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Image from Jon Tyson on UnSplash. |
It is “patch day” for me. One of the days during the week when I change out my Estradiol hormonal patches. Every time I do it, I take the time to remember the changes I went through when I started gender affirming hormones or HRT.
Of course there were the much-publicized changes such as
breast growth, changes in skin, and generous hair growth. Very quickly, I was
able to put my wigs away and have my own hair styled professionally and begin
to use much less makeup to present well. What I did not count on was the
internal effects the HRT had on me. All of a sudden, I had emotions I had never
had before, and I could cry.
One of the more humorous experiences I had was the night I experienced
my first ever hot flash. I was out to be alone that night and was completely
caught off guard when the heat hit me. In fact, I had just stopped thinking
about how chilly it was in the venue and how I might have to put on my jacket
to stay warm. Something I never had to do back in my male years. Suddenly my
own thermostat seemed to be ruined, and I was paying the dues for all the times
I thought the women around me were just making it up when they said they were
cold. Then, I did not need my jacket at all when all hell broke loose, and I
felt as if I was on fire. I quickly looked around to see if anyone else noticed
my predicament, but no one did. I wondered at the time how they could not, but
my heat must have been internal in nature. Later on, that evening, I tried to
explain what had happened to me to my cisgender friends and they just laughed
me off saying welcome to their world.
Now patch day once a year comes down to my annual mammogram.
Since my maternal grandmother passed away years ago from breast cancer, my
primary medical provider at the Veterans Administration makes sure every year I
have a mammogram to be safe. If you have never experienced a mammogram, there
is some brief discomfort but nothing like the alternative. So, I consider it a
rite of passage when I have one.
It turned out for me there were many rites of passage to
come as I went through a male to female transition. I had taken the appearance aspect
of transitioning just about as far as I could and then faced a real decision in
my life. Should I seek out a doctor to prescribe gender affirming hormones. I
went to my local Dayton, Ohio LGBTQ resource guide and found a doctor and
decided to make an appointment to see if I was healthy enough to begin HRT. This
was way back in the days before the VA decided to include hormone therapy as a
choice for gender dysphoric vets, so the doc I chose was the only logical
choice. He asked me a few key questions about what I was prepared to lose of my
male lifestyle and then approved me for a minimum dosage of medications to start
my journey.
I started on pills and very soon they became a lifeline for
a better world for me. Fairly quickly, after I showed no ill effects to the new
hormones, I was prescribed larger dosages, and my body took to them naturally. Then it got hot with my thought pattern of
what I was going to do about all the changes which were happening to me. I was
appearing very androgynous which was noticeable to others who knew me, so I
needed to change my transition timetable because I was running out of time. In
short, hormones slammed the door shut on my male life I had worked so hard to
achieve. It was mine to give away, and I gladly did it.
Now, as I change my hormonal Estradiol patches out, I stop
to remember the old male days and how I felt in my body and say a silent prayer
that I have suffered no ill effects in my decade plus journey on HRT. I always take
time to urge everyone considering femininizing their body through hormones, to
seek guidance from a doctor before you do it. As I have seen the results of
unregulated hormone therapy. The process is nothing to play with.
As I look back on the benefits of all the therapists and
doctors I have seen over the years (and continue to see), being able to feel
the heat of becoming a transgender woman was worth the effort.