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i dont know what to do

Started by kristagoins, October 10, 2017, 04:15:45 PM

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kristagoins

hi. im kinda new here. my name is krista. im a 48 year old married trans woman . I have crossdressed for as long as I can remember. growing up in the hills of Kentucky it was something that I was always ashamed of because it is not socially acceptable. so growing up I always had a macho attitude. doing everything I thought a redneck guy from the mountains should do. which now I am not proud of at all. I was lucky enough to find my true love in high school. our very first date I knew this was the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with. and over 30years we have had our ups and downs.
ive managed to keep my crossdressing hid. but now I want to come clean to my wife but im so scared that I would lose her. about a year ago I finally admitted to myself I was trans. I don't know any other trans people to talk to about this. I have started seeing a gender therapist but I haven't told my wife.
the crossdressing is a part of me that makes me feel like the person im supposed to be. I would love to be able to be me around my wife but she can be very opinionated sometimes. I own my own business and she is in a high profile position also. so if I was to start transitioning or start hrt. how would that affect our professional life.
I take medication for depression and anxiety and it is all over my secret. I am so confused about how to handle this I don't know what to do. any help or ideas would greatly help. thank you. you all are great.

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Rachel

Welcome to Susan's.

I recommend working with your therapist to do role playing on coming out to your wife.

Depending on your needs transition can have a lot of different factors to it from cross dressing to full transition and everything in between.

Be prepared for divorce.
HRT  5-28-2013
FT   11-13-2015
FFS   9-16-2016 -Spiegel
GCS 11-15-2016 - McGinn
Hair Grafts 3-20-2017 - Cooley
Voice therapy start 3-2017 - Reene Blaker
Labiaplasty 5-15-2017 - McGinn
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Hair grafts 9-25-2017 Dr.Cooley
Sataloff Cricothyroid subluxation and trachea shave12-11-2017
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Dr. Sataloff Glottoplasty 5-14-2018
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Dr. McGinn vaginal revision 2 4-3-2019 Bottom of vagina closed off, fat injected into the labia and urethra repositioned.
Dr. Thomas in 2020 FEMLAR
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kristagoins

thank you. I will do that. sometimes I think it would be better for every one if I just stay on my meds and just repress. I could not bear losing her over my ignorance.
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Tommie_9

As Rachel replied, your best advice will come from your gender therapist. If it gives you moral support, know that marriages can survive. Mine did as did many others participating in this forum.
Finding 'self' is the first step toward becoming 'self'. Every step is part of a journey. May your journey lead to happiness. Peace!
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Dena

Welcome to Susan's Place. Unfortunately this is something we all have to deal with. Nothing is a sure thing and about half the wives accept this and the other half don't. While there are pockets of people who aren't accepting, the majority of the population is accepting of us. In day to day dealing it's often the color of your money. If you can make them money or save them money the will accept a lot. The rest of the people you meet day to day really don't care what you do as long as it doesn't affect them Often people are so wrapped up in their own life they don't realize what's going on in yours. I have had a few years of experience in this and have traveled a fair portion of the country without any difficulty. Often we discover much of what we fear exist only in our mind.

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KathyLauren

Explore all possible outcomes with your therapist.  Hope for the best and plan for the worst. 

My marriage is one that survived.  But before I could make a move, I had to plan for the possibility that it might not.  Once I was confident that I could survive that (I knew that breakup would hurt like hell, but I could get through it), then I was able to come out.  As it turned out, she is my biggest supporter.

Sometimes it works out.
2015-07-04 Awakening; 2015-11-15 Out to self; 2016-06-22 Out to wife; 2016-10-27 First time presenting in public; 2017-01-20 Started HRT!!; 2017-04-20 Out publicly; 2017-07-10 Legal name change; 2019-02-15 Approval for GRS; 2019-08-02 Official gender change; 2020-03-11 GRS; 2020-09-17 New birth certificate
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sf_erika

Quote from: KathyLauren on October 11, 2017, 07:31:48 AM
Explore all possible outcomes with your therapist.  Hope for the best and plan for the worst. 

My marriage is one that survived.  But before I could make a move, I had to plan for the possibility that it might not.  Once I was confident that I could survive that (I knew that breakup would hurt like hell, but I could get through it), then I was able to come out.  As it turned out, she is my biggest supporter.

Sometimes it works out.

I agree with this completely.  Work it out with your therapist, but be aware that some marriages survive.  When I came out to my wife, i was simply at the point where I couldn't hide it anymore.  She could even tell that something was wrong at the time, and kept asking me to tell her what was going on.  I was also worried that she'd come home unexpectedly one day and find me cross dressing.  I wouldn't have wanted her to find out like that. 

That was just a few months ago, and i feel like my journey is still relatively new.  But we've been through some ups and downs, and i feel that our marriage will survive - wherever my journey leads.  In many ways, our marriage is the strongest it has ever been.

One thing that I think helped us is that I read a lot about what spouses go through.  I know that this is hard for a spouse, but I wanted to try to understand all of the different kinds of feelings she may have.  I read a lot about of material from other spouses.  I think that having some kind of an understanding of her feelings can help you anticipate her needs.   And be very attentive to those needs because she will need support.  If the two of you are able to work through the initial shock, then full, open, and honest communication becomes crucial. 

Anyway, i know your pain, and wish you the best.


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Rayna

I'm currently reading My Husband Betty by Helen Boyd, which is very much from the wife's perspective. Not all roses but they are still together.

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If so, then why not?
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Lucynewman

If it were me, I'd come clean, no matter the consequences. If she leaves you it's tragic, but the sooner it happens the sooner you can begin dealing with it. But the flip side is, if she's accepting, then youve already wasted decades assuming she wouldnt, and you're putting off all the joy of her acceptance over fear.

Not telling her seems like you think something is wrong with you. Nothing is wrong with you. You're a human being just like the rest of us. Don't let fear run your life.

...i would like to add a disclaimer: my marriage fell apart. Being alone is just wretched. If you can't chance it then that's fine too. But I'd recommend being truthful with your spouse 10 times out of 10. Lies are what killed my marriage.

Nuthin but ♡. Take care of yourself.
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Steph Eigen

As everyone else has advised, carefully work through this with your therapist.  Honesty is always the preferred path to follow here as well as in most all things in life but disclosure is a process.

Disclosure to wife or SO is often misunderstood as a simple process, akin to simply mounting the courage to sit down with her and begin with "Uh, honey, I've got something I need to tell you..."  This needs to be understood as a far more nuanced process, on which you will will spend substantial time and effort with your therapist.

If the burden of secrecy is weighing on you to the point of depression and disabling anxiety, you will need to confront the need to disclose in some manner as one of the initial goals.  What might be useful at this time in the process is to begin gently probing, testing your wife's positions and deeper feelings in an attempt to estimate her responses.  Also, be forthright about seeing a therapist.  At this initial stage, you may want to tell her (truthfully) that it is because of your anxiety and depression, an attempt to improve your situation, be a better happier  healthier spouse.  You do not need initially to disclose you are seeing the therapist for concerns over gender--that will come later.

Many, if not nearly all of us have struggled over the secrecy issue.  First, realize that you are not hiding a grim fact such as the undisclosed fact of having murdered or raped.  You've done nothing inherently wrong being who and what you are despite the guilt you feel over it.  Emerge from the sense of guilt and move on.  Here is where you need your therapist (in a big way). Conversely, I'd advise you not to swing to the opposite extreme in response to this realization to the position of playing the victim. Society is what it is.  Acceptance is less of an issue than often anticipated before coming out.  Try to emerge from guilt into a mindset of actively managing and living your life, including this previously hidden and suppressed aspect of it.

Back to the honesty issue and disclosure to you wife.  I had to work through a deeply disturbing sense the failure to be entirely forthright and honest with my wife being a overt lie.  I, again like most of us here, have known there was something wrong since childhood.  Read the Anne Vitale piece on her website, http://www.avitale.com/developmentalreview.htm which might offer some insight into the problem at different stages of life.  In any case, be gentle with yourself.  I've come to realize, that I did not even understand the nature of my own problem until well into mid life, nearly the exact description A.V. describes as the "group 3" individuals, illustrated by the example of her patient, John, in the essay.  Realize you've tried to find a practical path through life, done the best you could, now find this effort failing and need help.  Try not to judge yourself  to harshly--realize you've made utilitarian compromises to allow life to go on, in the largest extent, in in attempt to protect your wife from something that society finds difficult to accept--at high cost to you and your mental health.  Now is the time to work toward a solution that will allow both of you to emerge from this compromised situation to a healthier one.

Therapy is a wonderful thing when done well.  The spectrum of solutions to gender dysphoria and management of conflict between natal sex and ultimate gender  identity is vast and very personal.  If you feel you are getting to a dead end with your current therapist, don't despair, there are surely others who may be better positioned to help you.
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Tiame

My marriage survived too.  It is can happen. Its a work in progress.

Being hopefull for you
Chris
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