What if I can't transition or fail passing?

[Lori Dee ✅]

To paraphrase, you can't be a mechanic if you're a woman. It just made my day!

My ex-wife is a mechanic. She worked for Motorola for many years, then they closed the plant. That qualified her for retraining. So she went to college and got a degree in Automotive Engineering. Before she graduated, she was offered a job at a manufacturing company. They make insulated tanker trucks, like for hauling hot liquids. She makes the tanks. Makes good money at it and loves her work. One of the welders that she works with is a woman. The rest of their crew are guys. They all get along and work well as a team.

Never say never.
😁

[NancyDrew1930]

I think the other thing you have to remember is that physical changes take years.  There are charts that give outlines for each thing that will change on HRT, however I'm just finding recently that when it comes to things like breasts, while I did have growth in the first 6 months to a year, their growth did seem to stop, however now that I'm at the 3.5 year mark (and I haven't had a BA), they seem to be growing again.  So some changes will take longer than advertised and you are basically going through your adolescence again where you might've had a growth spurt when you were 8 but then nothing really happened until you were 12 when you went through another growth spurt. 

So you will pass.  And we all have insecurities because we are transitioning. 

[Charlotte_Ringwood]

Gotta say, guy mode clothes don't last so long either! I've spent the last 20 years as a truck and heavy equipment mechanic. So, yeah, absolutely. Funny story, not long after coming out to Amy, she asked what I was going to do for a job. To paraphrase, you can't be a mechanic if you're a woman. It just made my day!

Oh dear lol! This has made my day. So I assume you became a nurse or midwife then 😆

[CynthiaR]

Well, it's been about 7 weeks since starting HRT. Had myself a first tonight. As I was washing my face before bed, I caught just a glimpse of "her" in the mirror. I've seen her only twice before tonight, and both times took a full face of makeup to bring her out. Once was shortly after coming out to Amy, to see if I could do it, and the second time was for Halloween. It was the first time I ever set foot outside en femme. Heart was in my throat the entire time we were out. But, I survived, even stopping at my folks so our youngest could trick or treat his grandparents. My mom was oddly delighted with my "costume". Mentioned that all she could see was my grandmother in my face, and if I ever needed to hide from the cops, that that was how I should do it. Kinda wonder what they're reaction is going to be when I finally break the news about being transgender and making the transition. Ok, enough rambling on, off topic. Tonight was just me. No makeup, no nothing extra or special to try and bring her out. It's the first I've realized that maybe, just maybe, I can pull this off. I've played around with some AI filters on selfies, and I've gotta say, if they're anywhere close to possible, I'll be very happy with how I'd look. I'll just add that I don't believe that the positive feeling we get being on the HRT is only psychological. I poked a vein last week while injecting. In hindsight,  I think I lost most of the dose to the small scale bleeding that followed. By the end of the week, my mind was getting caught up in the dysphoric "thought swirl" again. Saturday was my next dose, and by Sunday morning, I was back to my new, old self again. I've read comments in other places that "all we need is a good shot of testosterone to make us feel like men". I've been treated for low T about 10 years ago. I can tell you that it made ZERO difference in how I felt, and my bloodwork showed the proof in the levels. Starting on estrogen, has made a world of difference in how I feel. My apologies for rambling on here. Guess since I was getting ready, I should head off to bed. Got about 3 hours before the alarm starts, lol. Just felt the need to share...

[Alana Ashleigh]

Cynthia, your post made me smile. I remember my first time seeing "her." It was only for a second, and she was gone. Hrt is magical.

Alana

[Lori Dee ✅]

I poked a vein last week while injecting. In hindsight,  I think I lost most of the dose to the small scale bleeding that followed.

Cynthia,

I have had that happen too. What I do is when pulling the needle out, I put my finger on the injection site and hold it for 90 seconds (I count in my head), then put a bandaid over it. By keeping pressure for a minute or two, it stops the bleeding. Not 100%, but enough that the bandage can take over and you won't lose meds. It could also indicate that your needle is too big.

I use a 21-gauge 1-1/2 inch long needle to draw from the vial, then I switch the needle to a smaller 25-gauge 5/8 inch long needle (made for subcutaneous injections, not intramuscular). When I ran out of the smaller needles, I used the larger gauge needle (OUCH) and just did not push it all the way in. The hole was large enough that when I pulled the needle out, the meds flowed out with it. It was a mess. Later that day, my package of small needles arrived.

[CynthiaR]

Lori, I checked my script before heading off to work this morning. I've got the same 25Gx5/8 for injection, but they give me 18Gx1 1/2 for draw-up. I found if I get the needle all the way in, up to the hub, I don't get any leakage. This was a first for me. Luckily, I'm a pretty quick study when things kinda hurt. If I feel that "burn" again, time for a strategic withdrawl and re-insertion. I can't speak for where you live, but we used to have goats, and I know from giving them vaccinations, I can get needles and syringes from the farm supply store, with no questions asked. Last thing I wanna try is using that 18 gauge for anything other than draw-up.

[Dawn Kellie]

My daughter is 5'11" and dosen't have the traditional womans figure. She is definitely a woman and no one questions it. I understand she is over 6' but what I'm trying to say women come in all shapes and sizes. No one can say just because of height you're not a woman. I hope this gives you some peace