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In a messy situation...

Started by Inji, July 06, 2016, 11:32:48 PM

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Inji

Hi guys, I'm in a quite messy situation and don't know what to do next.. ???
I have scheduled my top surgery, and told my family. Initially, they seem to be calm. But then, I got a text from my mum saying she will stop me from having surgery. So, I rang my brother, and he is trying to argue that surgery is not necessary and will not fix anything.
Until now, I don't really know what happened, since my brother and dad was not that against me having surgery before. After talking to my sister, I found out that my mum searched through my cupboard and found my STPs, and she told my brother and dad...  :-\

I am not sure if I am right, but I really feel that because they saw the STP, they were shocked and think that I am really crazy.

and now my mum is sending me links on sex change regrets and studies that shows people still commit suicide after surgery.

I honestly don't know what to do now... :-\
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Dena

Quote from: Inji on July 06, 2016, 11:32:48 PM
Hi guys, I'm in a quite messy situation and don't know what to do next.. ???
I have scheduled my top surgery, and told my family. Initially, they seem to be calm. But then, I got a text from my mum saying she will stop me from having surgery. So, I rang my brother, and he is trying to argue that surgery is not necessary and will not fix anything.
Until now, I don't really know what happened, since my brother and dad was not that against me having surgery before. After talking to my sister, I found out that my mum searched through my cupboard and found my STPs, and she told my brother and dad...  :-\

I am not sure if I am right, but I really feel that because they saw the STP, they were shocked and think that I am really crazy.

and now my mum is sending me links on sex change regrets and studies that shows people still commit suicide after surgery.

I honestly don't know what to do now... :-\
I had a few email exchanges with Walt Heyer a while before coming to Susan's and to put it politely, I was not impressed by the argument. The majority of us don't regret our decision as we put sufficient though into it so we do it for the right reasons. As long as you have had sufficient therapy and are comfortable that you are making the right decision, you can disregard this argument.

As for stopping you, I assume you have after care arranged and you are considered an adult. Any attempt to stop you would involve kidnapping which is against the law. They might threaten the doctor but again, as long as you are not under their care they no longer have control of your life and your doctor should tell them where to go.
Rebirth Date 1982 - PMs are welcome - Use [email]dena@susans.org[/email] or Discord if your unable to PM - Skype is available - My Transition
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FTMDiaries

Your mum is trying to emotionally blackmail you into not transitioning. That's because as far as she's concerned, she gave birth to a daughter and that's what she expects you to be. Some parents are like that, sadly. She's desperately searching for anything that might support her position. There are several 'sex change regret' websites out there, but almost all of the stories on them are either spurious, or cases where people were not properly diagnosed before transitioning. Those cases are extremely rare, but they have really happened... which is why we have so many safeguards in place today.

Most of the cases of post-surgical suicide are not due to regretting surgery, or regretting transitioning... they're because society continues to treat trans people (particularly trans women) like we're sub-human, and some people's results don't enable them to blend into society in such a way that other people treat them like ordinary human beings again. Some people can't cope with society's continued rejection, hence those suicides. I'd recommend that for every link she sends you of 'trans regret' stories, you send her 5 links of stories of people whose lives have improved beyond measure by transitioning. Bombard her with positive stories every time she sends you a negative one. Eventually she'll give up.

I can only speak for myself, but I can tell you that transitioning has been the greatest gift I've ever given myself, and I have zero regrets about top surgery. If you feel anything like I did about my chesticles (abject horror & disgust comes to mind), then you'll probably find top surgery incredibly life-affirming and liberating. Ask your brother what he'd do if he suddenly developed a set of DDs. When he stops s->-bleeped-<-ing, point out how it would feel to walk down the street: how people would treat him; how other guys would make lewd suggestions to him - just for walking down the street with a massive rack on his chest. Wouldn't he feel horrendous about it? Wouldn't he want to get rid of those things so he could just feel 'normal' and so his clothes could hang right? Of course he would - so he's talking out of his backside when he says it wouldn't fix anything.

I don't know where you are in the world but as Dena said, if you're considered an adult in your country - or are above the age of medical consent (which is 16 here in the UK) - then your mother cannot stop you from having any medical treatment you desire. But of course, your family dynamic may complicate things. It sounds like your mother wields a lot of power in the home, which is why she's piling on the pressure to keep things just the way she likes them. That's an incredibly selfish position by the way: what could be more selfish than asking someone else to live a life of misery just so you can be comfortable in how you view them?

As you've already scheduled your top surgery, I presume you've already seen a gender therapist and have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Have you considered taking your mother to an appointment with the therapist so they can start explaining things to her? Have you considered asking your mother to speak to other trans people, either in a local support group or online (such as the SO forum here) so she can start to understand? It would help if she could get some positive stories, because she needs to start accepting her reality. She gave birth to a trans son, not a daughter... and that fact will not go away just because she'd rather that were not the case. The sooner she comes to terms with this fact, the easier it'll be for everyone involved, including her.

The obstacles she's trying to put in your way are not effective, but her behaviour will cause a lot of unnecessary pain & trauma for your family. Especially for you.





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Inji

Thanks Dena and FTMDiaries for your warm and supportive response :) I really appreciate it

I will try to send her more positive stores (and stay strong  :)).

and yes, I am seeing a very experienced therapist regularly, and I am very happy with my transition. I transitioned on the job, and all my colleagues and friends are very accepting. I am living 100% male now (well, except at home... they still treat me as a daughter :-\).

As for the DDs, I am also very distressed about it since the day they developed... and still could not cope with them after 20 years.
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FTMDiaries

Quote from: Inji on July 07, 2016, 05:35:28 AM
Thanks Dena and FTMDiaries for your warm and supportive response :) I really appreciate it

No worries - that's what we're here for. :D

Quote from: Inji on July 07, 2016, 05:35:28 AM
As for the DDs, I am also very distressed about it since the day they developed... and still could not cope with them after 20 years.

Me too. I put up with them for nearly 30 years, and it was an enormous relief to have them removed. :) Your brother doesn't realise this, because he perceives you as being female so he thinks they belong there. He needs to start thinking about it from a male perspective: if you have a male brain (as you clearly do), those things can be horrifying, as he'd realise if he could picture finding them on his own body. Try to explain to him that you feel exactly the same way he does in that regard... and have done for 20 years.

Stay strong - you've got this! Your folks might be trying to put obstacles in your way now, but as long as you keep driving forward with your transition, they'll eventually catch up; they'll have no choice but to accept reality.





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AnxietyDisord3r

Many men think having "boobies" would be a lark. They never imagine what it would be like to wake up with them every day ... to have them be seen by strangers in public. To still be there when you lay down in your bed at night.

Nor do cis people understand what it's like to have a body part that's not "integrated", like a tumor growing out of you that shouldn't be there. They imagine they would feel connected to it like they do to a hand or a leg.
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