Hey everybody!
It's nice to be here! I've been a long-time guest on Susans, ever since I started transitioning a while ago (7 years to be exact), this has been my once-in-a-while stop for everything trans* related. So what changed, you might ask... Why did I decided to give up my semi-invisible guest status and why would I start to participate in the community?
Short answer: no idea. There are a couple of things I guess, some of them more pressing and some less. The last year has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride for me. When I say I've been transitioning for the last 7 years, I'm not talking about continuous psych visits, hormones etc. Actually that all happened in phases, with lots of doubt and uncertainty in the middle.
In any case, I did start therapy again (after a pause) about 2 years ago, and have been on hormones for the last 11 months or so. The rollercoaster basically started when commencing the hormones, partly because of them an partly because of all the other things I've wanted to accomplish after taking the plunge. Such as a legal sex/name change, getting all of the medical checks done (many of them!), the whole burocratic dance with the insurance company and last but not least, finding the correct surgeon and getting a place on the waiting list. Oh, and I've had to come out at work and at university, and all of the uncertainty and stress related to that.
Well, everything worked out well! I'm here now, still working at the same company. I even got a pay-raise and a promotion... But most importantly: everybody accepted my transition immediately and takes me for who I am. Funnily enough, they already suspected a lot, so apparently the whole coming out wasn't as big a deal for them. Yippee!
So... here I am, with my SRS happening next summer (2017) and I'm getting more excited by the day. The hormones are changing my life big time already, with me being greeted by a beautiful girl every morning I get out of bed and look in the mirror now. Only just lately has it all started to sink in, and do the feelings of joy come. With another 8 months on the clock until the big day, I can say everything's only getting better from now on.
Plus, I've got a brand new outlet here on the forum !
