Have a appointment with a gender therapist in a little over a month, tried a regular therapist first but with little progress. I am not sure what he will say about T but hoping to start before my 40th Bday!

HRT: 8 months going on 9
RLE: 4 months, going on 5
ID: Female, except for B/C and SSI
Therapist: several times, awaiting recommendation letter for Orchie.
Beard Shadow: Mostly gone.  Need electrolysis for grey

Hey Y'all'


                                                                                  Always Love,
                                                                                  Heather Rose

• HRT- off and on for 8 years, all on the last 1.5.  No more see-sawing for me.
• "full time" outside of work: 9 months.
• "full time" *cough*, "100% full time", including work:  in 6 weeks!
• GRS Projected: January 2010

Voice is still "atrocious" but working heavy on it.   90% of unwanted hair has been fried, zapped, plucked, lasered and/or electrocuted in the most horrid and painful of ways.

*huggs*,
Melan

First time out en femme: Oct 2005
First laser session: Jan 2006 with a further 160hrs electrolysis to date
Hormones: Aug. 2006 and started living part time (most everywhere except work)
FFS: July 2008
Name change, new passport and 100% full time: November 2008

Still remain to decide whether I should tidy up the last 'bits and pieces'.

I'm on hormones, have a therapist.  I've also had FFS, a BA and I live full time as what I am, a woman. As my signature reads, my GRS is scheduled for May 19, 2009 in exactly 3 months 2 weeks & 4 days from now.

I voted living full-time - about a year on HRT and about 6 months FT now, though I don't know if I could technically be considered in my RLE yet since I wo and option haven't managed to secure a job. So say somewhere between option two option three.

Mina.

Full time and RLE dont really mix... full time is what you do... RLE is a stage of assesment when you are FT, usually folk go ft at th start... doesnt mean all ft is rle... ive been ft 2 years and no rle yet.... its no biggie, well no, it is, i want the damn vagina! but rle doesnt make ft better, ft is just living your life.... in some ways, its as good as it gets lol.

Quote from: Starbuck on January 31, 2009, 10:43:38 AM
Full time and RLE dont really mix... full time is what you do... RLE is a stage of assesment when you are FT, usually folk go ft at th start... doesnt mean all ft is rle... ive been ft 2 years and no rle yet.... its no biggie, well no, it is, i want the damn vagina! but rle doesnt make ft better, ft is just living your life.... in some ways, its as good as it gets lol.

I agree sweetie. It's just frustrating that I can't officially get the whole RLE thing started so I can get on with getting those bloody letters.

Mina.

Quote from: mina.m->-bleeped-<-ie link=topic=54543.msg340069#msg340069 date=1233421952

Quote from: Starbuck on January 31, 2009, 10:43:38 AM
Full time and RLE dont really mix... full time is what you do... RLE is a stage of assesment when you are FT, usually folk go ft at th start... doesnt mean all ft is rle... ive been ft 2 years and no rle yet.... its no biggie, well no, it is, i want the damn vagina! but rle doesnt make ft better, ft is just living your life.... in some ways, its as good as it gets lol.

I agree sweetie. It's just frustrating that I can't officially get the whole RLE thing started so I can get on with getting those bloody letters.

Mina.

Sorry, I'm probably being dumb, but isn't transitioning and then living, presenting and functioning full time in the gender you believe yourself to be a RLE regardless of whether or not your ultimate goal is surgery?

From what I read in the SOC, yes full time is RLE.  Maybe I am wrong but that is how I am reading it.

Janet

RLE is a period of psycological evauation, therapy, and support as a reinforcement for usually, the persons first year full time. Its a period of trial and error  to see if they are suitable to live in the desired role.

Are you saying we are assessed for life?

Full time, is just being you... Get over the names, and the definitions, but you arent going to have a shrink down your neck forever. Sometimes you need to stand up alone and be counted. Be what you did all this for... Isnt that the point? If you live every day as if it were RLE, you're living for someone else.

Quote from: Starbuck on January 31, 2009, 09:38:32 PM
RLE is a period of psycological evauation, therapy, and support as a reinforcement for usually, the persons first year full time. Its a period of trial and error  to see if they are suitable to live in the desired role.

Are you saying we are assessed for life?

Full time, is just being you... Get over the names, and the definitions, but you arent going to have a shrink down your neck forever. Sometimes you need to stand up alone and be counted. Be what you did all this for... Isnt that the point? If you live every day as if it were RLE, you're living for someone else.

Very good point, Starbuck.  I am full time and it is for me.  It is my Real Life Experience.  Experiencing life as a woman, finally.  And it has nothing to do with my therapist wanting or needing it.  I am working towards my letters and SRS.  And that is also for me.

I would rather die as the woman I am now, than the male I was.  I am so much happier now with life and with myself.  And that is the Real Life Experience.  Everyday is a joy to wake up a woman.  There are days that are a royal pain, but it is a royal pain as a woman.

No matter what happens for now on, it is as a woman.

Janet

its always been a real life test here... or atleast in clinical scenarios.


Why is everything about tests and passing? hehe I cant escape school!

ROTFLOL.

The school of hard knocks?   ~giggles~

tests  ~stifled giggle~
passing  ~giggling loudly~
school.   ~giggle snort~ whoops

Quote from: Buffy on January 30, 2009, 12:38:58 PM
I was Miraculously cured by Dr Suporn 8 years ago.

Rebecca

Quite nicely put.  Dr. Suporn was my surgeon too.  I'm officially cured as of November 12, 2008.

Started seeing a therapist in June 08

Started living full-time in August 08

And started hormones in November 08

I'm working on a legal name change and the shaving down of the adam's apple surgery.

Quote from: Starbuck on January 31, 2009, 09:38:32 PM
RLE is a period of psycological evauation, therapy, and support as a reinforcement for usually, the persons first year full time. Its a period of trial and error  to see if they are suitable to live in the desired role.

Are you saying we are assessed for life?

Full time, is just being you... Get over the names, and the definitions, but you arent going to have a shrink down your neck forever. Sometimes you need to stand up alone and be counted. Be what you did all this for... Isnt that the point? If you live every day as if it were RLE, you're living for someone else.

Ahhh I see your point. Maybe RLE is a bigger deal, involving more supervision and analysis, your side of the pond than it does here. I get the impression that here if you can 'do your time', which incidentally is usually at least 2 years within the NHS, and answer your shrinks' questions 'correctly', which isn't a problem as, by the time of your appointment, you'll have been well rehearsed by any number of other girls who've already been through the mill, you will, if you want, you'll get your referrals for surgery. Unless you go private and pay for it, when you actually get your surgery done depends on budgets and local funding priorities and waiting lists tend to be either long or very long.

(im british)

And shame on you for suggesting that..... Im sorry, but 'coaching' people to answer therapy questions is impropper, and iresponsible. If someone is truely transgender, they ought to be able to answer them correctly alone!

Its not just surgical waits that are long... so is therapy.. ive 3 years left to wait of 6 >>

Quote from: Starbuck on February 01, 2009, 05:45:34 AM
(im british)

And shame on you for suggesting that..... Im sorry, but 'coaching' people to answer therapy questions is impropper, and iresponsible. If someone is truely transgender, they ought to be able to answer them correctly alone!

Its not just surgical waits that are long... so is therapy.. ive 3 years left to wait of 6 >>

Sorry, don't get me wrong, I'm not in any way suggesting I approve of coaching. But it does go on, and I'm sure you know it does. Quite frankly, if someone is determined to 'fool' the system they probably will if they have more than three brain cells and aren't an obvious basket case. But at the end of the day who are they 'fooling' but themselves. For myself I have never had any coaching, but I suppose that accounts for the fact that upon being asked by my specialist, within a day or two of transitioning, whether I wanted SRS I answered that as things stood the best argument I could come up with in favour was that my skirts would hang better and I could wear tighter jeans. As I feared, he didn't consider my reasoning sufficiently persuasive to offer me an immediate referral.......... now if I'd been properly coached...who knows?