Reading form the all the wonderful posts here, as I am in my early days on HRT! YA!!!
Wanted to get a feel for what ever stories that anyone would share.
My days has been filled with an new look on life. I feel more like myself the lady :angel: and calm. Everyday I look forward to seeing what change will come!
Congratulations, enjoy the ride!
I think the best analogy is one door opening while another closes. The room you are leaving does not fit anymore and the new room is a beautiful penthouse with an amazing view.
I'm early HRT as well, I'm loving every moment.
I look forward to every morning, that's when I take my hormones and I know every pill gets me a bit closer.
I love chatting with the girls at work and getting advice, they are so nice.
Looking in the mirror every morning gets easier and easier.
My skin is so smooth, oohhhhhh.
No more stinky guy odours, much better now!
I really enjoy shopping, but a little scared that nothing will fit me in a year
I smiled when one of the guys at work asked me if I would get offended if he complemented me on my looks
I've learned to always let the guys open the doors and press the elevator buttons
And it just gets better!
It depends on what you consider early days... I'm at month 14 now which I guess is still early compared to being in it for ten or more years! :)
For me though, the first six months were about getting the right dose and the right combination and so forth. So what I started on is not what I am currently on - and as great as those first few months were they're nothing compared to now. Hopefully things continue to improve for you too!
Not yet 6 months so yes I'm still early but even after a bad day for whatever reason, just looking at that box of pills would bring a smile to my face.
Don't know if it was the way my brain is wired or the hormones themselves but it was like BOOM yes happy
Unfortunately I suspect there will be no HRT for me this calendar year. I'm looking forward to it though. I really hope it calms my mind in the way I've heard others talk about it.
Emotionally, I found it part thrilling and part scary. Thrilling to be finally taking the steps, and scary because I was not sure what to expect and how I would feel. I think I was aware that I was "killing off" an aspect of me that I would not see again, and I had mixed feelings about that. I also was giving up having children (but I also had very low count to begin with so it was less an issue), and I was not sure I would ever date again (I still don't know, but I now suspect I will). I actually looked at myself in the mirror as I took the first pills, almost asking "are you sure you want to do this?" I think I was approaching it with eyes wide open and trying to make sure I would have no regrets. This conflict faded within a week or so. I'm not sure exactly when it vanished entirely.
Physically, I felt some relief. I reacted fairly quickly, and I was not on a high dose of E either. What I noticed earliest was skin changes and I lost what libido I had. I had very low testosterone, so I fell to null very fast with not much spiro. That sort of set a lot in motion in itself emotionally and physically. It was liberating in some ways. I did start to feel breast "pangs" within about two weeks, and noticed tissue growth within the first month.
I expect you will have "moments" of discovery of the effects. Much of what happens is so gradual that you don't realise it's happening until you see a cumulative effect -- like no erections or face and muscle changes. They are "oh, wow! It's really happening."
I should add that there were two times over 3 and a half years that I was off hormones, and those were for FFS and now pre SRS. I really noticed then and notice now the loss of the E, and Sabine was/is not a happy woman.
Oh that's the other thing. I'm not feeling emotions right now. I know I'm sad and frustrated because of my sisters, but I can't feel it. I'm hoping after HRT there will be no more emotional brick walls. Its better to let it out than hold it in.
Quote from: awilliams1701 on August 08, 2014, 10:15:06 PM
Oh that's the other thing. I'm not feeling emotions right now. I know I'm sad and frustrated because of my sisters, but I can't feel it. I'm hoping after HRT there will be no more emotional brick walls. Its better to let it out than hold it in.
Totally understand There was times and events in my life that I wanted to cry or share my feelings only to come off cold on the outside, because inside I was crying in the moment or feeling the event in another way! I hope that you will get what you lost back!
I felt like Dorothy when she stepped out of the monochrome Kansas farm house into the brightly colored Oz. I knew almost immediately this was how I was meant to live and feel all my life. Every day now is filed with new discoveries and emotions. It feels good to be alive after being imprisoned in my own body all these years. I feel ALIVE now! :)
My first 6 months was super frustrating and blissful all at the same time. I had a lot of crap happen to me that year so I have mixed feelings about that time period. On one hand I'm super happy I started when I did cause I caught myself at just the right time to start hrt. I have a pretty fem physique and face, if I had waited any longer to start, I probably would of needed ffs.
Some of the physical changes came on pretty fast but stuff like breast growth took a while to take off.
Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 08, 2014, 11:34:37 PM
I felt like Dorothy when she stepped out of the monochrome Kansas farm house into the brightly colored Oz. I knew almost immediately this was how I was meant to live and feel all my life. Every day now is filed with new discoveries and emotions. It feels good to be alive after being imprisoned in my own body all these years. I feel ALIVE now! :)
I had a similar response. I liken it to a dark cloud clearing from all around me, and the sun coming out. I like the thought of being Dorothy though... its all in the shoes!
The worst thing was how much I didn't realise I had such a dark cloud around me to begin with.
Quote from: LadyStaci on August 08, 2014, 08:52:21 PM
Reading form the all the wonderful posts here, as I am in my early days on HRT! YA!!!
Wanted to get a feel for what ever stories that anyone would share.
My days has been filled with an new look on life. I feel more like myself the lady :angel: and calm. Everyday I look forward to seeing what change will come!
The doc said I wouldn't feel anything except breast tenderness.
He was wrong, in addition to noticing smells, after one day on low dose E I had my first female O.
Of course nothing compared to the long term emotional changes. I love the person I am on E.
Having been on HRT for less than a week :P
I have to say that I have noticed almost nothing...
but that almost nothing has left me feeling the happiest
that I can remember feeling in a long time :D
whether it's the E, or just the lack of T I feel fantastic!!!!!
After a few days, when my t blockers started being effective i felt like a nail had been pulled out of my foot.
Felt Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh 8)
I've been on HRT for about a month. Since starting I've felt a lot calmer and I'm able to focus on other things apart from transitioning. I'm not sure if my skin is softer or drier, could be a combination of both. I've had the breast pangs too and my nipples definitely more prominent. I also get a strange tingly sensation all over sometimes, kind of like a mild euphoria. It's like something is happening to me and I just love it. The ride so far has been great, just hope it gets better ;)
Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 08, 2014, 11:34:37 PM
I felt like Dorothy when she stepped out of the monochrome Kansas farm house into the brightly colored Oz.
That's a perfect way to describe it. Life pre-HRT really is black and white compared to after. For me, the changes (mental) happened within a couple of days. There was about 24 hours of turmoil right after that first dose of estradiol, but once that twister calmed down, I knew I was where I had wanted to be my whole life.
Best drug ever, no exceptions.
The first thing I experienced was what many people are describing - an intense sense of mental calm, and joy that the mental "static" had finally disappeared.
Day 5 I had breast buds and soreness, and somewhere around week 2 I noticed my skin softening a bit.
Just been a week for me on hormones. Feel a great sense of happiness that I'm am on my way and changing. A little bit more emotional cried watching a tv show lol
As for physical changes not much doing but I'm okay with that will happen I'm sure.
For me it was just the same as any day before hrt. I got up got dressed and life went about normally. Gradually over time I started looking more and more feminine until I was androgynous for a while. Then I started getting more ma'ams than sir's. Started living full time and I still get up every morning and get dressed and live my life.
My point is transition isn't magical it's just trading a boring male life for a boring female life. The only that has really changed is I no longer hate life and the gender issues don't effect me on most days so I can focus on the more important things in life.
Quote from: Myarkstir on August 10, 2014, 08:50:34 AM
After a few days, when my t blockers started being effective i felt like a nail had been pulled out of my foot.
I misread that the first time. I thought you were talking about a toenail being pulled out of your foot - unpleasant! Just got what you were talking about. Makes sense now.
Quote from: Heather on August 13, 2014, 08:08:39 AM
it's just trading a boring male life for a boring female life.
Boring? Definitely not boring for me since I transitioned...but was boring as male, was going through the motions and felt "dead". Transition made things more interesting, more alive but with greater highs and lows as well. Still no regrets though. ;)
I just meant I'm basically living doing the same stuff. I am happier but I don't think that's because of my gender it's because I'm free to be myself. I try not to overhype transition for the people starting out and say that really transitioning is not everything and gender is such a small part of life. And shouldn't be seen as a fix for problems or depression..
But if the reason you're depressed or have problems is because you aren't living in your proper gender or don't feel free to express yourself and suddenly you are, then transitioning to your proper gender and finally expressing yourself will make a world of a difference. ;)
Most of it though is in the head, then changing to the correct gender physically is the icing on the cake. :) That's how I see it anyways.
Really, very little changed during my early days of hrt. I was relieved to be starting it but hormones take a very long time and I came out to my mother shortly after this which took away for the relief as she was very upset. In terms of effects, most were minimal except this placebo like euphoria that I started to have after taking my estrogen.