Hello. I've been lurking for awhile, but now that I've had the surgery, I think it's time to step out of the shadows.

I was castrated 2 weeks ago by Dr. Kimmel. I am a bit young at only 20, but I did it primarily for gender reasons. No chemical castration beforehand, but many months spent talking to multiple therapists and an even longer time thinking things through and doing research.

I am happy to finally have done this, but I am impatient in waiting for the effects. Yes, I'm known as a very impatient person when it comes to just about everything . It's a wonder I was able to spend so long talking to others and myself before doing this.

I know it takes time to get rid of existing testosterone once you are castrated, so all I can do is wait. So far I've had a severely reduced frequency of erections. I was hoping for total impotence, but I know that's unlikely at my age.

I've had times where I felt a little warm in my face, but no major hot flashes yet. Kimmel said if they have not appeared in 2 weeks, I probably won't get them. Could he be right?

Now I must decide if I'm ready to take the next step. Being transgender as I am, that next step would be to start hormones. I would probably take a low dose for osteoporosis prevention anyway, but I'm still not sure if I'm ready for a full transition right now. The thing I'm wondering is if even a low dose would cause significant feminization since I am young. I do want that eventually, but maybe not yet. Still thinking.

I have lots more questions, but I'll save them for another thread.

Plix,

Just caught your post, as I've not had a whole lot of time to be online for long lately.

20 is early, and you say you don't think you're ready to take the next step?

Think of it this way - stand there for a while and look at the step.

You've had the effects of testosterone for some years. Granted, not many, but some...

Now you are in the position to experience the loss of it, which could be rough to some extent. Everyone is different. If you don't feel "ready", as you say, then wait for the effect of reduced and then very low testosterone levels.

Perhaps stay with that for a while.

You are in the position now that if you don't think you can move to estrogen and go forward with the transgendering ideal, then DO pause and get used to 'eunuchism' for a while - take as long as you need.

As Douglas Adams said in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," - 'don't panic'.

There's testosterone HRT, estrogen treatment, or for now, none at all. Some months, maybe longer, won't destroy you. That way, you can decide which way to go when YOU - and only YOU - feel right with it.

Feel free to post and PM those who know.

I think you'll find that only a very FEW of us actually bite, and then, not hard.

REMEMBER TIME IS ON UR SIDE. U DON T HAVE TO RUSH INTO ANYTHING UNTIL UR SURE ITS WHAT U WANT. THIS BOARD CAN BE A GOOD RESEARCH SPOT FOR U, AND U CAN FIND ANSWERS TO MANY OF UR QUESTIONS. GOOD LUCK AND BE SAFE AND HAPPY LIMPY

Plix,

As has been said many times here, “Welcome to the zoo!” I'm glad to hear that you've done your homework and have read extensively about potential consequences of castration. I hope that you have a good support network in place as the body never appreciates sudden changes. You will have some rough spots to get through as everything adjusts to its new level.

Your biggest concern should be over a potentially serious bout of depression. Depression is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the brain and can be set off by many different causes. Most think only of the emotional and psychological causes, but a sudden drop in testosterone can also cause it, as many here will attest.

You need to have several people around you who are watching for symptoms. You may well be one of those who get through this with no problems, but severe depression can kill and it's far too easy for those around you to miss the symptoms unless they are looking for them.

Remember, too, that most of the regulars here are friendly and helpful. Ask any questions that you have, either on the message board or through private messages.

Again, welcome to the group.

Jesus

Plix,

Welcome to the zoo and glad to see you post. If you have any questions or problems please post it here and we will be here for you. Hot flashes, I took a castration drug so by the time I was castrated my testosterone level had be zero for some time. I had not had a hot flash in 5 months. After castration about 2 months they started again and havent stopped yet. It will be 3 years in September and I cant wait for them to stop.

River

Welcome Plix,

Congratulations. I'm glad to hear you spent time talking things through with others before deciding to have surgery. You have stopped that evil testosterone clock from ticking now, and it should give you the time you need to decide which path you want to follow. In the mean time I would hope you take some vitamins and do some moderate exercise to help ward off some of the negative effects.

As others here have stated, be aware of the depression issues. Your hormone levels are going to crash and it's going to take time for your body to get used to those changes. Take advantage of the therapists you have seen if you start to feel you can't handle it.

As for the hot flashes, you may be one of the lucky ones, like me, who never get them (although some of that may be dependant on the fact I take female hormones). I think the good doctor was trying to be optomistic with you about the time frame, but in reality it's going to take longer to see those effects.

Feel free to ask anything that's on your mind. Don't forget to check out the transgender section too (if you haven't already). Again, welcome to the zoo.

congratulations Plix,

just two weeks out o surgery... make sure you take the perscribed antibiotics and leave things alone down there no matter how curious you are . when I went to Seattle it was 5 weeks later when I crashed, Bigtime emotional wreck was I, just ask Christina. She helped get me through it. make sure there is someone who will be there to help you get through the rough times. take care relax and welcome to the family.

You will be far happier in a few months then you are right now, and I hope you are very happy now. Frankly for what you want, I think you might be well advised to go for the hormones now. You will thus possibly avoid the shock and menopause like effects from the castration.

Also you will be more pleased with the results the younger you start your transition. Just think if only you could have started before you hit puberty, your body would have been able to more fully change to a woman’s body. With out having to fight all of the MANLY things it goes through to become a MAN!

Sal.limpone

Plix,

Paolo wrote: Sat Jul 09, 2005 8:50 pm You are in the position now that if you don't think you can move to estrogen and go forward with the transgendering ideal, then DO pause and get used to 'eunuchism' for a while - take as long as you need.

The main reasons I don't know if I'm ready now are concerns about passing and family. Most of them don't know, and the few who do are not supportive. I would guess the rest will not be supportive either.

I spend over two hours talking on the phone with Plix last night. What I found was a very pleasant young person in the beginning stages of her transformation. She's every bit as nice on the phone as she is in her posts here.

The town she lives in is very redneck and support from her new “family” on the Archive will be important. She's not going to find much of it locally.

Riverwind and I talked for about an hour this morning, and the feeling of community that we find on the Archive is, for both of us, its most important feature. This is a wonderful group of kind and caring folk.