T is a medication that you will forever be reliant on to keep many of the changes you have. 

same as all of us on T, what's your point?

Seems to be a slight bit of hostility going on in this thread which I don't understand. I don't think anyone is suggesting they want to pick and choose the changes they get - we're going through puberty like any other guy would; and I can guarantee teenage guys getting acne aren't thrilled about it either, regardless of whether it's normal or not.

Yes, please dial it down a notch. Before bristling, you might ask the other person for clarification and try to understand what he means. This strategy works for me when I use it (I don't always, alas).

Quote from: Andy8715 on July 30, 2012, 03:54:20 PM
Says the person on T.

Andy, I usually agree with your posts, but personally, I would not put testosterone in the same category as cholesterol medication, especially since testosterone is technically a steroidal substance.

Quote from: Jeatyn on July 30, 2012, 04:13:20 PM
Seems to be a slight bit of hostility going on in this thread which I don't understand. I don't think anyone is suggesting they want to pick and choose the changes they get - we're going through puberty like any other guy would; and I can guarantee teenage guys getting acne aren't thrilled about it either, regardless of whether it's normal or not.

Yes. And anyone is allowed to feel any way they wish to about their body, cis or trans. My post was just my own personal opinion. I try not to impose my beliefs about my own transition and my body onto other trans folks'; everyone's lives and experiences vary, and I respect our differences. I don't think it's crazy that someone going through a major endocrine change would dislike or be surprised by some of their new changes. That hasn't been my experience, but it's not weird that others may have these feelings.

That said, I came up with another change I hate... ass crack hair.

I dislike that my skin can go from alright to terrible if I forget to don't wash it as often.

To answer the OP: I never had trouble with my skin, but it is kicking me in butt now. My face has remained clear, which I am pretty happy about, but the rest of my body isn't fairing so well. I'm also getting used to swallowing - I know that sounds weird. I totally don't mind that I am developing something if a tiny Adam's apple, but occasionally it feels like when I swallow, it goes down wrong. It's not a bad change, just a 'huh?' sort of one.

I think its just one of those good with the bad sort of things, you know? That's how I look at it. I'm not exactly thrilled by the crazy amount of fuzz on my back and shoulders now,  but I just sort of accept it as something that I most likely would have had if I was born male.

Quote from: JasonRX on July 30, 2012, 05:05:54 PM
Andy, I usually agree with your posts, but personally, I would not put testosterone in the same category as cholesterol medication, especially since testosterone is technically a steroidal substance.

T is just as much a medication as any other drug on the market.

Even if I could take it at this point I wouldn't because I don't want to be a slave to the pharmaceutical industry. That's just my viewpoint on it. Am I saying that everyone that does want to be on it is a slave? Not really. I mean, if that's not how you look at it, you're not. That's just how I look at it for me.

I also don't understand that mindset where if you have some "problem" you just add another pill into the mix. There's already a vast amount of evidence showing what damage all the different pharmaceutical drugs do, how many side effects they cause, etc. When you can't even turn on the TV without either seeing an ad for a drug (with side effects including things like "fatal events", lymphoma, heart failure, etc. etc.) or an ad for a law firm that's representing people who were harmed (or killed) by drugs, it just makes me wonder why people are so hot to still "ask your doctor about blah blah". Boggling.

So while T has relatively few side effects (most of which are the masculine effects FTMs want) it's still a medication. And anyone who happens to be on T and maybe doesn't want to add another drug into the mix shouldn't have to take any slack for it.

Also, how many cis guys don't like being hairy? Or don't like getting acne? Or losing their hair? WTF is so wrong with an FTM guy not wanting things like that? Every time I see a thread like this people jump in and say something like, "man you just have to be cool with all or nothing!" And there's this undertone implying, well you're not a "real" dude unless you're cool with all that stuff. And then we have the T-pride people who jump in and go, "I love it ALL!" Well, super. Can everyone just like and not like whatever they want without some implied nonsense going on?

i've only done my 2nd shot, but my face is extremely oily which i really dislike. it looks like im constantly sweaty or something.
other than that, that's it so far haha.

maybe as time progresses on but so far i'm very content.

I guess I do consider T a medication still.  I mean, it's a hormone that I'm taking because my body doesn't make enough of it naturally.  But it is still a drug I guess. 

I work in a field where medication is so important.  Luckily I get to stress lifestyle modification as a primary way to control disease, but sometimes people just need medicine.

The medication thing - I see where you guys are coming from. I too don't really agree with a lot of the meds that are dolled out which could be controlled by a better diet or actual treatment for said problem...such as type two diabetes, high cholesterol, or some pain problems that just get stronger and stronger pain killers thrown at them rather than actually being looked at.

If I can fix it myself - I'd much rather go that route. Pain killers are always on my repeat prescriptions because I have sciatica but I always ask the pharmacist not to fill it, I can manage the pain myself with exercise or just resting when I need to, I'd much rather just adjust my lifestyle than rely on painkillers forever and then get a secondary liver problem or an addiction.

T levels however I simply cannot fix by myself, and my quality of life without it is abysmal. I look at it the same way as my asthma inhalers....sure I could technically "live" without it, but I can't LIVE! without it.

Quote from: insideontheoutside on July 30, 2012, 08:42:06 PM
T is just as much a medication as any other drug on the market.

Even if I could take it at this point I wouldn't because I don't want to be a slave to the pharmaceutical industry. That's just my viewpoint on it. Am I saying that everyone that does want to be on it is a slave? Not really. I mean, if that's not how you look at it, you're not. That's just how I look at it for me.

I also don't understand that mindset where if you have some "problem" you just add another pill into the mix. There's already a vast amount of evidence showing what damage all the different pharmaceutical drugs do, how many side effects they cause, etc. When you can't even turn on the TV without either seeing an ad for a drug (with side effects including things like "fatal events", lymphoma, heart failure, etc. etc.) or an ad for a law firm that's representing people who were harmed (or killed) by drugs, it just makes me wonder why people are so hot to still "ask your doctor about blah blah". Boggling.

So while T has relatively few side effects (most of which are the masculine effects FTMs want) it's still a medication. And anyone who happens to be on T and maybe doesn't want to add another drug into the mix shouldn't have to take any slack for it.

Also, how many cis guys don't like being hairy? Or don't like getting acne? Or losing their hair? WTF is so wrong with an FTM guy not wanting things like that? Every time I see a thread like this people jump in and say something like, "man you just have to be cool with all or nothing!" And there's this undertone implying, well you're not a "real" dude unless you're cool with all that stuff. And then we have the T-pride people who jump in and go, "I love it ALL!" Well, super. Can everyone just like and not like whatever they want without some implied nonsense going on?

This

Quote from: Jeatyn on July 31, 2012, 08:49:23 AM
T levels however I simply cannot fix by myself, and my quality of life without it is abysmal. I look at it the same way as my asthma inhalers....sure I could technically "live" without it, but I can't LIVE! without it.

This is why I can't stand the logic of, "Transition is an elective procedure." I can't imagine where I'd be right now if I never transitioned but I can guarantee it wouldn't be anything good.

I'm just trying to accept the fact that if/when I start T I have a probably 25-50% shot of going bald. Sucks, but I have a feeling if I get to the point of deciding to start hormones, it'll be worth it. If I decide it isn't worth it, I'll just not take them for now.
I felt ridiculous about this until last night when I was talking about it with my dad, and realized he's pretty similar about his hair too. I told him I was scared of going bald if I start T, and he pretty much said "who wouldn't be?" For me, its totally valid to not like everything about being a guy, just like it's valid that there were some things about being read as a girl that didn't suck so bad (getting a free pass to hit on straight guys was alright for my bisexual self). If cis people can like and dislike things about their hormonal profile, so can I. It just comes down to the fact that in the long run, everyone has things they don't like about their body, but they still deserve to find whatever way possible to make their bodies livable.

I accept every change, but I hate going through puberty again imo. Acne is a pain to deal with and I have to monitor it. At least when I was at the end of female puberty, my acne became more bearable. I just don't like going through puberty again, I guess? I also dislike that I'll always be on T because my body cannot naturally produce everything I need. :/

to add to the cholesterol med and T med thing. my view is why rely on more chemicals then you have to.

cholesterol can be controlled by and lifestyle change so before relying on more chemicals lifestyle changes might be a better option.

testosterone can not be significantly raised by any lifestyle and diet changes. so chemical options are our only options.

Quote from: insideontheoutside on July 30, 2012, 08:42:06 PM
T is just as much a medication as any other drug on the market.

Even if I could take it at this point I wouldn't because I don't want to be a slave to the pharmaceutical industry. That's just my viewpoint on it. Am I saying that everyone that does want to be on it is a slave? Not really. I mean, if that's not how you look at it, you're not. That's just how I look at it for me.

I also don't understand that mindset where if you have some "problem" you just add another pill into the mix. There's already a vast amount of evidence showing what damage all the different pharmaceutical drugs do, how many side effects they cause, etc. When you can't even turn on the TV without either seeing an ad for a drug (with side effects including things like "fatal events", lymphoma, heart failure, etc. etc.) or an ad for a law firm that's representing people who were harmed (or killed) by drugs, it just makes me wonder why people are so hot to still "ask your doctor about blah blah". Boggling.

So while T has relatively few side effects (most of which are the masculine effects FTMs want) it's still a medication. And anyone who happens to be on T and maybe doesn't want to add another drug into the mix shouldn't have to take any slack for it.

Also, how many cis guys don't like being hairy? Or don't like getting acne? Or losing their hair? WTF is so wrong with an FTM guy not wanting things like that? Every time I see a thread like this people jump in and say something like, "man you just have to be cool with all or nothing!" And there's this undertone implying, well you're not a "real" dude unless you're cool with all that stuff. And then we have the T-pride people who jump in and go, "I love it ALL!" Well, super. Can everyone just like and not like whatever they want without some implied nonsense going on?

Agreed. I mean seriously, if people are happy with all the changes, then that's great, if you don't like all the changes, that's cool too. Cis males and females pretty much feel the same, I know tons of cis guys who hate the fact they are going bald and I know tons of cis females who hate their hips. Everyone deals with changes differently, so why is it so difficult to talk openly about what you don't like in a community which 'prides' itself on being open-minded, especially when they want people to be open-minded about being transgender. Double standards get people no-where.

I've been on T for 3 weeks now, I take cream, As of right now the only thing i dislike is the oily skin and acne. I want a fair amount of hair, i just hope i dont get to hairy

Spots are the most annoying thing, I knew i'd get them though as I had bad acne with my first puberty but in different places on my face  with my first puberty I got them on my forehead and nose but now they're on my chin and on my cheeks, mostly infront of my sideburns. I just make sure to wash my face regulary that way I can keep them to a minimum.

I'm not a fan of my upper arm and back hair either, i'm not sure what i'll do with it in the future, if it gets worse on my back I might get it waxed but i'm not sure I can be bothered. If I didn't have scars on my upper arms i'd probably shave them though.