(February 2, 2013 at 3:32 pm)catfish Wrote: Thanks for the link. I saw they mentioned "legally recognised" so that answers my other question.
Actually, I did kinda forget to address that question.
Legal recogonition varies from organization to organization and even from state to state. There are some states that won't let you EVER change the gender marker on your ID and others that let you change it at the drop of a hat. Part of the legal fallout to the Nikki Araguz case that I mentioned is that trans people in Texas may NEVER 'fully' transition, at least not in a legal sense.
Quote:Mainly, its about the hormones. You said it got better since transitioning. Did you notice if it was somehow related to hormones or other meds? I.E. Did they get better before, during or after receiving treatment?
A little more of my history here.....
Remember when I told you that before, I was just so angry and violent and aggressive I couldn't really function normally? I spent most of my teen years in psych hospitals and while I was there, I had a doctor who's philosophy seemed to be 'if you do something I don't like, I'm gonna put you on another prescription.' By the time I left, I was on six or seven different prescriptions and I was basically a walking zombie. Thing was, I still had violent outbursts from time to time, I was just kinda 'out-of-it' between outbursts. Thing was, some of the medication had REALLY nast side effects. Respirdal was the worst; it acted on me like speed does on a normal person and it gave me bizarre neck spasms. When I told the doctor about this, he told me to wait and just get used to it. So, as of now, I really don't like the idea of psych medicine. But the reason that's relevant is because hormones have done what all those psych meds couldn't.
After starting hormones, I'll admit, there was an adjustment period. My emotional state had changed big time and I could tell it was for the better, but it still took some getting used to. This is especially true because the rest of society got difficult to deal with while I was in a kind of in-between stage (I spent about six months couch surfing and penniless). During that time, I still lashed out but I lashed out at myself. I attempted suicide a couple of times, cried a lot and cut myself a lot.
Quote:Could you tell me what you feared?
Heh. I've never been that big on fear, so I can't say I had any real fears. This is especially true when it's either transition or suicide and anything you might fear about transition is quickly squashed because it's less scary than death.
Quote:Also, does your dosage have to monitored and regulated or is it a set dose each time and can you take the wrong dose and throw your emotions out of whack?
I take two medications associated with hormones. I take spironolactone to block testosterone and I take 100mg twice a day. I also take estrogen. I started out taking estrogen in pill form and I took 4mg twice a day. Now that I take injections I just get one shot every other week. As for the spiro, if I miss a dose here or there, it's no big problem. In fact, if money is especially tight, I'll intentionally lower my dosage just to stretch it out a little further. If there's a change, it's a long-term change, so I wouldn't even really notice it unless I had been low dosing myself for a few months. As for the shot, because of the nature of the shot, I notice a change in my emotional state from getting it. Just before, I'm kinda emotionally dulled and everything, but I get my shot and I'm all happy and giddy and silly again. My boyfriend has noticed that I'm much more cuddly right after my shot (he also noticed my genitals smell like pussy right after my shot).
And, yes, my medication is moniored. I could order them online without the prescription, but since my mail service sucks and it costs less to get them with the prescription, I just run with that. I know of two doctors in the Houston area I can go to for medication. One of them doesn't really do blood tests. He also charges a lot less for the appointment. I understand some of why he does this business like he does, though, and I'd consider sticking with him if I could work my school schedule around his schedule.
Quote:How much do the "treatments" cost. Meds, not surgery...
I don't even remember how much it costs right off the top of my head. I know my estrodial comes in 5ml vial and since I take 1ml biweekly, I get 5 shots per vial. The clinic I get my prescriptions has a pharmacy on their ground floor that has a deal seet up: they charge you a lot less to get a prescription filled if it was written by a doctor in the clinic. I can usually get a vial of estrogen and a months worth of spironolactone for about $50.
As for the doctor's appointments themselves, the clinic is sliding scale and since I'm poor, I pay a lot less for my appointments. It's just $75 to see the doctor and get blood tests done. Kinda a sweet deal.
I live on facebook. Come see me there. http://www.facebook.com/tara.rizzatto
"If you cling to something as the absolute truth and you are caught in it, when the truth comes in person to knock on your door you will refuse to let it in." ~ Siddhartha Gautama
"If you cling to something as the absolute truth and you are caught in it, when the truth comes in person to knock on your door you will refuse to let it in." ~ Siddhartha Gautama