days in a row.  ???

Hi there my name is anita and I have been on estogen for 2 months so far .I started out with having gynomastia before taking the estrogen .and my breasts are now getting quite sore at times and I can feel that there is some real structure building inside .plus they are getting a lot firmer then they where.My skin seems a bit smoother and I believe that the greyness in my hair is darkening .The most suprising thing I have noticed is my Beard is definately growing a lot slower I used to shave every day sometimes twice a day but recently it almost seems pointless shaving as there is only a very slight growth .I have noticed a lack of arousal as well which is making my erectile disfunction worse

Yours truly

Anita B    xxxx