Hi,

I was wondering if anyone can tell me how long it took for their hair and nails and skin to recover from Spiro after stopping it prior to SRS? I'm due to stop Spiro in 5 weeks. My hair has gotten ruined horribly by spiro and my nails and skin are always terribly dry, crack and peel etc!! If anyone else has had those side-effects, how long did it take before you started seeing moisture return to your body or has it?? Also as Dr. Bowers has requested that I stop Spiro two weeks prior to SRS and reduce my E to post SRS dosages, what if any, masculinizing effects did you see from shifting to your post-surgery regimen prior to surgery?

Any experiences along these lines would be very helpful.

Thank you!

I was on androcur and not spiro, but I recognize the symptoms you describe. It's been quite a while since I had SRS, but as I remember it gradually improved over the course of several months.

As for going off HRT prior to surgery (if memory serves I had to stop 6 weeks before), I don't really remember it affecting me that much, even though I was pretty stressed about it.

Interesting. I was under the impression that Androcur doesn't dry out your body the same way Spiro does, because Spiro is a diuretic causing you to lose moisture from your body.

Thank you for the response though Jane!

Perhaps "dry out" is not the right way to put it, but with androcur my hair looked and felt decidedly unhealthy.

I was on spiro pre-GRS.  I didn't know if it was spiro or E but my nails started splitting, breaking, cracking and were impossible to grow.  Before HRT they were smooth and practically bulletproof.  After I stopped spiro, I saw no changes in my nails.  Post GRS there was no change.  It's been over two years since GRS and my nails are still a wreck.  I long ago gave up trying to grow them out.

As for my hair, stress from my job eroding, after coming out at work, took its toll.  The meds had nothing to do with that.

Julie,

How long were you on HRT prior to GRS?

Thanks.

Hayley,
I'm pre-op and > 1year on HRT and Spiro. I also noticed slitting nails, hair that just hang and are dry and split ends, very dry, all the stuff you mention.

It appears that it is the E dosing that seems to do that. Yet we have to, as we hardly have any growth hormone to help feminization as would be when going through puberty.

I did notice having been completely of E for about 1 week, having ramped down over 5 weeks,  and restating small (one small tab/day) that my hair got more "greasy", skin less dry etc. That change came pretty fast actually.

If you are e.g. on 3 - 4 E tabs of the higher value (for menopause that is) then you are essentially overdosing on E, compared what the stuff was made for, and also compared to what GGs would use i.e. 1 pill/day rather then 3 or 4.

Lastly I spoke to my beautician doing my nail, and she said peeling/splitting nails are due to hormones. It seems a pretty well known thing to them.

So if post-op staying on pre-op levels as are plenty of doctor's recommendations... afraid nothing will change. Also myself like Julie had bullet prove nails, alas no more and my hair are ->-bleeped-<-e also.
Seems it's hard to have it all...

Axelle

Axelle,

I suspect my dosage will be dropped significantly after SRS. I'm currently taking Delestrogen Injections weekly and will likely have to switch back to estradiol tabs post surgery.

Hopefully the complete lack of spiro and the lower dosage of E should make  significant difference in my case.

Hi hon,
since we not allowed to speak mg/day and such, I have no idea what your shots/week would be the equivalent of in (big or small) tabs/day. Would you? Could PM if you feel like.

If you have not been for some 3 -4 years on E etc. a LOT of docs will tell you to carry on as is for at least 2 - 3 more years. Of course it's all your choice to follow such suggestion.

If you feel/know you have feminized real fine, then you would of course go on GG menopause level (one big or small/day) --- but also not after another 3 - 6 month on a min. 2/3 daily E etc.

It is known that your bod will try to "kick back" after SRS and often overactivate Adrenal glands etc.

Two TG friends of mine didn't take note and felt very, very "flat" for some month post-op. So be ware.

Axelle

For the time that you are off E for surgery is not enough to re-masculinize.  Plus, your testes will be cut out soon enough anyway.  There isn't anything to worry about here.

Quote from: girl_ashley on July 29, 2011, 08:45:27 AM
For the time that you are off E for surgery is not enough to re-masculinize.

I actually won't be off E at all! Dr. Bowers instructed me to switch to Post-SRS dosage of E, 2 weeks prior to SRS. I will be off Spiro though. I'm more interested in what kind of recovery my hair, nails and skin will get coming off of Spiro.