Whether it was something physical, mental, emotional or social, what are some things that threw you off or took you by surprise?

- My hair was stick straight before HRT and now it's curly. Very... very curly. James Franco curly. The T must have triggered some recessive gene.
-  When I was younger, I used to have pretty intense anxiety issues--panic attacks, social anxiety, the whole shebang--and I find that I essentially don't experience anxiety anymore on any level, even during stressful events.

- I never really payed any attention to guys getting noticeable adam's apples so that came as a surprise.

- my jaw now looks slightly longer as if the bone has grown even if it's just fat redistribution

- i think my hair has become darker; which sucks as I used to have strawberry blond hair. Not sure if it's the environment or the T; but I hope it'll look different when I grow it out.

- I had naturally broad shoulders before T but didn't think I'd end up looking this much more muscular.

-Facial hair taking forever to look visible bcos I'm blond

- Dysphoria to now be almost completely gone. My body hardly bothers me anymore.

Funny about the curly hair. My hair was always pin straight (like my mother) but now, while not curly, has a different, maybe thicker (?) texture (like my father).

My beard, on the other hand: when I let it grow some its wicked curly-especially my sideburns. Its the only curly hair on my body (even my pubes are relatively straight LOL).  Also my beard has a bunch of red in it, while my head hair does not. My one grandmother had a lot of red in her hair, but no one else in my family got it.

Okay, this is one for the over-18s but I'll try to keep it as clean as possible: they warn you in advance that HRT will make your little guy grow... but they don't warn you that the same thing happens to both sets of labia. In particular, the outer labia grow into something that looks like an uninflated scrotum stuck in the wrong position, which can be a bit of a surprise if you weren't expecting it.

Quote from: xchrisx on September 21, 2016, 07:52:54 AM
Funny about the curly hair. My hair was always pin straight (like my mother) but now, while not curly, has a different, maybe thicker (?) texture (like my father).

My beard, on the other hand: when I let it grow some its wicked curly-especially my sideburns. Its the only curly hair on my body (even my pubes are relatively straight LOL).  Also my beard has a bunch of red in it, while my head hair does not. My one grandmother had a lot of red in her hair, but no one else in my family got it.

Hahah, yeah. I used to have really straight pubic hair/body hair, as well, but... nope. Everything is way denser and curled. I have a lot of hair under my chin, a very tiny amount just under my lower lip, some scant sideburns and a lot of mustache growth... all of which is coming in pretty curly, too.
Only time will tell on this one, but I'm wondering if I'll have the same weird hair color pattern as my dad. His body hair was black, his head hair was a dark sandy brown and his beard was red.

Quote from: FTMDiaries on September 21, 2016, 11:28:28 AM
Okay, this is one for the over-18s but I'll try to keep it as clean as possible: they warn you in advance that HRT will make your little guy grow... but they don't warn you that the same thing happens to both sets of labia. In particular, the outer labia grow into something that looks like an uninflated scrotum stuck in the wrong position, which can be a bit of a surprise if you weren't expecting it.

Well, I feel a lot more normal now. Having had no idea this was a side effect, it's been a little odd experiencing this, hahah. On that same note, has anyone else experienced a huge increase in sensitivity in the new 'would be balls' region? I could've dragged the thing through glass before without batting an eye, but there now seems to be some erogenous sensation going on.

Quote from: Elis on September 21, 2016, 04:35:34 AM
- I never really payed any attention to guys getting noticeable adam's apples so that came as a surprise.

- my jaw now looks slightly longer as if the bone has grown even if it's just fat redistribution

- i think my hair has become darker; which sucks as I used to have strawberry blond hair. Not sure if it's the environment or the T; but I hope it'll look different when I grow it out.

- I had naturally broad shoulders before T but didn't think I'd end up looking this much more muscular.

-Facial hair taking forever to look visible bcos I'm blond

- Dysphoria to now be almost completely gone. My body hardly bothers me anymore.

+ 1 to the shoulders. It's crazy how much they increase in size, isn't it?

-Was not expecting to get a shot of T on my same appointment day, that threw me for a loop that I got on T almost right away, as I had already known from friends and the like that it was a near impossible legal and therapeutical hurdle before they allow you to get on it

-I was shocked that the transition was so quick, natural, and smooth...it felt like ir was meant to be with how quick its been. As it stands I already pass as male, I work in retail and everyone who sees me calls me sir, it was as if someone flipped a switch suddenly on my gender, it was weird.

-...growing a small penis, this threw me for a loop since I did not expect that at all(tmi: my clitoris looks like a small head of a penis when I pull the skin back)

-The social anxiety change. I was always quiet and reserved but Ive noticed since the switch Ive started to become more sociable, bolder, wittier, and louder. This is a huge change because my lack of personality and social structure has been a plague on my livelihood since I was a child. I think maybe, just maybe, Im starting to improve

The texture of my hair has changed. I still use the same products I did before, but it feels very different. Looks wise, no real change.

I also never thought I'd be able to give myself shots. I was kind of forced onto them when the price of gel increased, as my insurance didn't cover it at the time. I had a huge needle phobia and now I could care less.

The quality of my healthcare actually improved. I know I'm pretty lucky in that regard. I was fully expecting a run around trying to find friendly providers or the horror show of needing to work with ones that aren't because they're the only game in town. I just let my primary care doctor who does my HRT make all my referrals, and she hasn't steered me wrong yet. A very welcome unexpected surprise.

Also, I really hope this isn't a unique experience. I mentioned it to my roommate the other day and he wanted to know if this was an isolated thing. But gay men that I've known for years suddenly propositioning me. I had a very big group of LGBTQ friends in college, and have been largely disconnected from them since graduating despite living in the same general region. But as soon as I was on T and passing consistently, I got random messages from a few of them asking to hook up. Apparently a lot of them wanted to experiment with certain parts, and it's cool because I'm a guy so it wouldn't be straight? I thought it was hilarious and creepy all at once.

So far
- Sticking myself turned out to be easier than I thought.
- Change in my temperament. A lot of my social anxiety really has just vanished. 
- Sweating. I mean, I heard people say that you sweat more, but I was not expecting water-beading-on-the-screen-of-my-smartphone-phone kind of sweating from my palms. GROSS.
- I don't know if this is normal or not but I need to stretch all the time. Feels good though.

Quote from: Stone Magnum on September 21, 2016, 01:35:45 PM
On that same note, has anyone else experienced a huge increase in sensitivity in the new 'would be balls' region? I could've dragged the thing through glass before without batting an eye, but there now seems to be some erogenous sensation going on.

Yeah, and not just erogenous sensation - but also, that region tends to rub against the seam of my jeans when I walk and it can get a bit painful. That's because men's jeans are designed to accommodate that bulk around the front, not between the legs.

I always used to 'manspread' naturally when I was a kid but my mum bullied me out of it, telling me that it's not very 'ladylike'.   As soon as I started transitioning I started doing it again because it is my natural way of sitting, but now I really need to do it because I actually do have something between my legs that requires extra room.