T update: twelve weeks
Jul. 30th, 2013 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aidenonymousFor reference, weeks ten, eight, six, four, three, two, and one.
I'm still using the AndroGel 1% metered pump, one 1.25 g pump daily, applying a second dose if the first was compromised by heavy sweating within five hours of application. (I have not done this in the last two weeks.) I'm still applying it to my back, but more and more on my hips and the front of me. I've been avoiding my shoulders due to acne and my chest due to terror.
Body hair:
I wanted to post this last time, but I wasn't certain enough at the time; the hair on my thighs is indeed darker than it used to be, pretty much all over. The new development I noticed in the past two weeks is that my butt crack hair has gotten way thicker. Luckily it doesn't seem to extend any further than before, because if it did I'd have to shower every time I take a dump. Also, that small tuft of hair on my big toes has gotten longer if nothing else. Oh, and there are a few hairs on my legs that have gotten thicker, somewhere between head hair and pubic hair thickness.
Hair:
At this point, pretty much all the hair on my head grew after I was on T. I find more coarse, wiry hairs than before. Pre-T, I'd find hairs like that, but they were also extremely curly, when the rest of my hair was straight and fine. They were so rare that I generally yanked them out without a second thought. Now, I have so many hairs that feel similar but are straight, and I quickly reigned in that bad habit because I'd rapidly go bald if I continued. For that matter, I haven't noticed any signs of balding nor changes in my hairline, but I'm still a bit paranoid about it. I'm curious about if my hair will ever go back to being softer and finer if I discontinue T.
Metabolism:
My appetite skyrocketed after a single day of physical exertion and took a week to return to normal. I fear for my weight.
Voice:
My voice is still getting lower, based on recordings. I'm not getting more of that deep resonance like I did at first, but my comfortable middle range continues to steadily drop. Now, I find that my voice is deepest in the hours after I apply my T and rises later in the day, or perhaps it's just harder to control then. My control has improved in the last two weeks, at least compared to the month before. Still, my voice seems to shift mid-conversation if I'm not optimally hydrated, prompting funny looks when whomever I'm talking to doubts their perception of me.
Skin:
I must be losing my marbles, but I swear my acne's getting better than it was pre-T. It flared up something awful the week before my period, but the baseline level has been better than what was normal for me over the last year. I've got more nearly invisible pimples on my cheeks, and my chin is perpetually covered in small whiteheads, and there are more around my hairline on my forehead. . . okay, so I still have acne all over my face, but less of it is the enormous, pink pustule kind that makes me self-conscious about my appearance.
Cycle:
I'm not thrilled about getting a fourth period on T, although at least it wasn't terribly early compared to my pre-T average. The cramps were bad again, but everything else is manageable. My acne is really strongly cyclic, much moreso than pre-T.
Emotions:
I've felt pretty level-headed for the most part. I had some emotional moments at work recently (that I can probably blame on PMS), but I didn't express those emotions in ways I would have found embarassing or out of character, i.e. I didn't cry while having a challenging discussion with the head of the grad program nor did I snap when my advisor said something difficult to hear, even though I felt upset at the time. However, I've been more irritable around my partner and am not sure if it's because we've been spending too much time together and he's just grating on me or if I'm genuinely more irritable than usual. Additionally, I'm having trouble letting go and moving on when shit happens in general and holding too much inside (so, still averse to confrontation). On the other hand, I've been less distracted by gender stuff overall, in contrast to most of the last three months when I maintained a high level of activity on several trans* forums because it was on my mind a lot and I felt a strong need for community at a time when things were rapidly changing.
Facial hair:
My sideburns wannabes are getting darker and thicker. As I contemplate trimming the hair around my ears, I think it will be very noticeable if I shave that area, not just as it grows in afterwards. However, it seems to still be light enough that I don't have to shave yet.
Sex drive:
Definitely still high! I'm more interested in partner sex, too, whereas for the past three or so years (so, the whole time I've been out) I mostly preferred masturbation. Still, I'm masturbating as often as I did as a teenager, as my refractory period has shortened considerably.
Muscles:
Not only has my stamina for heavy physical activity improved, but I also don't experience muscle fatigue as easily, i.e. working the same muscle group continuously for many hours does not cause the muscles in question to become sore or tired.
Everything else:
I'm still getting misgendered on the phone. I had a good interaction with a doctor recently where my identity was respected and not made into a big deal. I don't feel like I have much to write home about anymore, so this will be my last two-week update. From this point on, I'll be updating on the seventh of each month.
I'm still using the AndroGel 1% metered pump, one 1.25 g pump daily, applying a second dose if the first was compromised by heavy sweating within five hours of application. (I have not done this in the last two weeks.) I'm still applying it to my back, but more and more on my hips and the front of me. I've been avoiding my shoulders due to acne and my chest due to terror.
Body hair:
I wanted to post this last time, but I wasn't certain enough at the time; the hair on my thighs is indeed darker than it used to be, pretty much all over. The new development I noticed in the past two weeks is that my butt crack hair has gotten way thicker. Luckily it doesn't seem to extend any further than before, because if it did I'd have to shower every time I take a dump. Also, that small tuft of hair on my big toes has gotten longer if nothing else. Oh, and there are a few hairs on my legs that have gotten thicker, somewhere between head hair and pubic hair thickness.
Hair:
At this point, pretty much all the hair on my head grew after I was on T. I find more coarse, wiry hairs than before. Pre-T, I'd find hairs like that, but they were also extremely curly, when the rest of my hair was straight and fine. They were so rare that I generally yanked them out without a second thought. Now, I have so many hairs that feel similar but are straight, and I quickly reigned in that bad habit because I'd rapidly go bald if I continued. For that matter, I haven't noticed any signs of balding nor changes in my hairline, but I'm still a bit paranoid about it. I'm curious about if my hair will ever go back to being softer and finer if I discontinue T.
Metabolism:
My appetite skyrocketed after a single day of physical exertion and took a week to return to normal. I fear for my weight.
Voice:
My voice is still getting lower, based on recordings. I'm not getting more of that deep resonance like I did at first, but my comfortable middle range continues to steadily drop. Now, I find that my voice is deepest in the hours after I apply my T and rises later in the day, or perhaps it's just harder to control then. My control has improved in the last two weeks, at least compared to the month before. Still, my voice seems to shift mid-conversation if I'm not optimally hydrated, prompting funny looks when whomever I'm talking to doubts their perception of me.
Skin:
I must be losing my marbles, but I swear my acne's getting better than it was pre-T. It flared up something awful the week before my period, but the baseline level has been better than what was normal for me over the last year. I've got more nearly invisible pimples on my cheeks, and my chin is perpetually covered in small whiteheads, and there are more around my hairline on my forehead. . . okay, so I still have acne all over my face, but less of it is the enormous, pink pustule kind that makes me self-conscious about my appearance.
Cycle:
I'm not thrilled about getting a fourth period on T, although at least it wasn't terribly early compared to my pre-T average. The cramps were bad again, but everything else is manageable. My acne is really strongly cyclic, much moreso than pre-T.
Emotions:
I've felt pretty level-headed for the most part. I had some emotional moments at work recently (that I can probably blame on PMS), but I didn't express those emotions in ways I would have found embarassing or out of character, i.e. I didn't cry while having a challenging discussion with the head of the grad program nor did I snap when my advisor said something difficult to hear, even though I felt upset at the time. However, I've been more irritable around my partner and am not sure if it's because we've been spending too much time together and he's just grating on me or if I'm genuinely more irritable than usual. Additionally, I'm having trouble letting go and moving on when shit happens in general and holding too much inside (so, still averse to confrontation). On the other hand, I've been less distracted by gender stuff overall, in contrast to most of the last three months when I maintained a high level of activity on several trans* forums because it was on my mind a lot and I felt a strong need for community at a time when things were rapidly changing.
Facial hair:
My sideburns wannabes are getting darker and thicker. As I contemplate trimming the hair around my ears, I think it will be very noticeable if I shave that area, not just as it grows in afterwards. However, it seems to still be light enough that I don't have to shave yet.
Sex drive:
Definitely still high! I'm more interested in partner sex, too, whereas for the past three or so years (so, the whole time I've been out) I mostly preferred masturbation. Still, I'm masturbating as often as I did as a teenager, as my refractory period has shortened considerably.
Muscles:
Not only has my stamina for heavy physical activity improved, but I also don't experience muscle fatigue as easily, i.e. working the same muscle group continuously for many hours does not cause the muscles in question to become sore or tired.
Everything else:
I'm still getting misgendered on the phone. I had a good interaction with a doctor recently where my identity was respected and not made into a big deal. I don't feel like I have much to write home about anymore, so this will be my last two-week update. From this point on, I'll be updating on the seventh of each month.
