I am thinking of transitioning from male to female, and have searched the web for resources about SRS and find very little. Most of which is from the 70's and 80's and that is WAY too old to use for current standards. I just turned 43 and that data suggests I am too old for full SRS. I even mentioned that to my therapist, and felt that might not be the case and I still may be able to get the full SRS done. Not sure if I'm using the right keywords to get the results I need. I am currently in therapy and asked her what she could find, being her information should be more extensive than what I could access. I live in Iowa next to Wisconsin and Illinois and this tiny town doesn't have much even for an LGBT community. I keep hearing of stories of people, but when asked who, they 'just know' someone. I'm trying to get up the resources for a smooth transition. The other thing I hear is the financial requirements can be overwhelming for those on a limited income, it's extremely difficult. Where would I find financial assistance (for those with bad credit too)? Where would I look for information about seeking the start of my transition? I hear that I need 2 doctor's approval for SRS. Is this true? I have so many questions, and not sure where I should be looking for the answers. And too, I'm not sure if I'm asking the right questions.

I guess my goals are:
Look into hair transplant or similar (I'm bald)
Find out what it takes for a name change (I was born in Ohio, and that adds more challenges)
Find out financial assistance for any and all treatments
Find out about permanent hair removal
Find more information regarding femitization
Find local doctors for HRT
Find local doctors for SRS


Something else, I'm pretty sure part of my repression on admitting being transgendered, helped cause my overweight figure. I have been lethargic and keep falling back into the same 'old' habits. I want this. I want to become a woman. I do find I am fighting against myself at almost every corner. I have always been so 'laid back' and let the world go on. I have never really taken a stand for anything. My ex even told me i needed to get a backbone. I was content and was able to accept things i had no control over. Now I have taken that stand. Each day is a battle to even move forward. I want to lose the weight, and yet I get depressed when I fall back into the same old habits of overeating. I try to be mindful. Sometimes I see this as a challenge to see how bad I want this transition. I am afraid of not knowing. I am afraid of what would happen if it all goes wrong. I am afraid of the cruelness of people when they see me and I look like a 'dude in drag'. I told my therapist I want to be invisible and melt into the background after the transition and be seen as 'just one of the girls'. No one ever giving a second thought of my past. I'm not sure what it is going to take to achieve that. I hope someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks
Willow