Hi folks!
My name is Grace - not legally for a few more months yet but that's what I'm aiming for. I've been on HRT for just over four months now and am progressing (and developing!) very well so far.
This is actually my second tilt at transition, the first time being for just over two years in the late 80s early 90s. Without going into the gory details that attempt was a bit of an emotional disaster - had a number of supportive friends but probably wasn't getting the best mental health support, not that there was all that much around in Sydney at the time. I never quite fully transitioned (which in itself was a major form of confusion for friends) even though I was passing quite well by the time 26 months had passed.
Annnnyway, long story short I decided to give it up and tried to convince myself that since I was born physically male I just needed to accept it and live as a "man". 22 years of self-denial later I FINALLY, at age 46, admitted that I was kidding myself... I so desperately wanted to be female that to ignore it any longer was not possible. A few months passed as I sought out the appropriate supports, shrinks and medical boffins and I was able to start on HRT back in June and now... here I am!
Whilst I'm still living and presenting as male I'm happier than I have been in a long, long time. I'm dealing with what was left of my beard following the first attempt and hoping that I can use Regaine to coax my scalp back to life (early signs are very encouraging on that front). We're heading into summer in Sydney (where the temp can sometimes reach mid-30C/90F and humidity becomes quite unpleasant) and I don't fancy wigging it for the next 5 months so I've decided to hold off on full transition at least until April 2014... stay tuned!
Hope that didn't sound like too much a tale of woe, I'm mostly positive and happy to be helpful and even to talk about where things went "wrong" the first time.
Looking forward to meeting everyone on this forum!
