KarenPayne

My mother called last night for chit-chat and to my surprise we got into a discussion about sex. Should I be surprised? Well before transitioning she would never talk about this subject but now its fair game. I have mentioned this before, before transitioning my mother and other females would never broach the subject about many female things and now it is the complete opposite. Speaking to cisgender females is an entirely new ballgame, especially with my mother and my best female friend. Men have no clue to what females talk about and wonder if they think we are talking about. Personally, in the beginning I would listen more than talk but now I am getting into joining in as others prompt me too, guess they got tired of me not talking and just listening :)

I thought that attempting to do my instructor certifications was going to be difficult, and it has but yesterday one of the people I was certified under took it upon himself to do a new certification for me and extended past the normal one year certification. Happy to get another one out of the way.

Should I admit to blushing, thanks Veronica.

In regards to Marci and support. She has done an excellent job for the people (employees) at my hotel who work with transgender on a weekly basis and are super fantastic. If I was in the area I would volunteer. Also the nurses in the hospital are well versed with us.

Thanks Emma, I know that from my experience nobody should go through this alone.

Over the years I (and you most likely have too) have read countless stories of people transitioning with little or no support which is sad. With that said I would like to extend to those here if there is anything I can do shout out. If by chance you are having surgery with Marci Bowers in California with no support let me know, I will fly down for the day of surgery and the day after at the very least to provide support. I don’t want to see anyone take this path alone which is why I will do this and I pay my way entirely. Perhaps in areas such as the East Coast other will assist if possible and if not I will consider making that trip too, after all I have been away from the East Coast way too long as my family keeps reminding me. Now I am going to shut up :)

Congratulations on the end of your coping and starting a journey that will hopefully have you arrive to where you should be. Once you have a target date for surgery please do not put off hair removal for the private area as I did and ended up going twice a week for several months rather than spread it out over time. Good to hear True Selves was helpful. With me it was complete validation. In regards to hair thinning, please use caution when looking at options and depending on how much hair thinning there is don't rule out quality hair pieces. So the journey begins, be proud and be you.

Lisa, since I am not a professional my guess is that perhaps the lose of your father was a signal to proceed with transitioning were your father may not approve. Just speculation on my part. There are so many triggers that can move us in this direction and only a qualified therapist and you can figure out.

I have noticed that there are not a lot of images for GRS so I slapped three together that I thought might provide a bit of perspective. The image has three, one immediately after surgery which looks rather raw, second (must have a strong stomach for this one), third is three weeks post surgery and can still see some stiches. I do photos once a week and will post another one in a couple of months. NOTE: Please do not share this image as I am only sharing here for those who are curious to what to expect if they go down this path and not for public view. The site is a private Comcast FTP site that does not get hit with crawlers. So this photo is for educational purposes only.

That is wonderful in regards to not feeling exposed when out and about. Those who want to but don't need to hear stories such as yours. More outings in general strengthens confidence and with this people will see you as (in this case) a female and the reverse for female to male. In my case, I have waved to people whom I had not seen in a while and they look at me as a stranger. Then next time I see them I will engage in conversation and then they realize who I am. This most likely will happen to you over time. What really will boost your identity is when you have official documentation to go along with your physical self. Appearing female and handing a credit card or drivers license with a male identity can be very awkward. Then you just might get someone saying "What were your parents thinking giving you a male name" or "would you like to put the entire purchase on your husband's card?" You are indeed on the right track :-)

I think that many will benefit from reading this blog entry and hope others can do the same as you have done!!! In regards to your apologies listed, what I did for all the females I dated since 2000 was tell them by phone and or in person. I really makes a difference to them and myself. Thanks for posting this Emma

But of course :-)

Welcome to the forums Christie. Something that might be of interest when questioning yourself is looking at the chart below and perhaps find some clarity.

One of my goals as mentioned in prior post and blog entries is to share my journey which hopefully contains decent information for others travelling down the same path. Thought it would be great to attend local group sessions to share my journey too but have not as most groups in the area are 30 to 50 miles away and are on week nights so that does not cut it for my schedule. Today I get an email from my therapist writing to ask if I would sit down with one of her clients who lives in my area living full time as a female. Seems she is at a loss for people to talk to and thought I would be perfect for talking to her as she is in a state which would be helpful for someone like me to talk with, listen and give advice too.

I slipped out of my grief last night after engrossing myself in several activities and talking to my daughter's best friend. I am sure it will happen again and that is okay for too feel nothing would bother me even more.

Tampons are optional. After dilation I was leaking lubrication for the first month and was told not to clean inside the vagina too much so a friend suggested trying using Tampons and sure enough no leakage, instead the lube was absorbed by the Tampons. Currently I am pass this so just a light weight pad is used. First I was using several a day now down to two a day and after next month when I go from three times a day to two times a day dilation I might be down to one pad a day, will see. I do use a fresh one prior to going to bed just to be safe. It is amazing how much is absorbed by Always pads and still stay dry next to the skin.

Thanks Veronica