I'm not sure if we're allowed to make numerous posts at once so I thought I'd address a few questions I have here.
All of them concern my lower half so they're sort of related.
For some background info, I've been on T for about 9 months.
Here are my problems, from most to least important:

1. My lower growth has not only stopped, it really seems to have shrunk. I used to be about an inch erect, maybe a little less. Now I'm lucky to be half that, and I've noticed that even when I feel aroused I don't get erect very often. But when I do, it's much smaller.
This is so depressing to me because lower growth was one of the side effects I was most excited about, and the initial growth gave me a lot of confidence.
Is this normal? Can I expect any more growth?

2. Cramping. Even though I lost my period months ago, I've been getting a lot of random cramping that feels a lot like period pain. This happens at any time but also every time I orgasm.
It's not terribly painful most of the time but sometimes it is pretty bad, and the ones I get after orgasm are actually pretty bad.
As you can imagine it's putting a bit of a damper on my sex life...

3. Smell.
Oh my god the smell. It's only noticeable the first two or three days after a shot but in that time my smell completely changes and it gets STRONG.
Strong enough that I'm sure people may smell it if they're too close.
It's embarrassing and I'm not sure if it's normal either or if there's anything I can do...

Well that's it.
Sorry for the long post, these are all problems that have been weighing on my mind for a while and I'd really appreciate some feedback, especially on the first one.
Thanks in advance!

The first one, I'm not having much luck with either. It is early enough that you should get more growth yet though.

Second one, the cramping will continue to happen until you have a hysto, at least most likely it will.

Smell, I haven't noticed the same problem. An odor change but not real strong right after a shot. You do end up with a stronger smell all around and need to shower more often because of it, but that is true of most boys in puberty.  If the smell is bad as you suggest, it may be time to see a doctor about it. Or try douche.

Ok this is a very very long shot, but I'll share it anyway -- I know someone whose body odor changes noticeably when they are very acidic (like not in their stomach, but in their body tissue).

They "cure" this with the help of alkaline baths -- either just the feet or the whole body. The easiest thing would be to just bath your feet in a tub with water and baking soda (a tbsp maybe) for a half hour to and hour. Probably need to do this more than once.

As said, very long shot -- but then, not expensive or difficult to try

LordKAT: does that mean the cramps are normal?

Adrian: that's an interesting idea about the foot bath! Sounds bizarre but worth a shot, I'll have to give it a try and see!

Quote from: Headsupbuddy on November 21, 2014, 01:14:39 AM
Adrian: that's an interesting idea about the foot bath! Sounds bizarre but worth a shot, I'll have to give it a try and see!

Yeah, it does.
I really don't know how I ended up knowing/learning about such bizarre stuff

I'm not sure about the first two so I'm going to leave that to other people.

But the smell i've experienced as well. I don't think it's that much stronger but different and to me more noticable. However, this is one of those thing that WE notice but others generally don't. They say this to girls as well, when the smell is stronger you will notice but others won't (unless they stick their noses in it :p). I really don't think you have to worry about having others notice. Nobody noticed with me for the past 3-4 months and i've done yoga with help stretching (as close to sticking their nose in it as they're gonna get) where I was really worried.

I can't comment on growth, but I can on the other two things.

First, cramping is normal. I've been on t for almost 3 years and I get cramps occasionally. They are bad enough to wake me up sometimes. I usually put a pillow under my stomach and bend over it or lay on it, same as when I got my period. If its debilitating please see your doctor, as something else could be going on.

Odor wise I've noticed a change. Daily showers help and I've noticed wiping front to back helps as well due to sweat and bacteria. With showering I haven't noticed any bad smells, but you may want to invest in a body cleanser for sensitive skin if you aren't using one. I second lordKat in that a super strong odor might warrant a doctors visit. Gynecological stuff sucks but please take care of your body.

1: I'm pretty sure I've experienced this too. My theory is, the initial rush of new hormones made it more engorged, and over time it settles down rather than being swollen all the time. Either that, or it's psychological - at first you're like woah look how big it is, but once you get used to it, it seems smaller.

2: This only stopped for me once I got my hysto. I think everything still goes through the motions even if no actual bleeding is going to occur. Though I didn't experience any pain after orgasm - that might be worth getting checked out.

3: Dudes stink I remember as a kid going into my older brothers bedroom and being appalled at the smell. Now my room smells exactly the same unless I make sure to air it out and change my bedding often. Even then there's a permanent subtle man musk. Going a couple of days without a shower used to be no big deal now I can shower in the morning and be disgusting by the time I get back home.

Thanks everyone for your answers!
It's relieving to know that all of this is relatively normal.

@jeatyn: either of those explanations on growth loss are quite possible, albeit very disappointing.

Does anyone know if there's any way to promote further growth?

Also as for the pain after orgasm, I've read that SOME women going through menopause can experience this as a normal side effect of dropping eostrogen levels
Is that possibly what is happening here too?

Pain post orgasms is just your muscles contracting and spasming. It seems to get a bit more common on T, but I found loads of other people have had the same issue (cis women, particularly those on hormonal contraceptives but not always) when it happened to me once (pre-T).

Don't douche to try and get rid of the smell like was suggested. It's not healthy and won't do any good.

Well as far as growth, pumping is very useful. I've had significant growth. About once a week, pump. You can get set up inexpensively if you do your homework. I can suggest how if anyone is interested. It helps blood flow to the growing area, helps the body adjust, and helps cellular growth. I had my doubts at first but after extensive research I tried it. Yes.

As for odor, the male scent was definitely new at first, you have to adjust your routine.

The douche idea came from my doctor, which is the reason I gave it as a possibility.

Quote from: LordKAT on November 21, 2014, 02:11:19 PM
The douche idea came from my doctor, which is the reason I gave it as a possibility.

Douches disturb the natural bacteria balance.  I think it's a bit of a cultural thing, but it's not a good idea, and isn't necessary.  It can keep itself clean (unless there's infections etc).

It has to so with acidity. The inside needs to be more acidic than the rest of you. T can upset this balance. The douche can help restore the balance and therefore the smell. It would be worth calling and asking a doctor for their recommendation.

Quote from: lxndr on November 21, 2014, 02:51:05 PM
Douches disturb the natural bacteria balance.  I think it's a bit of a cultural thing, but it's not a good idea, and isn't necessary.  It can keep itself clean (unless there's infections etc).

Quote from: LordKAT on November 21, 2014, 02:55:54 PM
It has to so with acidity. The inside needs to be more acidic than the rest of you. T can upset this balance. The douche can help restore the balance and therefore the smell. It would be worth calling and asking a doctor for their recommendation.

What lxndr said is true when it comes to cis females, but I haven't heard anything about trans men who are on T.  Perhaps it is different as LordKAT suggests?

Now I am curious.  LordKAT was it your T prescriber who said this?  I assume whoever was saying it was taking into account you are a FTM on T?

Pumping sounds both tempting and terrifying!
Does it hurt?
Are the results noticeable?

I just want to say I've never had any issues with cramps even though I still got the uterus intact but I removed my ovaries. Not sure if that information helps or not.

I pump occasionally, I'm most definitely not religious about it so the fact I haven't noticed any permanent growth isn't surprising. At the time of doing it though the increase in size is significant. I wouldn't say it hurts, it does get more and more uncomfortable the more you leave it on and then everything is super sensitive afterwards.

Quote from: arimoose on November 21, 2014, 01:00:30 PM
Well as far as growth, pumping is very useful. I've had significant growth. About once a week, pump. You can get set up inexpensively if you do your homework. I can suggest how if anyone is interested. It helps blood flow to the growing area, helps the body adjust, and helps cellular growth. I had my doubts at first but after extensive research I tried it. Yes.

I got one meant for females at a sex shop....it also vibrates  I'd be interested in knowing how you set up your own, mine is really small ... not designed to promote growth

On pumping....no if you do it properly it doesn't hurt, and if it really hurts you are doing it wrong. Eventually it feels good, and it does work. Some doctors prescribe it before metio surgery, actually. You start with maybe five minutes at very low pressure and work to longer increments of time. My growth has gone from typical female to now as long as my thumb and about 1.5 inches girth.

On the pump, I got a small pump off Amazon meant for mechanics shops, but it was recommended by a woman who uses it for helping her milking goats, so it's perfect, really. I ordered a female size tube at first and quickly outgrew it, then I picked up a small size male one, cut it a bit shorter with a hacksaw, and got the length and diameter I needed. If you buy those kits they sell you end up with a cheap plastic pump and they fall apart quickly, don't waste you money. This one is brass, and comes with great tubing and adaptors. Email me if you want specifics.