Nick Connor helped me get through the process at the time. Dressing up and playing the part of a woman trapped in a mans body is a requirement for the psychological side of things, regardless of what you went there for. After you get the letters showing you're not crazy you can negotiate with the surgeon about almost anything.

I'm not sure how things work these days since he has found a more permanent job on a neighbouring island. But I certainly wouldn't want to go through all that without him AND his wife (she is basically consulted with after your interview is over and you leave the office).

thraddash (imported) wrote: Thu May 30, 2013 2:04 pm Nick Connor helped me get through the process at the time. Dressing up and playing the part of a woman trapped in a mans body is a requirement for the psychological side of things, regardless of what you went there for.

Ok, thanks for the info.

So does anyone know an address where lying to psychiatrists is not required?

(Or can someone confirm that there's no such place on the entire planet?)

Testosterone's positives and negatives are touched upon in the article in this link from Harvard.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updat ... eart.shtml

My main point:

Don't assume super low T is good.

Assume super high T is bad.

Like cholesterol it needs to be just right.

With balls, nature is in control of you.

Without balls, or with balls that produce no T, you have an opportunity to be in control.

Use that opportunity wisely.

I lived with high T most of my life.

Once I eliminated T production, I experienced low T.

I did not like either. Life was miserable.

Now, under Dr. supervision, I am at a "just right" level, about 400.

Life is good.

mccrayle (imported) wrote: Thu May 30, 2013 11:31 pm Ok, thanks for the info.

So does anyone know an address where lying to psychiatrists is not required?

(Or can someone confirm that there's no such place on the entire planet?)

"Lying" is a bit strong, and quite a rude accusation it's an uncalled for disparaging remark.

nonuts (imported) wrote: Fri May 31, 2013 8:12 am "Lying" is a bit strong, and quite a rude accusation it's an uncalled for disparaging remark.

This is actually a problem with the whole gatekeeping mentality encouraged by the psychiatric and legal systems. It definitely encourages fanciful stories tailored to fit a checklist, rather than being able to talk honestly about the needs of the patient. And it needlessly ties genitals with gender presentation, while these things have nothing to do with each other in reality. If I were queen of the world, I'd totally redo the way that trans care was done.

That said, twenty minutes in an ill-fitting dress and a horrible wig with Nick's wife making comments about your moobs is a small price to pay, and it's best to have a fixer like Nick who can navigate the paperwork. It's not like the surgery and recovery are inherently a dignified process anyhow, although the people at the hospital are good people, and they do their best. Trust me, doing things this way is far better than most alternatives I can think of.

Being new on this forum, let me apologize immediately if I sounded condescending. It wasn't meant that way at all.

I just wanted to ask if anyone knew alternatives better suited to non-transgenders, that's all.

mccrayle (imported) wrote: Fri May 31, 2013 3:30 pm Being new on this forum, let me apologize immediately if I sounded condescending. It wasn't meant that way at all.

I just wanted to ask if anyone knew alternatives better suited to non-transgenders, that's all.

Well, I'd be willing to bet that someone interested in bottom surgery might be trans* where * is a wildcard--not to force an identity on anyone or to erase alternative identities. There are non-binary transgender and/or transsexual folk which overlap with those who identify as eunuchs or something else; there are binary trans* people, plus the old pejorative word 'transvestite' which basically just means cisgender crossdresser. And be aware that one's immediate or mid-range desires and/or identity may change over time. That's OK and it's a part of life.

I'm a case in point. I started off as non-binary transsexual (eunuch more or less), moved toward non-binary transgender in my presentation, and have since migrated into a more binary transgender direction. The 'official' textbook narrative is more or less in the opposite direction from that, and yet that order of transition has been definitely right for me. By getting certain types of physical dysphoria out of the way, I was able to buy some time and to more cautiously explore the social side of transition. Also in my case it was very much necessary to androgynize my appearance before I started pushing forward on a full-blown social transition.

The problem is, the medical establishment is not set up for messy real-life narratives like this. There is no logical connection between the disposition of my former penis (or even beginning hormones) and whether or not I look good with eyeliner or a skirt. Yet the 'official' narrative makes bottom surgery or even hormones the reward for being female (or male) enough. This is done entirely to protect doctors, since this puts people, particularly those forced go go DIY (ahem ahem), at life-threatening risk.

The best option really might be to suck it up, wear a skirt for 20 minutes, and appreciate it for the sick joke that it is. That is, unless you like wearing skirts. If you've never done so, it might be fun, especially in the Thai heat.

Ok, I am back from Thailand and Cambodia, that was fun...

Mostly. Night flight back from Thailand wasn't fun. If the flight to Thailand was mostly empty, and we could just use 3 seats as a bed , the flight back was packed, and I am a bit too long, to properly sleep in an airplane seat. Jumping first 5 time zones back and then 2 time zones forward in 2 days wasn't fun either, especially with the lack of sleep.

No, I did not cosplay Lara Croft, but I visited the temple, where it was filmed.

So, the current plan is:

1. Get tested on at least T/E levels.

2. Think about hormone regime

3. Acquire hormones and proceed.

4. Who knows...

I'll be offline (at least not actively online) for some time, due to the untimely death of my home server which provided me with the internet and stored my files.

That'll probably teach me not to ignore "health" warnings, and act immediately, and not when it ended up in catatonic state.