30 Days and Counting to T-Day

[Melanie Moxon]

Its official, after what seems like an absolute age the countdown to T-Day has gone from months to days.

My wardrobe is full of new clothes.
I have plenty of new shoes.
My family is fully informed and onboard (I think - not heard anything back from some of them that my parents have told).
My Friends are almost all informed (just a couple more to give a heads up to - but I won't see them until may anyway).
Everything is progressing at work, management informed, HR and Union onboard.
I have my referral to the NHS GIC closest to me.
I have a private GIC appointment booked (otherwise I will be waiting four years for hormones on the NHS).
Laser hair removal is progressing.
I am booked in for hair extensions and a cut and colour.

I will be changing my name to Melanie (forum name to be corrected) and all my gender markers in the weeks that follow T-Day. Truth be told I am as terrified as I am excited so far it has been planning and sorting things out now the real work begins.

Shit as they say, is about to get real.

[Lana Mae]

Wonderful, Melanie! Glad everything is going well for you! Best wishes on your journey! Hugs Lana Mae

[Rachael Leigh]

Well wishes for you Melanie, you got this girl.

[AllieSF]

Congratulations. I know that it is not easy for some who have family, friends and a job. Keep up the good work. My T-Day, fortunately, was much easier. I, like you, had to come out verbally to everyone, family, friends and neighbors, which I did more than a year prior to going full time. With no SO/partner and young children, I avoided a potential quagmire. It was funny to me because prior to going full time I had to have a casul, not dressed up for a night on the town, wardrobe. It made me relax, pick out outfits for the next day, learn how to change outfits (need a lot of options) each day, decide which shoes go with each outfit and so on. I type of puberty I never experienced before. I am happy, even with a few close family glitches. I hope you can say the same 6-12 months after that momentous day. Good luck and enjoy, it is more than well worth it.

[Sara Olivia]

Congratulations Melanie, thats wonderful news. I love that name by the way. T-Day is a big deal but it sure sounds like you have everything well in hand. You've clearly done a great job preparing and planning for this big day. I will never forget that day in my life. For me that was about a year and a half ago and while the day started with me being a mental wreck as the day went on and the sky wasn't falling happiness started setting in. A few times I literally had to pinch myself to ensure myself that I wasn't dreaming and that this was for real. That happiness has never gone away since that day. Hopefully you will not be as nervous on T-Day but just as happy as I've found life to be since that day. All the very best in what I am certain will be a wonderful future ahead for you.

[Devi SM]

Congratulations! No worries about fears and concerns, day by day things always change and this change is for your happiness...

[Melanie Moxon]

Thanks ladies - ooh my name has been updated, jolly good.

I have had a spreadsheet based plan in place since December(ish) 2017 and I have been working hard to sort everything out at home and at work. Thankfully work thus far has been plain sailing, coming back a few weeks after T-Day might be another kettle of fish all together but I'll take each day as it comes. I think with a lot of people who are positive now might have different reaction when they see me post T-Day as they have so far only had to deal with the "it is going to happen" part of the plan rather than the "this is now happening" part of the plan.

I just wish the NHS was a bit quicker so I didn't have to go private for the first four (realistic estimate) years.

[Melanie Moxon]

Down to 13 days now...excited ain't the word. Perhaps some trepidation too.

[Sara Olivia]

Melanie, may I ask out of curiosity. You seem to have everything planned, in advance of transition day, to a very high level of detail and I am sure that everything will go just as you planned it. But how did you come to choose such a specific date so many months in advance. Does the date you have chosen have significance to you or did you randomly choose a day and then worked to achieve your goal by that day.
In my case I was reaching a point where I felt that I was ready to present full time to the world as Sara. I then approached management at my place of work, who had known for some time by this point my intent to transition and had given me their full support and approval, and asked for their approval that I could present as Sara at work beginning on a given date. I gave myself a couple of months because I had decided that for me the best option was to individually talk to each of my about fifteen colleagues one at a time and inform them of my plans.

[Melanie Moxon]

I knew I would have to wait at least one year from deciding that transitioning was the right thing to do, because it gave me the time I needed to grow my hair out to a suitable length for extensions to be fitted (I hope to dispense with them after a year) It would also give me time at work to get everything in place (including training courses for colleagues) and time to build up a practical wardrobe. I also wanted plenty of time for friends and family to ge their heads around it so they were told months ago.

I then realised that the bank holidays for Easter this year and May Day meant I could have nigh on three and a half weeks off work to get everything together (I will quite literally be driving the length and breadth of the country as well as having a weekend away) for three less holiday days than normal. The other thing it coincided with was our aircraft going away for its annual inspection (two weeks) as I was unsure of how having a passport and pilots licence with differing legal names would work out (turns out its a non issue). So it was a bunch of things that just happened to coincide really, sadly the 10 week turnaround time on the propeller overhaul last year set the annual back to July this year.

[Melanie Moxon]

Well it is officially four days now - damn all of a sudden that has come around!

[Eemz]

OMG I'm even excited/stressed on your behalf and it's got nothing to do with me.

> Shit as they say, is about to get real.

Very true. It'll be great Melanie. You have all the preparations done and it's almost show time.

[Melanie Moxon]

I now stand staring at the event horizon, tomorrow is T-Day :eek:

[AllieSF]

Melanie, Tomorrow and the rest of this week and next will only show that you are so prepared and that most if not all of your great fears were for nothing. You will do fine as you navigate through some awkward moments for you and your fellow co-workers. Good luck and try to enjoy this important milestone in your old and new lives. Congratulations for everything.

[Becoming Brianna]

Congratulations and best wishes today! Like Allie said I'm sure you're well-prepared and you'll do great!

[pamela7]

congratulations. remember to keep looking ahead - there is life beyond T-day and have seen some folks depressed after

xxx

[Melanie Moxon]

Thanks ladies, well it went smoothly and I have had nothing but support from those that knew and those that didn't. My ears are now sporting a pair of gold studs after being pierced and the wig is now at the back of the wardrobe in a bag as my hair is coloured and the extensions fitted.

The last of my male wardobe is packed into a suitcase and will be taken to a charity shop soon, I have also begun the tedious process of changing my identity documents.

[Sara Olivia]

Congratulations Melanie, thats wonderful that all is going so well. I am very happy for you.

[Melanie Moxon]

Thanks Sara.

Well it has been over three weeks since my social transition went live as it where and it has been very positive. Everything is in place for my return to work on Tuesday (bank holiday Monday otherwise I'd be back on Monday), I have been away for the weekend to the racetrack and that went brilliantly, and been back into work briefly for a meeting and to get my security pass changed. I also went flying for the first time as the new me last weekend and that was brilliant too.

I have also been down to London for my first appointment with a private Gender Identity doctor, whom was happy with me and how I was and I have been referred on to have my second assessment where if that goes well I will get the hormones I need to start my physical transition. I'd wait for the NHS but the current waiting times for your first hormone prescription after your GPs referral is two months shy of five years, most people seem to think that from start to finish (referral to discharge post gender confirmation surgery) you are looking at 8-10 years on the NHS.