Yeah he knows, it's in my profile and I've offhandedly mentioned it once or twice. He just doesn't care which is great for a change. I think it'd make me nervous and uncomfortable to not disclose that beforehand.
I feel like it's had kind of a renaissance, at least around people I know. I know several people who have found their long-term partner there in the last two years. I think it might just be that there's still just the biggest user base there. But yeah, most people there aren't what I'm looking for, haha. I'd say I swipe right on maybe 2% of profiles.
I quite liked him! Otherwise we wouldn't have gotten to the cuddling part on the first date, haha. I try to not date cis men these days but he got through, somehow. We had a good conversation on a dating app (tinder of all places, lol) and the date was great. He's smart, considerate, has a very interesting job (he invents and sells game show concepts, quite successfully) and did not ask or talk about me being trans at all. He has lots of friends and is just looking for someone to do couple coded things like cuddling and short romantic trips with, which is exactly what I'm looking for as well. He's also not strictly monogamous which I consider a plus because I don't think I want a strictly monogamous romantic relationship right now. We had some wine in a very classy bar (his treat) and I invited him to my place because I felt like some warmth. He recognised the pictures of Grace Kelly and Liz Taylor on my wall, which I thought was very cool.
The only negative really is that I think he's not that attractive physically, sadly. But everything else is a great fit so I'll see where it goes or if I lose interest. There'll definitely be a second date! If he doesn't ghost me, which has happened before after great dates lol, but that's just online dating.
Sublingual doesn't work when you just take them once a day. There's a very high spike 1-2 hours after taking them but the estrogen is absorbed very quickly after that. That's why taking them every 8 hours or at least every 12 is recommended. I think most people who do gel do it in the morning and in the evening. Patches seem like a good alternative though. I don't even know if they're an option where I am, I'll ask my endo the next time I see her.
I do take a sublingual pill every 8 hours, so morning - afternoon - evening. It's a bit often but you get used to it and it works well for me. I'd like to switch to injections sometime but currently can't be bothered because they're not that easy to get where I'm at. I might tackle that after grs.
Ohh this resonates! It took me quite a bit of time to learn that my thoughts are valid and "normal". I always felt like such an outcast, being the weird kid and not really fitting in with my very traditional family. I even had to learn that my opinions are actually valid! Your "now" sounds fun :) It's really the little things that make life brighter, isn't it?
I also have problems with moments where I stray back to reddit and even 4chan occasionally. I'm the same as you and do this when I feel sad or doubtful about my life. As the others have said, this is exactly what the hateful people there want. I don't have any advice that hasn't been said but what I do is just be very very conscious of that fact. They want you to come back, they want you to feel bad. You can just not do it. It's not always easy. But making coffee, going for a walk, reading a book, doing some silly computer thing etc. are all things that make me happier than going back to those websites. They show me that I have a life worth living regardless of what people online think about me.
Self-harm and crossdressing (what I called it back then) occasionally, after years eventually started dressing in a very non-binary way in public. Think legs unshaved but with a skirt. This got me a lot of attention in public. I live in a very progressive area luckily so I didn't get attacked (physically, at least). I also masturbated a lot. Nothing helped until I started HRT, then I got better very quickly, mostly because I allowed myself to really be a woman.
Congrats on taking the first step! That's the hardest one. I struggled with similar doubts for the first 2-3 months of HRT as well, but ever since, there's nothing I'm more certain about in my entire life.
Ohh yeah completely agree with the being better at empathizing with women's issues! My favourite quote about being trans is "Men think they understand women's issues and women think they understand men's issues. Neither are correct". That rings very true! I feel like even though I called myself a feminist before transition already, I didn't really "get" it.
And also completely forgot about voice stuff, thanks for reminding me! Someone once called my voice cute and said I couldn't even sound angry if I tried. That made me very happy especially because that person doesn't know my old voice. :)
Have heard of them but it makes me more dysphoric than anything else to have to wear "special" underwear that cis women just wouldn't wear :( But honestly it's the thought of it. I haven't bought any because they're expensive.
Thank you for the nice comment (and your comment on my older post as well!). I actually found out via my therapist who e-mailed me, I haven't even gotten the letter yet, tomorrow probably. She's offered to assist with the appeal which is nice of her. We'll schedule a call in the next few days and figure out the next few steps.
Yeah he knows, it's in my profile and I've offhandedly mentioned it once or twice. He just doesn't care which is great for a change. I think it'd make me nervous and uncomfortable to not disclose that beforehand.