The joys of HRT.

[Emma Beth]

As I sit here after having just gotten up about an hour ago. I'm thinking back at how nice things have been for me so far.

I've been loving the better focus I have had. I notice it every time I sit at my keyboard and write something. Whether it's a writing project, or a blog entry, or even a response to or a forum post. I notice how much more I can do than ever before and my fingers seem to fly across these keys with better accuracy.

It's been almost a Month and half, when I wake up to nipple pain for the first time this morning. It's not intense, more of an obvious discomfort really. But, it is very much there.

I didn't notice it at first. My dog was next to my bed looking up at his Mamma begging for some attention and excitedly waiting for me to take him out for his morning constitutional.

I pat the bed beside me so I could give him some morning cuddles and lovens. He has been all about the nuzzling lately and I have been loving it.

When we do this in the morning, he likes to lean his head into me.

This time, he leaned right into my chest. Normally I'm fine with this. Normally it feels nice in a sweet kind of way.

This morning, however.

"ouch.

Did I bruise myself in my sleep?

That felt like a bruise."

I sleep curled up tightly sometimes in my sleep. I could have done it with my hand when I jerked in my sleep.

Then I realized, "Hey, I've been on hormones for almost a Month and a half. That bruise was centered on my right nipple.

I wonder something."

I then gingerly reached for my left nipple with my open hand to feel what was going on.

"ouch."

That felt just like the bruise on my right nipple.

Now, I am a firm believer in coincidence and synchronicity. But the odds of bruising both nipples in my sleep are way out there.

SO, welcome to the wonderful world of Transition.

Keep your hands inside the ride at all times and enjoy the ride.

Weeeeeeee!

[I Am Paula]

Maybe I'm weird. I enjoyed the breast pain. It was the one real thing that showed me I was moving along.
Now you get to discover just how clumsy you are around door frames, and you will learn to hate cats.
Enjoy, this is an important right of passage.

[Georgette_USA]

Can't say I enjoyed the pain at the time. But that is one thing I really remember, and kind of miss, some 40 years later. Before transition at work had to wear a business shirt and tie. Even with soft t-shirt under my nipples would be so irritated they would poke out. Could not have worn a bra, so worried if people would notice.

Now I talk with other women my age on what age and weight of our breasts has done. Nature is not always kind to women with larger breasts, even though I am only a 46D.

[OCCarly]

When I go to work in male suit and tie mode, I wear a soft bralette under my dress shirt to protect my newly sensitive breasts (I've been on hormones exactly four months as of today).

I find myself wearing camisole tops to bed too to protect them.

[Georgette_USA]

Didn't wear a suit or coat. Not sure they even had things like a bralette back then.

I would just wear soft short nighties to bed. My partner and I would tease each other at night in bed. Both going through the same at that time.

[Heidi Stevens]

I'm at 18 months on HRT, but I'm going in the "slow lane". I'm still not up to a full dose given most of us on HRT. That said, I'm still enjoying the latest developments. My breasts are growing again and the nipples are sensitive as well. One of our cats likes to snuggle in the morning when I read the paper and he likes to push up against my new growth. At least it feels nice, not like the soreness and itching just a few months in!

[Emma Beth]

Paula, I am happy that it has begun. However, I discovered at work today that it is a bit of an annoyance. I stock product for my department at a Grocery store. Over the past few days I have been trying to catch up on two weeks of stock for one of my two areas in the department because I had been on vacation a little over a week ago. One is the cosmetics, the other is what we call Kitchen Place.

Kitchen Place is all the small kitchen gadgets and the appliances that we do carry. Coffee makers by Keurig, Mr. Coffee, Black n Decker, etc. Also crock pots, pots and pans, flatware, and whatever you might need in the kitchen with the exception of all the big appliances like a stoves, refrigerators, or microwaves.

Kitchen Place is where I have been working for the past couple of days and it does get real annoying when using proper lifting technique to avoid back injuries when the discomfort is there.

I definitely don't mind working cosmetics.

Georgette, luckily for me I can get away with wearing a bra at work. Although if I have to keep working with the heavy stock I work with much more; I may see if I can find a bra with hard plastic cups to armor them.

Heidi, my dog is a German Shepard/Basset Hound mix and he weighs about 55 lbs. His head is rather large and that is what I had leaning full weight into my chest this morning. I think he may want extra snuggles because I now actually smell like Mamma to him. Or at least much more like Mamma than I used to.