How to Be an All-Inclusive Gender Thread

T-37 hours until my appointment to get prescribed HRT. OMG.

I wonder how quickly I can fill my prescription. (I've never actually ever had a prescription for anything before. Is there anything I should know about how to have one filled?)

I hope there wasn't anything weird in my blood test.

I imagine my doctor will want to start with a low test dose to make sure I don't have a bad reaction. *sigh*

Excited. Anxious. Even though I know nothing's going to change overnight... this feels like such a big big step.

I wish I'd been able to do this years ago.

Sometimes I think about what this all means to me, looking towards the future, and my brain just stops.

It's like looking into the sun.

Hypatian wrote:

I wonder how quickly I can fill my prescription. (I've never actually ever had a prescription for anything before. Is there anything I should know about how to have one filled?)

Here in the land of igloos so long as the pharmacy has the stuff you need in stock you pretty much show up, hand them the prescription, wait 10-50 minutes while they measure out the appropriate amounts, then pay for it. A lot of people drop the script off on the way to work and pick the stuff up on lunch break or their way home. The pharmacy staff will typically ask you if you've used the drug before and if not they'll usually give you a quick run down of any special requirements/dosage information/etc. If it's something they don't typically stock then it may be wise to drop off the script a day or two before you need it so that they can get it in.

*Be sure to have your insurance information on hand should your insurance cover or subsidize such things.*

If you have friends or family in the area you may want to ask them about their choice of pharmacy and their experiences with the pharmacist and technicians there.

While I would hope professionalism wins out and the following isn't an issue I'll say it just in case; the prescribing doctor may be able to recommend a pharmacy near your home that is trans friendly, though they all should be - legally I think they have to fill your script regardless but that doesn't mean they have to keep a pleasant demeanor while doing it. Remember that your choice of pharmacy need not be permanent, if the staff is jerks you can go elsewhere next time (though you may have to transfer the script, insurance info, etc).

Lastly congrats on this next step! May everything go well, remember to breath!

Odds are HRT medicine is not going to be in stock, though, so it might take a day or two for them to be filled.

Well, I expect at least Estradiol is likely to be in stock: Trans women are not the only women who take it. Spironolactone might be less likely, but is also used as a medication for high blood pressure or severe acne.

I'll certainly ask at the clinic, though, if they can recommend any pharmacies where I'm likely to be able to fill my prescription quickly. And I'll try to control my excitement and remember it might be another few days before I can actually start. (But I'd rather not wait. :D)

Regarding transferring a prescription: I guess the pharmacy keeps your prescription on file for refills, then? How does transferring stuff work? Do you go to a new pharmacy and ask them to contact the old one, or vice versa, or contact the doctor's office, or something else?

They keep them on file for refills and general tracking yeah.

I think the transfer process varies by pharmacy, worst case I think you'd talk to the new one and maybe sign off permission for the old one to disclose your personal information to the new one. Generally you won't need to contact the doctor's office again unless you get unexpected side effects, for your usual follow ups, or when you need a new prescription because your refills ran out.

Hypatian wrote:

T-37 hours until my appointment to get prescribed HRT. OMG.

I wonder how quickly I can fill my prescription. (I've never actually ever had a prescription for anything before. Is there anything I should know about how to have one filled?)

I hope there wasn't anything weird in my blood test.

I imagine my doctor will want to start with a low test dose to make sure I don't have a bad reaction. *sigh*

Excited. Anxious. Even though I know nothing's going to change overnight... this feels like such a big big step.

I wish I'd been able to do this years ago.

Sometimes I think about what this all means to me, looking towards the future, and my brain just stops.

It's like looking into the sun.

So...this? Because this is the song I hear in my head right now.

Pretty much. I almost called that song out explicitly, but it felt like overkill and I figured I'd let someone else have that satisfaction.

(Also I should go listen to "She blinded me with science".)

OMG, what is [em]wrong[/em] with people? Today's sobering note:

On Trans* People and Suicide

Short form: Author's trans friend was not doing well, called National Suicide Prevention Hotline, and when her being trans came up, [em]the NSPH counselor hung up on her[/em]. Seriously, WTF?

That's truly awful.

That's great, Hypatian!

I just wanted to add: Holy crap, I'm taking estrogen! What the, I don't even. *sigh* *fwump* Happy.

Good news, everyone! My cholesterol level is awesomely low. (Which is always good to hear when you have a grandfather who died not too long after a quintuple-bypass surgery, and you don't really make any effort to avoid cholesterol.)

Also, I now have a prescription for Estradiol, sublingually, 4mg/day, and my first month's supply.

My doctor does things slightly differently from some others I've heard of. He has people start on a 1/2 dose for a week, then go to a full dose. But, he does one medication first for a couple of months before adding the second. Other doctors I've heard start people on a 1/2 dose or smaller for a month or two to start (on both medications), then increase to a full dose. My doctor's approach makes tons of sense to me as an engineer: if you're looking for bad reactions to specific drugs, you'll know what actually caused the problem instead of having to back off on both and then try one and then the other.

Down side: No anti-androgens until my next visit in a couple of months. (Blood test after six weeks on estradiol, then in to see the doctor a couple of weeks later for the new prescription.)

I'm pretty psyched, though.

Oh, and it was super-easy. My doctor sent the prescription straight to a pharmacy near where I live on his computer while he was talking to me. When I got there, I gave them my insurance info and they had it ready in ten minutes.

Double oh: Also, the nurse who took my vitals before the doctor saw me was a trans guy who transitioned under my doctor's care, which is awesome.

Edit: Triple oh: Also, I am taking my first dose right now, and feeling super manic. But I don't think it's the medication's fault.

Edit edit: Also, I should stop taking this medication if I become pregnant. >_>

Hurrah!

That's awesome!

Huge step! So happy for you.

Woohoo! Glad to hear everything is going well for you Hypatian!

Hoorah for Hyp!

HypatianEdit wrote:

edit: Also, I should stop taking this medication if I become pregnant. >_>

Holy crap...hormone therapy is even better than I thought!!

Hurrah!!

I'm so happy and excited for you, Hyp! And I'm esp. glad that you've got such a great doctor and medical staff on your side. Everything is coming up Hypatian!

Hypatian wrote:

Double oh: Also, the nurse who took my vitals before the doctor saw me was a trans guy who transitioned under my doctor's care, which is awesome. :)

That's a pretty good recommendation for the doc's care...

WOOOOOOOO

"Do I have boobs yet?"
"Sit back down or I'm turning this hormone bus around!"

Hypatian,

gratz on taking the next step. I'm really, really happy for you.

I've had a song bouncing around my head since it was posted yesterday. A friend of mine from my university Men's Glee Club days (Jeff Marx) turned out to be co-author of the musical Avenue Q, and he wrote a song for the tv show Glee. Besides the amazing lyrics you'd expect given the main message (proceeds are going to Trevor Project), this line has stayed with me, and made me think of a few pages back on this thread when you spoke of your conversation with your dad:

"Those who love you the most may need more time to grow"

While the song is aimed at LGBTQ teens, in the idea of itgetsbetter.org, I think the song holds true for anyone with these struggles.

The original song is at http://www.youhavemorefriendsthanyouknow.com/, and I found the Glee version here.

I typed up the lyrics which I'll paste in below. I just hope you are feeling these lyrics , Hypatian. Worth listening through the whole thing. The title says it all.

You Have More Friends Than You Know

We feel, we hear, your pain, your fear
But we're here to say, who you are is okay
And you don't have to go through this on your own
You're not alone

You have more friends than you know
Some who surround you, some you are destined to meet
You'll have more love in your life
Don't let go, give it time, take it slow
Those who love you the most may need more time to grow
It's gonna be okay
You have more friends than you know

Be brave, be strong,
you are loved, you belong
Someday soon you will see,
you're exactly who you're supposed to be
And you don't have to go through this on your own
You're not alone

You have more friends than you know
Some who surround you, some you are destined to meet
You'll have more love in your life
Don't let go, give it time, take it slow
Those who love you the most may need more time to grow
It's gonna be okay
You have more friends than you know

Be who you are
Learn to forgive
It's not about who you love
But how you live

You have more friends than you know
Some who surround you, some you are destined to meet
You'll have more love in your life
Don't let go, give it time, take it slow
Those who love you the most may need more time to grow
It's gonna be okay
It's gonna be okay
You're gonna be okay
You have more friends than you know
More friends than you know

Thanks for the music, Roo. I'm not really into musicals (which is to say: I run screaming), but it's appreciated.

This week's news: I swear my skin is already starting to feel different. Either that or my skin feels the same but my sense of touch is different. *ponder* Also, a few minor mood weirdnesses.

It's hard to think about how long things take to change, just like always. But... I'll get there, I really will.

Oh, and I got a new bag for carrying keys, wallet, phone, wind, fire, all that kind of thing.

Baby steps.

Cute bag! But why don't they show the inside? I hate that. I have a bag/purse problem collection, and its all about the inside pockets.

The Macy's page for it shows the inside, a bit. The black one's inside is a pale mint green. There's one exterior pocket on the back, one under the flap, one zip pocket inside, and a couple of pen pockets and a I-don't-know-what-this-is-for-my-phone-certainly-doesn't-fit larger pocket next to those. And there's a keychain tether, which I like.

It's basically got more than enough space for the stuff I carry with me all the time and which no longer goes into the pockets that my clothing doesn't have any more. I'd have enough room for makeup as well if I was carrying that with me, but probably not really anything on top of that. A lot less overkill than the Barnes and Noble shoulder-bag I've been carrying for ages. But, approximately the same, just smaller.

It does make me feel a little self-conscious, because the size sends signals closer to "purse" than to "guy's carry-all bag", but that's fading fast. And it's not like I haven't been using my bag as basically a purse for ages.

I don't know why I still have these morbid imagined scenarios of making "one more change" to my everyday presentation and suddenly having people on the street staring and pointing at me over the most trivial things. :p Not that I [em]really[/em] imagine that, I just sort of feel like I've been imagining it. It's weird.

Regarding bag collection (and shoe collection, and...): I mostly try to stay away from too many accessories, because I know I could go crazy and I'm still in such an intermediate place. So I mostly aim for stuff that's very neutral and boring and can go with just about anything. (Of course, I say that, but, well... Okay, to a real shoe fiend this would sound laughable, but considering that for most of my life I've owned [em]at most[/em] two pairs of shoes at a time: I now have ~15 pairs of shoes in my closet. So clearly once I figure out a general pattern of whatever clothing/accessory category that I like, I'm not shy about buying a bunch of stuff. They're still all pretty neutral, though. Some day I will wear something other than a shirt that has color to it.

Hmm, I like that purse, a lot. Is it big enough for an ipad mini?

15 pairs of shoes is quite respectable. Enough choices, but not into crazyland.