I went to the endocrinologist on Monday. He was very nice; he sat and talked to me for over an hour about everything. He ended up taking blood to check my baseline T levels as well as my thyroid levels and vitamin D levels (things I've had issues with). I think the results of those may be back as I missed a call from the clinic today; I'll have to call back tomorrow before work to see. I walked out of the clinic with a prescription for Testosterone Depo, which I filled the next day and picked up along with syringes. I was so happy that the pharmacist, who I've known for years, was so accepting when I took him aside to hand him the script. He was very helpful and even gave me some syringes for free.

The next day I went to my doctor's office to get help with the shot. So I got my first dose of T about 36 hours ago! I actually gave it to myself under nurse supervision, so I can continue to self-administer now--subQ, thankfully, not IM. Giving myself my injection was a really surreal and awesome experience. Afterward I was excited but oddly calm. Back home, I just laid there a while staring at the ceiling. I just knew I'd done the right thing.

I've already noticed some sensitivity in the genital region along with sensation of increased blood flow. I also noticed my voice naturally sitting a bit lower today; not outside of my normal range, but at the lower end of it without my really trying. I can't wait to see how things change! The injection site only stayed sore for a few hours, so I'm less nervous about choosing injection locations now (I started with my stomach). I've had a bit of a headache today and some kind of hot-flash type reactions, but I get these in reaction to low blood sugar as well, so those could be coincidental.

I just wanted to share that my journey has begun! I'm so excited. I plan to come back here to post updates on everything now and then.

Congrats Man! 

I also had a headache after my first injection. I didn't get them after that first one.  I definitely have had increased sensitivity in my genital region along with some growth (2 months in). My nipples are extremely sensitive and border on pain especially if something rubs up against them. Can't wait for top surgery.  My voice is raspy and cracking quite a bit.  I have muscles in place I didn't know I could get muscle (very exciting). That started fairly quickly too. 

I think you'll be pretty excited and happy as the process continues. I know that I don't regret the decision at all, and I'm more excited each week as I notice more changes.

Jay

Congrats! I feel it with you, mate.

Get the Voice Pitch Analyzer app to check what your voice is doing. Mine has distinctly dropped now. See my post about Day 18. https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,226241.0.html

I also felt a drop in my voice within a few days, but I had no way of measuring it objectively. Wish I had had that app pre T to get a baseline.

Ah, it all feels so good, doesn't it.

Congrats . Yeah I was surprised how quickly my voice changed. Within a month it became raspy and started breaking. The first year is admittedly the hardest but it's worth it.

Thanks, all!

Quote from: JayBlue on July 20, 2017, 07:50:02 PM
Congrats Man! 

I also had a headache after my first injection. I didn't get them after that first one.  I definitely have had increased sensitivity in my genital region along with some growth (2 months in). My nipples are extremely sensitive and border on pain especially if something rubs up against them. Can't wait for top surgery.  My voice is raspy and cracking quite a bit.  I have muscles in place I didn't know I could get muscle (very exciting). That started fairly quickly too. 

I think you'll be pretty excited and happy as the process continues. I know that I don't regret the decision at all, and I'm more excited each week as I notice more changes.

Jay

Nice to know I'm not the only one who experienced that. Hopefully I don't get any more headaches either. Hmm... muscles in places you didn't know you could get muscles? I'm excited to see this happen!

Quote from: Dan on July 21, 2017, 02:36:58 AM
Congrats! I feel it with you, mate.

Get the Voice Pitch Analyzer app to check what your voice is doing. Mine has distinctly dropped now. See my post about Day 18. https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,226241.0.html

I also felt a drop in my voice within a few days, but I had no way of measuring it objectively. Wish I had had that app pre T to get a baseline.

Ah, it all feels so good, doesn't it.

Exciting changes, there, Dan! I actually did play around with the Voice Pitch Analyzer app a bit. Unfortunately I was seeing how low/ high I could get it to detect doing different voices before when I used it pre-T, so I can't remember which is representative of my natural speech LOL. I did do another recording last night, though, in my regular speech, so we'll see how things change! And yes, it all does feel really good!

Quote from: Elis on July 21, 2017, 05:54:09 AM
Congrats . Yeah I was surprised how quickly my voice changed. Within a month it became raspy and started breaking. The first year is admittedly the hardest but it's worth it.

It's weird how it just... feels different, too. The feeling of it is far more noticeable than the sound of it so far. It seems slightly more resonant in my throat, and like my voice is coming from just a bit lower than usual, if that makes any sense.


UPDATE: 84 hours in and there is definite genital growth already! I was not expecting anything to change this quickly. I'm super excited.

Another change I've noticed: A situation came up that would normally make me cry, and I didn't cry. I could feel the sensation and bit of pressure behind my eyes, but nothing came out. I didn't realize T could do this so quickly.

Quote from: seth.james on July 22, 2017, 08:37:46 PM
..

Another change I've noticed: A situation came up that would normally make me cry, and I didn't cry. I could feel the sensation and bit of pressure behind my eyes, but nothing came out. I didn't realize T could do this so quickly.

Ditto. My emotions are much more sedate now, which is great because I could get emotionally upset quite quickly. Now, it's all head response which I absolutely prefer. While I could fake calmness in the past, while being an internal roiling vulcano, I no longer have to fake it; I am actually calm regardless of how much something of a similar nature would have pushed me off my even keel.

This is definitely one of the best quick effects.

Quote from: Dan on July 22, 2017, 11:06:04 PM
Ditto. My emotions are much more sedate now, which is great because I could get emotionally upset quite quickly. Now, it's all head response which I absolutely prefer. While I could fake calmness in the past, while being an internal roiling vulcano, I no longer have to fake it; I am actually calm regardless of how much something of a similar nature would have pushed me off my even keel.

This is definitely one of the best quick effects.

I could not fake calmness... or at least I didn't think so, until a coworker told me he actually thought of me as a very calm person. Huh. LOL

I did cry a little bit today after getting overwhelmed, but it still wasn't nearly as much as usual. I also think it might have to do with the fact that the newest shot of T had not kicked in yet and my level had probably dropped a good bit.


So today's day 8! I gave my injection to myself unsupervised today. It was harder to get the liquid out of the vial than it was to administer the shot; overall it went smoothly.

I felt pretty energetic today after I got over my overwhelmed stage; not sure if it was because I got some things sorted out, because of the T, or both. I also feel like there could be the slightest of muscle growth in my arms, at least; it feels more defined to the touch. It's not really visible and I feel like it could be my imagination, but IDK. I'm gonna pretend it's real regardless.

Will be getting blood work done just before my third dose. We'll see where the level's sitting then.

One of the first things I noticed was how I could get to sleep so easily. The same night I started taking it. No more lying awake for an hour or two at night trying to shut the brain off.

And the dreams are better as well. No more nightmares about awful social situations that drag on and on.

Quote from: seth.james on July 26, 2017, 11:31:40 PM


So today's day 8! I gave my injection to myself unsupervised today. It was harder to get the liquid out of the vial than it was to administer the shot; overall it went smoothly.

Draw back the needle to your dosage (or a little bit over it) outside of the vial to suck air into the syringe then inject that into the vial. Then it should be easy to get the T out.

Quote from: seth.james on July 26, 2017, 11:31:40 PM
I could not fake calmness... or at least I didn't think so, until a coworker told me he actually thought of me as a very calm person. Huh. LOL

..

That's how I found out that others think I'm a cool and calm cucumber. Fine with me! Appearances count 

Quote from: seth.james on July 26, 2017, 11:31:40 PM
..
I also feel like there could be the slightest of muscle growth in my arms, at least; it feels more defined to the touch. It's not really visible and I feel like it could be my imagination, but IDK. I'm gonna pretend it's real regardless.
..

Most likely it's imagination, but if it makes you feel good,  then imagination is damned good enough. 

It's day 24 on T for me. No change in my energy levels, feeling just fine as before. Muscle definition is definitely improving, but I am working out so it is to be expected. Need to lose the fat cover though, and so far it's not budging. Weigh in on my smart scale this Saturday to assess any actual changes.

Voice is continuing to drop. I can sound quite baritonie when I relax and allow my voice to naturally descend.
Average voice frequency is 187 Hz, minimum: 93 Hz, min average: 162, max av.: 215 hz. Overall it is continuing to trend downwards, and is now nearing the androgynous range.  Three more weeks to the second shot of T.

Quote from: Viktor on July 27, 2017, 01:49:46 AM
One of the first things I noticed was how I could get to sleep so easily. The same night I started taking it. No more lying awake for an hour or two at night trying to shut the brain off.

And the dreams are better as well. No more nightmares about awful social situations that drag on and on.

That's great. I actually had a harder time falling asleep the first couple of nights. I was too excited, I think, haha.

Quote from: Alexthecat on July 27, 2017, 01:56:33 AM
Draw back the needle to your dosage (or a little bit over it) outside of the vial to suck air into the syringe then inject that into the vial. Then it should be easy to get the T out.

Yup, that's what I do. The nurse showed me when she drew the first dose for me. When I finally got it right the second time the T kind of drew itself into the syringe from injecting enough air.

Quote from: Dan on July 27, 2017, 03:10:18 AM
Most likely it's imagination, but if it makes you feel good,  then imagination is damned good enough. 

It's day 24 on T for me. No change in my energy levels, feeling just fine as before. Muscle definition is definitely improving, but I am working out so it is to be expected. Need to lose the fat cover though, and so far it's not budging. Weigh in on my smart scale this Saturday to assess any actual changes.

Voice is continuing to drop. I can sound quite baritonie when I relax and allow my voice to naturally descend.
Average voice frequency is 187 Hz, minimum: 93 Hz, min average: 162, max av.: 215 hz. Overall it is continuing to trend downwards, and is now nearing the androgynous range.  Three more weeks to the second shot of T.

I was singing earlier and found I can hit two half tones lower than I usually can. They still sound kind of wonky, but they come out and have some resonance. The analyzer app puts me in the androgynous range now. I was a little surprised; I think at work, because I answer phones a lot etc., I still artificially raise my voice quite a bit (part of that socialized female politeness I'm trying to get rid of), and that could be part of why I didn't notice the natural voice drop as much. I don't talk nearly as much at home. Down 13Hz in my natural voice since I checked about a week ago

I find it interesting that I'm considered a soprano while singing, yet my voice seemed to sit in the low average female range when I spoke. I seem to have an oddly flexible voice.

Quote from: seth.james on July 26, 2017, 11:31:40 PM

So today's day 8! I gave my injection to myself unsupervised today. It was harder to get the liquid out of the vial than it was to administer the shot; overall it went smoothly.

I also feel like there could be the slightest of muscle growth in my arms, at least; it feels more defined to the touch. It's not really visible and I feel like it could be my imagination, but IDK. I'm gonna pretend it's real regardless.

I also had a hard time at first drawing it into the needle. I've been injecting more air than my dose and that seems to have helped that problem.

I experienced changes in my muscles quite quickly. I was surprised and like you thought maybe I was imagining it, but I don't think so. I can't work out much yet because of back issues that hopefully the chiropractor is going to fix, but the muscle changes and growth have been incredible so far.  It's pretty awesome! 

Can I be like a huge sap and like...although we're total strangers...it makes me feel really happy and warm and fuzzy that Dan, Seth and I all got to start are hormones close together??? Like I remember I was talking about how it would be soon, and then Dan said he was, and now Seth too...Just all of you guys. I love this forum. 

-sappiness over-

CONGRTAZ BROOOOOO

Quote from: transguymac on August 09, 2017, 04:34:31 PM
Can I be like a huge sap and like...although we're total strangers...it makes me feel really happy and warm and fuzzy that Dan, Seth and I all got to start are hormones close together??? Like I remember I was talking about how it would be soon, and then Dan said he was, and now Seth too...Just all of you guys. I love this forum. 

-sappiness over-

CONGRTAZ BROOOOOO

Thanks Steve!

I would be lying if I said I didn't think the exact same thing. I knew Dan had started and that you were going to soon after I did, and I thought, "aww man, T buddies! " Haha.


So it's day 22 now. The biggest change has been the increase in skin oiliness and some acne starting up. The doctor checked my T levels and is officially increasing my dose starting next week. I had thought my voice was dropping; I've been using the Pitch Analyzer App and my second week recording was lower, but it went back up a bit on the third. So it could have just been a fluke; I'm not really sure.

Quote from: seth.james on August 09, 2017, 07:05:54 PM
Thanks Steve!

I would be lying if I said I didn't think the exact same thing. I knew Dan had started and that you were going to soon after I did, and I thought, "aww man, T buddies! " Haha.


So it's day 22 now. The biggest change has been the increase in skin oiliness and some acne starting up. The doctor checked my T levels and is officially increasing my dose starting next week. I had thought my voice was dropping; I've been using the Pitch Analyzer App and my second week recording was lower, but it went back up a bit on the third. So it could have just been a fluke; I'm not really sure.

YAY!!! <3

Also...NICE!
I'm hoping they'll be able to up mine at my 3 month check up, because I fell changes, but they don't feel extravagant yet.
My biggest change has been the skin oiliness. I feel so disgustingly greasy and it even washing my face twice and using acne pads still had the oiliness super heavy.

My voice is in and out...sometimes it sounds super deep and other times it's like "Where'd it go???"

....The sex drive is kicking in though big time and I'm still technically single so....RIP my libido.

And my god the appetite...I'm going to eat myself out of house and home.

Quote from: transguymac on August 10, 2017, 04:45:43 PM
YAY!!! <3

Also...NICE!
I'm hoping they'll be able to up mine at my 3 month check up, because I fell changes, but they don't feel extravagant yet.
My biggest change has been the skin oiliness. I feel so disgustingly greasy and it even washing my face twice and using acne pads still had the oiliness super heavy.

My voice is in and out...sometimes it sounds super deep and other times it's like "Where'd it go???"

....The sex drive is kicking in though big time and I'm still technically single so....RIP my libido.

And my god the appetite...I'm going to eat myself out of house and home.

Yep, the appetite's picking up here too haha. Not quite bad enough that I'm worried, but I'm craving all kinds of food now lol.



Well, update: halfway through week 6, and I'm on an increased and more "normal" dose now! Yay for (hopefully) speedier changes!

HOWEVER. They weren't lying about increase in migraines being a possibility. Mine are horrible. I'm on Imitrex and amitriptyline for them now, which help, but I had probably the worst migraine of my life earlier today. I think the only reason I wasn't crying was because of the T, and I was close. This was at least on par with one that had made me cry in the past. I thought I was going to throw up. I felt much better when it finally went away, but I spent about five hours completely incapacitated--the first two and a half hours were pure headache, the other mostly lying there trying to get some energy back and recover. I may have to see if it's possible to increase the medication I take daily that's supposed to prevent them. It worked very well at first, but not so much now. I think a lot of it is hormone cycle related--it's happening mid cycle right where the estrogen spike is supposed to be. :/ On the other hand, I did notice that the headaches got worse when I first started T, then got better, so perhaps after a couple more weeks on my new dose these will die down as well. I certainly hope so.

In other, happier news, I am getting some longer peach fuzzies on my face, haha. Mostly I notice them down near my jawline and the corners of my upper lip. I always had a bit of extra on the upper lip; I didn't have any extra near the jaw before, though, so that's definitely new and exciting. In the right light, I can see new, short blonde hairs growing on my arms and legs alongside the existing hair. Exciting!

My voice has dropped from average to low female to lower androgynous with the upper end still hitting the low female range. I still artificially raise my voice out of habit at work--especially on the phone. Ugh. Still trying to break that habit. Hopefully in a few months time it won't matter and my voice will be deep enough that I can't artificially raise it into the female range. When singing, I can go almost down to the C below middle C now, which is officially where tenor range is supposed to bottom out. Before I could only reliably hit the E below middle C, so I've got at least three new notes. Most of my high soprano notes are still there, but they often sound weird and not very strong haha. The deeper notes "feel" exactly where they should in my throat, like they've been there the whole time just waiting for hormones to open them up. I'm excited to see what continues to change with my voice.

Will continue to update as things change.

Thank you for posting all your stories on here it made me realize this is what I really want.
This forum has helped me a lot at the beginning of my journey.
It was amazing reading what this does to you in the beginning. I am looking forward to transitioning soon!

Quote from: MaxForever on August 30, 2017, 06:06:44 PM
Thank you for posting all your stories on here it made me realize this is what I really want.
This forum has helped me a lot at the beginning of my journey.
It was amazing reading what this does to you in the beginning. I am looking forward to transitioning soon!

I'm glad you've found the site useful! Best of luck on your journey.


Well, going on day 48 of T now. I went to my primary physician, who I hadn't seen since before starting T, and he said that my shoulders were noticeably broader. I'd thought I'd noticed that, but wondered if I was imagining things... apparently not! My binders have been harder to get over my shoulders lately. I also notice increased muscle on the sides of my neck and that my muscles are just generally firmer. I have gained somewhere in the range of 5-10 lbs since starting T (probably closer to 5 than 10, as my weight had been slowly increasing for a while). My pants do fit differently (the weight in my abdomen seems to have shifted a bit toward the front), but I think at least half the weight really is muscle.

I'm seeing the beginning of some very light stubble on my chin as well now. I can't see it without getting really close, but my guess is that within the next couple months I'll probably need to start shaving at least sometimes. I'm getting excited about that.

And my voice has definitely dropped. My therapist noticed it in my speech, and I can sing things that I couldn't sing before. The voice pitch analyzer app put me solidly in the male range with only the top touching androgynous. I was amazed at how quickly that seemed to happen. It's legitimately been in the last week that it shifted so drastically. Singing is really interesting... I can still sing in a lot of my more alto range (I was actually a soprano to begin with, odd considering my speaking voice always seemed to sit from mid to low range for females), but it feels different. I know I'm making the right notes--I can hear them and they're on pitch--but they don't feel right. And I'm guessing this is part of what gets people into trouble when their voices are changing. It feels weird. It does take more air to get those notes out, but I guess my past vocal training has helped me with that. A gentle hum used to produce those notes; now I need a more open airway to produce them reliably, but I can still sing them. So weird.

Anyway, will continue to update as things change!

I sing too sometimes good to know that the voice wont be a problem was worried about losing my ability to sing
maybe will just be a deeper note.

Quote from: MaxForever on September 12, 2017, 03:16:57 PM
I sing too sometimes good to know that the voice wont be a problem was worried about losing my ability to sing
maybe will just be a deeper note.

It's hard to say exactly what will happen to your voice, but it's always better to keep singing through it than give up while it changes, as long as you aren't doing anything bad for your voice.


Possible trigger warning for the last bit... not feeling very good right now.

Well, two months on T. My trough level is 727 and the doctor wants to cut my dose down by more than half. That's less than I took when I started, and I'm pretty upset about it. He said the levels were "good" at that original dose, then doubled it. Then says they're too high and wants to go even lower than I was to start with? That doesn't make sense. I only got this info in a voicemail; I haven't even had the chance to ask if he wants to lower my dose to that extreme indefinitely or not. I'm going to have a serious issue with that if so, though I can't come up with any logical reason for him to do that if he saw fit to increase the original dose to start with. But I've gained muscle in this last month on this new dose, and my fat distribution has begun to change. I'm terrified that's all going to go back to where it was before if the dose drops that drastically. I can't disclose the actual dose, obviously, but it is lower than I've heard of anyone my age being on, and I'm not going to be okay with that over an extended period of time. I'm also not looking forward to probably getting more migraines while my body adjusts, and to probably being extremely weepy all the time... for probably at least a month. I cannot function that way. He has checked NOTHING aside from trough T levels. He hasn't checked my liver, hasn't checked my RBC, hasn't checked my peak levels, hasn't done ANYTHING to see if this dose is actually causing me enough harm to warrant such sudden, drastic change. I don't want to lose the progress I've made.

I am just fed up with this system. I wish there was a local doctor who would prescribe me my hormones. I wish I was just normal and didn't have to deal with this anymore. Feeling pretty hopeless right now.