At the clinic, about to do the blood work in order to determine my appropriate dose amounts for estradiol (a safe and effective estrogen medication) and spironolactone (a testosterone blocker).
Aaaaaaand now I feel really really really dizzy, although I’m recovering slowly. I had to do a 12-hour water fast prior to the appointment. And I found myself pacing around SF looking for the clinic because I somehow got lost. So I’m worn out too. I hope the test results turn out okay…I’m worried.
KathleenB
10 years ago
Ally S: I feel you on the dizzy! I just got a (no food, only water and meds) fasting blood draw, along with a bunch of other vials to check for thyroid problems. I looked so unsteady that the phlebotomist handed me some orange juice, sat me down in the lobby and and told me to wait five minutes after drinking it.
KathleenB
10 years ago
And yay for the new meds!
Robert
10 years ago
Ally, just wandering in late to echo everyone else’s support. I hope the meds work for you.
A fond memory of a friend I used to know when I lived in the City, who was transitioning. After spending a pleasant few hours keeping her company during makeup shopping, as we parted I gave her a big hug. “Oh, watch the breasts!” she said. I pulled back to arms length, looked and replied, “Why, what are they going to do?”
I’m having Brussels cookies, some generic snack mix, and chocolate milk to aid my recovery. I feel like a spoiled brat. =P
KathleenB
10 years ago
(tw for lady bits issues and surgery, with a side of disordered eating)
Has anyone here had a hysteroscopy? I get to have one, along with a biopsy, on the 7th. Because my gyn is wonderful, I will get it and a full pelvic and pap smear, under general anesthesia. I’m a little flipped out, because the thickened endometrium that’s shown up on three ultrasounds in two years has a good chance of being hyperplasia – a serious risk for uterine cancer. On the other hand, since I can’t take the normal hormonal treatment if it is hyperplasia, I’ll finally be able to get the damn thing out! But cancer would suck…
Also, I discovered a new new anxiety/eating issue trigger! The supervisory gyn at the clinic came in at the end of my visit, treated me like a five year old, ignored my very obvious anxiety symptoms, talked over me, and basically treated me like something that had crawled out from under a rock. All while making her distaste at dealing with a poor fatty very, very obvious. I couldn’t eat for two days without feeling like it was gonna come right back up. It wasn’t until I got my xanax renewed and talked to MrB about everything that I realized that I’d just done some majorly disordered eating. joy.
The Dyke March in San Francisco is happening tomorrow. I’m going with several friends, and I picked a really good butch outfit on top of that! ^_^ I’ll try to post pictures.
Robert
10 years ago
Ally! Dyke Marching with friends in a butch outfit! It takes a bit to make me squee, but you’ve done it. To quote Tolkien, “swagger it, swagger it, my little cock-a-hoop!”
The Dyke March was abysmal. A friend of mine had their phone stolen (which is especially difficult for them because they’re poor and can’t easily afford a new phone), three of my friends were harassed and bullied on public transit by men, there were very few actual lesbians (and even fewer trans lesbians), there was a fucking hetero marriage that took place in the park wherein the event started, and cops were everywhere. We left early because of all of that. And then we drank all night long because literally everyone was feeling horrible. Today we spent the day sitting around doing nothing but wishing that we never went. I’m never going to another gay pride event again.
The only thing that wasn’t completely terrible about the whole thing was that it was the first time I ever presented as a woman in public. I wore an all-black butch lesbian outfit that actually didn’t look bad on me. It included a women’s top, which I bought on my own the day before. (The first time I ever successfully shopped for women’s clothing while presenting as male.)
So I like to claim that since I started giving blood, I’m not afraid of needles anymore, but today I got a cortisone shot. (That’s several CCs of steroids injected directly into a tendon in your hand.)
There was fainting and crying. It was not my proudest moment.
I cringe at the thought of getting blood taken – the insides of my elbows feel sore now, thinking about it – yet when it’s done, I’m not bothered about it, and generally it doesn’t hurt or leave much of a mark. It’s the thought of a needle in that tender bit of skin that squicks me out more than the reality.
(typing is hard when your arms are trying to curl up and hide)
Ow ow ow ow OW!! Fuck proudest moment shit, that sounds PAINFUL!! Doubt anyone’s proudest moment is while they were intense pain, unless maybe it’s one of those life or death things [TW…uh…gross? Definitely a case of “you will cringe”] like the guy who amputated his arm to free himself from a boulder, since that was preferable to dying…I’m guessing even for him though, that wasn’t his proudest moment.
Nice sterile shot? Nobody expects it to even qualify among your proudest moments!
@katz, That sounds awful. I’m squeamish and terrified of pain, but actually fairly stoic when I actually have to undergo gross/painful medical procedures–and that sounds awful. And I give blood regularly.
We Hunted The Mammoth
At the clinic, about to do the blood work in order to determine my appropriate dose amounts for estradiol (a safe and effective estrogen medication) and spironolactone (a testosterone blocker).
Ally: Awesome! I hope the meds work out for you.
Yay, that’s awesome, Ally!
Ditto to what Katz said!
Aaaaaaand now I feel really really really dizzy, although I’m recovering slowly. I had to do a 12-hour water fast prior to the appointment. And I found myself pacing around SF looking for the clinic because I somehow got lost. So I’m worn out too. I hope the test results turn out okay…I’m worried.
Ally S: I feel you on the dizzy! I just got a (no food, only water and meds) fasting blood draw, along with a bunch of other vials to check for thyroid problems. I looked so unsteady that the phlebotomist handed me some orange juice, sat me down in the lobby and and told me to wait five minutes after drinking it.
And yay for the new meds!
Ally, just wandering in late to echo everyone else’s support. I hope the meds work for you.
A fond memory of a friend I used to know when I lived in the City, who was transitioning. After spending a pleasant few hours keeping her company during makeup shopping, as we parted I gave her a big hug. “Oh, watch the breasts!” she said. I pulled back to arms length, looked and replied, “Why, what are they going to do?”
I’m having Brussels cookies, some generic snack mix, and chocolate milk to aid my recovery. I feel like a spoiled brat. =P
(tw for lady bits issues and surgery, with a side of disordered eating)
Has anyone here had a hysteroscopy? I get to have one, along with a biopsy, on the 7th. Because my gyn is wonderful, I will get it and a full pelvic and pap smear, under general anesthesia. I’m a little flipped out, because the thickened endometrium that’s shown up on three ultrasounds in two years has a good chance of being hyperplasia – a serious risk for uterine cancer. On the other hand, since I can’t take the normal hormonal treatment if it is hyperplasia, I’ll finally be able to get the damn thing out! But cancer would suck…
Also, I discovered a new new anxiety/eating issue trigger! The supervisory gyn at the clinic came in at the end of my visit, treated me like a five year old, ignored my very obvious anxiety symptoms, talked over me, and basically treated me like something that had crawled out from under a rock. All while making her distaste at dealing with a poor fatty very, very obvious. I couldn’t eat for two days without feeling like it was gonna come right back up. It wasn’t until I got my xanax renewed and talked to MrB about everything that I realized that I’d just done some majorly disordered eating. joy.
The Dyke March in San Francisco is happening tomorrow. I’m going with several friends, and I picked a really good butch outfit on top of that! ^_^ I’ll try to post pictures.
Ally! Dyke Marching with friends in a butch outfit! It takes a bit to make me squee, but you’ve done it. To quote Tolkien, “swagger it, swagger it, my little cock-a-hoop!”
Ally — w00t, for all the things!
KathleenB — hope all goes well for you 🙂
[CN: alcohol, harassment]
The Dyke March was abysmal. A friend of mine had their phone stolen (which is especially difficult for them because they’re poor and can’t easily afford a new phone), three of my friends were harassed and bullied on public transit by men, there were very few actual lesbians (and even fewer trans lesbians), there was a fucking hetero marriage that took place in the park wherein the event started, and cops were everywhere. We left early because of all of that. And then we drank all night long because literally everyone was feeling horrible. Today we spent the day sitting around doing nothing but wishing that we never went. I’m never going to another gay pride event again.
Well that fucking sucks, I’m sorry Ally!
I’ll be getting my HRT prescriptions hopefully by this Thursday. ^_^ That’s one nice thing at least.
Aw, I wish that march had been fun for you Ally. Yay for HRT, though 🙂
Yeah, yay for HRT at least!
The only thing that wasn’t completely terrible about the whole thing was that it was the first time I ever presented as a woman in public. I wore an all-black butch lesbian outfit that actually didn’t look bad on me. It included a women’s top, which I bought on my own the day before. (The first time I ever successfully shopped for women’s clothing while presenting as male.)
So I like to claim that since I started giving blood, I’m not afraid of needles anymore, but today I got a cortisone shot. (That’s several CCs of steroids injected directly into a tendon in your hand.)
There was fainting and crying. It was not my proudest moment.
Into a tendon in your hand?
OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWfuck that would hurt!
Ech! I can’t watch when I give blood. I twist my head into all kinds of odd contortions to make sure I don’t accidentally catch a glimpse.
I cringe at the thought of getting blood taken – the insides of my elbows feel sore now, thinking about it – yet when it’s done, I’m not bothered about it, and generally it doesn’t hurt or leave much of a mark. It’s the thought of a needle in that tender bit of skin that squicks me out more than the reality.
(typing is hard when your arms are trying to curl up and hide)
Ow ow ow ow OW!! Fuck proudest moment shit, that sounds PAINFUL!! Doubt anyone’s proudest moment is while they were intense pain, unless maybe it’s one of those life or death things [TW…uh…gross? Definitely a case of “you will cringe”] like the guy who amputated his arm to free himself from a boulder, since that was preferable to dying…I’m guessing even for him though, that wasn’t his proudest moment.
Nice sterile shot? Nobody expects it to even qualify among your proudest moments!
@katz, That sounds awful. I’m squeamish and terrified of pain, but actually fairly stoic when I actually have to undergo gross/painful medical procedures–and that sounds awful. And I give blood regularly.