Began HRT yesterday

[hope springs]

So i got my letter from the therapist. I went to see a wonderful doctor. He was compassionate and gave me so much information i didnt even have questions.
I just took my second dose and have to say im so glad to finally begin my journey. Im in my early forties and have fought this and the associated depression for 20 years. Ive resisted long enough, its time to be my authentic self.
There is always a price. My wife and i will likely be separating this summer. She has been a fountain of information on makeup, style and generally all things female. Our relationship had problems anyway. My depression really made me withdraw into myself and i was never really there enough as a husband
I want to say thanks to this forum and you ladies for all you do here. I look forward to all the changes my body will fo through. My transformation has begun and im super excited

[Terri]

I just finished my first year of HRT. My one year appointment was today. It has made a wonderful difference in my life. Congrats!

[Emma Beth]

Congrats on the HRT.

I've been on Hormones for six Months now and I have my next appointment with my Endo Next Monday.

I'm looking forward to my short visit with the V.A. Vampires in the Basement before I see my Dr.

I can say that I am responding well to the treatment.

[AlyssaJ]

Hi Hope, congratulations on taking this next step in your journey. I'm in a similar age group to you (I'm turning 40 soon) and probably about a month or so behind you in terms of starting HRT. I've got the letter and and appointment with the doctor at the end of March. I'm also dealing with the likely end of my marriage as a result of my need to transition as well, although my wife may be leaving sooner. She's doesn't want to be around once I start the process. So I totally feel for you in regard to losing your marriage, although it does sound like it's somewhat amicable. Hopefully that makes those waters a little easier to navigate for you.

I look forward to hearing more about how your experience goes and possibly even "comparing notes" in the future. I wish you all the success on your journey and I hope you find the peace that we're all looking for along the way.

[hope springs]

Thanks lisa.
It is amicable. She understands being transgender isnt going away and wants me to be happy. She is conflicted in her need to mourn the loss of our relationship and her need to support me.
Its very difficult to balance that.
We can definitely compare notes. Career and my kids are the next big hurdle. Head down and march foward is all you can do

[AlyssaJ]

Glad to hear on the separation front. I'm hoping ultimately my wife and I can at least separate in a similar manner. Right now, having just told her that HRT is a month away, it's all very raw and as such so are her emotions. She has tried at least in words to be supportive even though I know her emotions conflict with that. She knows this is what I need to do but yesterday there was a lot of blaming me and referring to it as a choice (going on HRT). I do believe she'll eventually come back around as the emotions subside and she remembers how much love there has been between us. Right now though, I'm the bitch that took her husband away :straightface:

On the kid front, I've been pretty lucky there. My kids have been very accepting. They're older, starting HS and above, but have really been great. The fact that they have trans friends has helped. If there is anything you ever want to bounce off of me regarding that, I'd be happy to share how I've handled it and see if that helps you at all.

I've only just started to look at the employer side of it. I've read a lot of different stories of how people have come out and have researched the legalities and how they apply to me and my company. I started putting together some notes. For instance, I work in a very client facing role so I've made notes about companies (many of whom are my clients) that have very progressive policies towards Transgender transition to quell any fears of "what will our clients think". Also, since I am at a fairly advanced level of the organization, I've starting putting together a list of higher ranking professionals who are transgender. I'm hoping that will also lend some credibility to "I can do this while maintaining my current role and you can support me without issues or embarrassment".

Take care and let me know if there's anything I can help with, any support I can offer or if you need to vent or whatever, I'd be a happy sounding board for you. I'm always available via PM if you'd like.