Gina's journey

[Brooke Renee]

I forgot to mention in my last post. My emotions have been all over the place lately. Feeling happy and almost euphoric at times then latter in the day feeling down without any real reason. Does any one else experience mood swings like this? I've been on the rollercoaster for about a month now. Not sure if its HRT related or just the endless cloudy weather we are having
Gina.

Hey girl,

Probably both!  It's that time of the year when most of us Seattleites throw in the towel, pour a glass of scotch, and plop down in front of the TV with a bowl of Vitamin D gummies.

Hugs,

Brooke


PS: Super happy you joined out group! 

[Gina P]

  Went for a nice trail ride yesterday. Only 5 miles but with my banded hemorrhoids, I felt every step. It was still nice to get out. The weather was in the 40's and sunny, had that spring feel to it. My horse had a touch of spring fever and had lots of go and little whoa. Stopped for some apples at a local farm market, on the way home. I especially like Empire apples and didn't see any so I asked. The owner and his employee get into a discussion about which apples are best for 'HER' meaning me which feels great to  be gendered correctly. I settled on Honey Crisp then they found some Empires  in the cooler so I now have a bag of both.
   Today we take my son and his wife out to dinner for thier birthdays. Always a good time hanging with them.
Had a bite with Courtney on Friday. Her hair is looking great, though I embarrassed her by looking at it in the restaurant. It's so nice to have someone who I can talk to about trans things and gets it.
  My business has been a little slow lately, so we are moving the rest of my stuff off the property that used to be my mothers. 40+ years of crap in the barn and I don't want to leave a bit that might be useful behind. Down to a few hundred bales of hay which next week should be out. 350 wood fence posts. Many pieces of angle iron. A snow mobile. The list goes on and on.
   The moods have been a little better. I always feel better when Gina gets a chance to dress up and go out.
Gina
   I am using my female voice more and more but still struggle and drop back to the old pitch quite often. It's a slow progress but I am making progress.

[imallie]

What a great picture, Gina!

THAT'S what "happiness" looks like!!

Love,
Allie

[Gina P]

When we took my son out Sunday, he seamed a bit off. Then he started arguing with his wife at the end of the meal. Yesterday she call me and asked me to call him and try to help him. Finds out he hates me for challanging the estate (will) and making him loose his inheritance. We had a huge blow up and I wound up hanging up on him after he said I don't care.... I borrowed $60k against my house and all he can say is where is mine! He wanted to put in a blacktop driveway this spring. Never mind the $10k I gave him to help buy his house, he has more due him. Argh I hate what money has done to our family.

[Brooke Renee]

Hi Gina,

Sorry to hear about the strife with your son, sadly money and family stories are all too common.  Hopefully in time everyone will return to civility and realize life is not always easy and predictable. 

Hugs,

Brooke

[Gina P]

  I got the shingles vaccine on Wednesday. The nurse comes into the waiting room and says very loudly 'Gregory'. Argh! I reluctantly get up and once out of the waiting room tell her she has my name wrong. She apologizes.
   We pulled the last of my hay out of Moms barn on Wednesday. I have been coughing and sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, muscle aches. Not sure how much was a reaction from the vax and how much from overdoing it but I have felt like I had the flue for the last few days. Feeling a little better today. Still hacking some. We will see. I  don't think I will miss the hay fever that comes along with doing hay.
  I bought a new bra, 'Fallsweet' padded pushup. Amazing makes my boobs look great. I have a C cup in the same bra, which I fill out nicely but decided to try a B which pushes the girls out the top and on display. Its amazing how good I feel looking in the mirror. Just another conformation that I am on the right path.
Gina

[TXSara]

I got the shingles vaccine on Wednesday. The nurse comes into the waiting room and says very loudly 'Gregory'. Argh! I reluctantly get up and once out of the waiting room tell her she has my name wrong. She apologizes.

That happened to me at LabCorp about 6 months ago.  Talk about "walk of shame"... I was pretty upset at the time, but I'm glad that it hasn't happened in a long while.

I bought a new bra, 'Fallsweet' padded pushup. Amazing makes my boobs look great. I have a C cup in the same bra, which I fill out nicely but decided to try a B which pushes the girls out the top and on display. Its amazing how good I feel looking in the mirror. Just another conformation that I am on the right path.

That's great, Gina!  I'm really glad that you are enjoying "the girls".  I don't think I admire mine QUITE as much as Courtney does LOL, but I do find myself looking in the mirror every once in a while thinking, "Wow.  It really happened.  I'm so happy!"  It's really nice to be proud of my body for once in my life.

~Sara

[Courtney G]

That's great, Gina!  I'm really glad that you are enjoying "the girls".  I don't think I admire mine QUITE as much as Courtney does LOL, but I do find myself looking in the mirror every once in a while thinking, "Wow.  It really happened.  I'm so happy!"  It's really nice to be proud of my body for once in my life.

Hey! I resemble that remark! But seriously, positivity about my breasts is pretty much all I have right now. Maybe I'll be singing a different tune once my hair grows in...

[ChrissyRyan]

I got the shingles vaccine on Wednesday. The nurse comes into the waiting room and says very loudly 'Gregory'. Argh! I reluctantly get up and once out of the waiting room tell her she has my name wrong. She apologizes.
   We pulled the last of my hay out of Moms barn on Wednesday. I have been coughing and sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, muscle aches. Not sure how much was a reaction from the vax and how much from overdoing it but I have felt like I had the flue for the last few days. Feeling a little better today. Still hacking some. We will see. I  don't think I will miss the hay fever that comes along with doing hay.
  I bought a new bra, 'Fallsweet' padded pushup. Amazing makes my boobs look great. I have a C cup in the same bra, which I fill out nicely but decided to try a B which pushes the girls out the top and on display. Its amazing how good I feel looking in the mirror. Just another conformation that I am on the right path.
Gina

Gina,

Is not shingles something that happens mostly to older people?  You look pretty and young regardless.

I do have some days when I seem to want to have my breasts to appear more prominent.  Unsure why exactly but I do.

I tried a front clasping push up padded bra but it seemed to make my breasts look too big so I returned it.  I am a natural B cup.

Chrissy

[Jessica_Rose]

Gina,

Is not shingles something that happens mostly to older people?  You look pretty and young regardless.

Chrissy

I had shingles when I was 16. It formed a band of blisters about 4 inches wide from my sternum to my spine around the left side of my chest. I thought is was poison ivy, but a trip to the doctor resulted in a prognosis of shingles. It was not a pleasant experience. Although shingles is uncommon in younger people, it can strike at any age.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Gina P]

Gina,

Is not shingles something that happens mostly to older people?  You look pretty and young 

Thanks Chrissy, I'm 61 and the doc says at 60 it a good idea to get the vax. My father and grandfather both endured shingles and were miserable with it for a month, which is why i decided it might be best to go this route .
  The weather is supposed to be near 60 today so as you all know me, off trail riding we go. Hopping for a 9 mile ride at Trexler game preserve. A very hilly ride but always nice.
  The hemeroids have mostly healed and I can sit a bit more comfortable.
   I was asked by the gas station attendant, "What can I get you mam?" being gendered correctly is so nice. I didn't think it would bother me as much when someone says sir, but as I get further along in transition it does.  

[davina61]

Well you only need it if you had chicken pox as the virus lies dormant and reactivates to give shingles as I understand it.

[imallie]

Shingles is NOT something to mess with.

Yes, it's something that is basically related to Chicken pox ... but if you had/didn't have CP it doesn't matter. And it is more prevalent in people over 50, but it can strike at any age.

And while I haven't had it, I can speak to a few things:

1 - my wife and I both got the vaccine. The first part kicked our butts, worse than any other shot we'd ever had. Most likely, we feel, because we just didn't expect it. We had heard people say "it's bad" but people say that about the flu shot, about Covid shots, etc... this one WAS. We were legit sick for 24 hours.  The second dose - we were fine.  Which was funny because we prepared like it was going to be an apocalypse - bought lots of soup and comfort food, and then... nothing. 😂

2 - that being said, please don't be scared off getting it. While I haven't had it, I do know head pain with my daily cluster headaches and migraines. The only other person I know who has had comparable head trauma is a dear friend who had a brain aneurysm and has had multiple brain surgeries.  And SHE once had Shingles - in her eye. And she says Shingles was more painful than her surgeries.

So get vaccinated when your doc tells you.

This has been a message from your friendly neighborhood AMA 😘

Love,
Allie

[Oldandcreaky]

I echo what Allie said. The shingles vaccine was bad for my spouse and me too and we hadn't been warned, which made it even worse because we hadn't braced for it. As with Allie, the second shot wasn't as bad.

[ChrissyRyan]

Thanks Chrissy, I'm 61 and the doc says at 60 it a good idea to get the vax. My father and grandfather both endured shingles and were miserable with it for a month, which is why i decided it might be best to go this route .
  The weather is supposed to be near 60 today so as you all know me, off trail riding we go. Hopping for a 9 mile ride at Trexler game preserve. A very hilly ride but always nice.
  The hemeroids have mostly healed and I can sit a bit more comfortable.
   I was asked by the gas station attendant, "What can I get you mam?" being gendered correctly is so nice. I didn't think it would bother me as much when someone says sir, but as I get further along in transition it does. 

Gina,

It is always nice to be treated as a woman.  Much of the time I am accepted although I think there are some "smiles of perhaps things are not what the appear" by some.  So be it but I admit it is disheartening at times.  I was simply born with the wrong body and it is not that easy to remedy that.  Onward though I say to myself.

Horses are beautiful animals.  I hope you have a wonderful ride today.

Chrissy

[Gina P]

Went ridding at Trexler game preserve in PA, Saturday. Rode 10.6 miles. I was wore out and crashed when we got home.  Crossed streams, up mountains and down, then back up, over and over... They were feeding the bison when we went by. The bison came running to get the hay which spooked our horses and my wife was thrown. She is a little sore but ok. I took a minute to walk the horses over to the fence where they stood nose to nose checking the bison out. (nothing to fear here) The weather was close to 60 deg. here are 3 covered bridges all within a few miles of there. All in all it was a nice ride.
   I had counseling Friday. We discussed my fear of using my female voice in public and how it is just like the first times presenting in public. "If someone has a problem with it its theirs NOT YOURS", was his response. I had not seen the similarity before and I hope this gives me more courage to use my female voice. After months of voice coaching I was doing good at the secessions but when out struggled. I found out I didn't want to sound like a gay man. And yes I was/am worried about what others might think. One more hurtle to overcome.
Gina

[Jessica_Rose]

Sorry to hear that your wife got thrown, and I'm glad she is OK. It sounds like it was a beautiful ride.

It's interesting how words change meaning over time. Many years ago, describing someone as 'gay' was a compliment:

From Webster's Dictionary, circa 1828:
GAY, adjective
1. Merry; airy; jovial; sportive; frolicksome. It denotes more life and animation than cheerful.
Belinda smiled, and all the world was gay

Maybe one day that will again become the preferred definition, when people finally realize that loving who they are and loving who they want to love really does make them 'merry, jovial, and frolicksome'.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Gina P]

I hope I didn't offend anyone with the word 'Gay'. I was meaning I didn't want to sound like a man with that over the top effeminate like voice. I would just like to sound like a natural female.

[davina61]

I think we all got that my dear.

[Gina P]

I played Gina of all trades today and conquered fixing my refrigerator icemaker. First I didn't have  clue why it stopped working or how these darn things work. You Tube up! I never did figure out what was wrong but my guess was the motor. I had another one inn the garage fridge but it was slightly different so a little spicing of the wires and presto it works.
Had my 4th hair removal for surgery, Wednesday. It defiantly stung a bit as she got close to my rectum. Only 2 more to go there. She has also been doing my hair below my belly button at my request. Its so smooth now its amazing. I need to schedule some for the rest of my body.