I've been wanting to add my experience to this thread but have had a hard time trying to concisely craft my comment because, as Robin said in #32, "Transition is multilevel chess..." and "It does not exist on only a physical or emotional or psychological level."
I'll do my best to keep it short though.
About five weeks ago I decided I had to stop my medical transition.
The changes I experienced I'm sure won't be the same for everyone. This is primarily because the antiandrogen I was taking, my dosage of estrogen and its delivery method might be different from yours. And of course because not everyone reacts the same to hormone therapy even if all that were identical.
First week: no perceptible changes whatsoever.
Second week: no perceptible changes until the fourth day of the week. There were a few slight, almost imperceptible changes. For example, I began to notice slight changes that indicated my skin was reverting back. My mental and emotional state seemed to be changing back a little as well.
I feel like I should add here (and perhaps I've buried the lede but) I knew that this pause in my medical transition would be temporary. Whether that was going to be 2 to 3 weeks, a month or six months. I knew it would only be temporary. With that in mind, I felt ok mentally and emotionally going into this pause certain I would start again.
Third week: by this time I could tell my emotional and mental state was changing back quite a bit. There was an underlying anger, irritability, resentment, aggressiveness and quick temper that my wife had complained about in the past that was slight but coming back. By the end of this third week, my wife and I were arguing a little bit every day. Also in this third week, I began noticing a few more physical changes. About the third or fourth day of this week I had my first night erection. That had not happened since about my 10th day of taking my hormone therapy meds. My skin was no longer as soft as it had been before. My "boy smell" came back a little. And it seemed as though the shape of my face began to revert back, even if it was just the slightest bit that it changed in the few months I had been taking my medicine. The pores on my face were more visible as well. I also noticed the tiny bit of fat deposit I had gotten in my thighs and rear end had started to revert back. The tiny bit of breast development I had, was becoming soft and squishy, more like man boobs and didn't really have the firm feel they had before.
Fourth week: the changes were most noticeable at this time. My skin was no longer soft. The pores in my face were clearly visible. The whiskers on my face we're growing like they had before. The slight curve and feminine shape I had been seeing was now gone, my nipples no longer ached and were no longer as easy to hurt as they were before and I couldn't "feel" them. What I mean by that is I couldn't feel them against my bicep or my forearm when I put my hand up to my neck or face. Emotionally I was back to my old, mean, irritated and frustrated self. It would take very little to make me irritable and have me lash out at my wife.
There are a few other things but this is getting very long so I'll end it here.
I will add this last bit though. I have started taking my meds again. Today in fact ends one week. I can say with utmost certainty (and my wife can confirm), estrogen helps me to be a nicer person. I am amazed at how quickly I responded physically and emotionally once I started again. Only two days and my boobs had that firm sort of feeling to them and that weird little ache. Also I didn't feel like being mean anymore as well. A full week and things are even better.
