emma5410
10-28-2013, 06:50 PM
I am nine months into my RLE. A mere beginner compared to some but I wanted to share some of the things I have learnt. This is my experience. Yours may differ.
Don't do it.
It is definitely worth doing.
Only a masochist or someone who is TS would have electrolysis. I have had 75 painful hours with many more than that to come.
Start electrolysis as soon as you can.
Start HRT beforehand if possible.
It is very surreal at times.
You will never really know what other people are thinking.
Based on the way people treat me at work I wonder if they have actually noticed that I am transitioning. This is a good thing and a bad thing.
Some people think that I have completed my transition and everything must be great.
It can feel like an anticlimax. All the drama of telling people and then life returns to normal.
Having doubts and WTF moments does not mean you are not TS. It means you are sane.
Having doubts and continuing means you probably are TS
Face the world no matter how terrible you feel. This is your life now.
Life can still be depressing, boring etc even if you are living as a woman. Perhaps more so.
I am glad I do not have to live as a man anymore.
Be aware that you are probably physically weaker and therefore more at risk in certain situations.
Your voice is far more passable face to face.
Do not stare at people wondering if they are staring at you. They will stare back.
Life is more difficult than it was. I still have all the same problems but now the everyday things, such as shopping and going to work, can be stressful.
My work performance has suffered. Fortunately I have very understanding and supportive bosses. Even so it has a had a significant effect on my income.
You become paranoid or more paranoid.
Sometimes it feels like having a tiger by its tail.
Some days you feel you cannot go back and you cannot go on.
Those days only have 24 hours in them.
People are more likely to judge you on your appearance than before.
Dress like a woman. You do not have to be super girly but it helps with passing if you give people some visual clues as to what sex you are.
You have to decide what to wear each day. As a man I had a 'uniform' of trousers and shirt like every other man in the company. No one ever commented on my clothes. Now I sometimes get verbal compliments or disapproving looks from some of the other women.
People will judge your clothes differently than they would a GG.
Wear what you want. Some GG will wear things you would not be seen dead in.
I cannot decide which was worse. The last six months as a man when the GD was pushing me towards suicide or the nine months of RLE when I have constantly worred about identity, passing etc.
This weekend I reached a watershed. I always said that if I could go back a few years to when I could still cope as a male then I would do it in a moment. I realised this weekend that is no longer true. I want to continue this journey. It is a paradox that despite the daily struggle I am happier than I have ever been. I just need to try and remember that when life gets diificult.
Don't do it.
It is definitely worth doing.
Only a masochist or someone who is TS would have electrolysis. I have had 75 painful hours with many more than that to come.
Start electrolysis as soon as you can.
Start HRT beforehand if possible.
It is very surreal at times.
You will never really know what other people are thinking.
Based on the way people treat me at work I wonder if they have actually noticed that I am transitioning. This is a good thing and a bad thing.
Some people think that I have completed my transition and everything must be great.
It can feel like an anticlimax. All the drama of telling people and then life returns to normal.
Having doubts and WTF moments does not mean you are not TS. It means you are sane.
Having doubts and continuing means you probably are TS
Face the world no matter how terrible you feel. This is your life now.
Life can still be depressing, boring etc even if you are living as a woman. Perhaps more so.
I am glad I do not have to live as a man anymore.
Be aware that you are probably physically weaker and therefore more at risk in certain situations.
Your voice is far more passable face to face.
Do not stare at people wondering if they are staring at you. They will stare back.
Life is more difficult than it was. I still have all the same problems but now the everyday things, such as shopping and going to work, can be stressful.
My work performance has suffered. Fortunately I have very understanding and supportive bosses. Even so it has a had a significant effect on my income.
You become paranoid or more paranoid.
Sometimes it feels like having a tiger by its tail.
Some days you feel you cannot go back and you cannot go on.
Those days only have 24 hours in them.
People are more likely to judge you on your appearance than before.
Dress like a woman. You do not have to be super girly but it helps with passing if you give people some visual clues as to what sex you are.
You have to decide what to wear each day. As a man I had a 'uniform' of trousers and shirt like every other man in the company. No one ever commented on my clothes. Now I sometimes get verbal compliments or disapproving looks from some of the other women.
People will judge your clothes differently than they would a GG.
Wear what you want. Some GG will wear things you would not be seen dead in.
I cannot decide which was worse. The last six months as a man when the GD was pushing me towards suicide or the nine months of RLE when I have constantly worred about identity, passing etc.
This weekend I reached a watershed. I always said that if I could go back a few years to when I could still cope as a male then I would do it in a moment. I realised this weekend that is no longer true. I want to continue this journey. It is a paradox that despite the daily struggle I am happier than I have ever been. I just need to try and remember that when life gets diificult.