skrige

Anonymous asked:

I have no idea where to start 🤯. I know I'm trans. And I know I want top surgery. It's the everything in between that I'm lost on. I'm only out to a few friends and one cousin.

Do I start Testosterone before I get top surgery?

When should I start Testosterone?

Is therapy needed to get it?

What type of top surgery did you get?

i’m gonna answer all of these together, sorry it’s kinda long!

there’s no specific order you HAVE to follow to transition, it’s a super personal/individualized thing. but perhaps the most “standard” transition would follow this general timeline:

-coming out/“socially” transitioning

this could include going by a new name/pronouns, wearing a chest binder, changing the way you dress, anything that is easily reversible. some places require you to “live as male” for a certain length of time prior to medically transitioning.

-starting testosterone

t causes changes in fat distribution/muscle tone so it’s recommended that you be on t for a year before having top surgery. some surgeons will require a certain length of time taking hormones before they’ll do surgery but some don’t.

-top surgery

a lot more drastic than starting hormones and socially transitioning, so it’s recommended that you do it later in your transition and don’t rush into it.

-bottom surgery

don’t know much about it because it’s not something i’m interested in, but you’ll need to be on t for a while before bottom surgery due to the changes t causes. it’s also a much more complicated/expensive/risky surgery than top surgery.

-legal transition

this means changing your gender and/or name on official documents. this can come before bottom surgery in some cases, but most of the time you will be required to take hrt and/or have some form of surgery before legally changing your name or gender marker. it also depends on the location AND the document.

every doctor is different and every country/state is different as well so it’s hard to give specific advice other than just telling you to research. here’s a few specific things you should learn about to get an idea of your next step:

-difference between informed consent model and diagnostic (therapy) model

-requirements for diagnostic model vs informed consent in your area

-cost of hrt/top surgery with and without insurance

-requirements to get hrt/top surgery covered by insurance

-different ways of taking testosterone, which include:

oral, gel, patch, im injection, sub q injection

-different types of top surgery, which include:

keyhole, periareolar, double incision

-doctors in your area that provide the services that best fit your goals

-requirements to legally change your name/gender marker in your area

i personally rushed my transition (and i’m glad i did) but it’s not the right way for everyone. i came out around the end of march 2019, started t the end of september 2019, and had top surgery the end of november 2019. i did informed consent the whole time, so i didn’t have to get any therapist or doctor letters for my transition.

i got double incision (with free nipple grafts) and i take testosterone as an intramuscular injection once a week.

if you’re interested in more details about my experience with the informed consent model, im injections, or double incision i can give you more info, although it will still vary by location and doctor. i can’t help too much when it comes to other forms of hrt/top surgery, or the diagnostic model since i don’t have personal experience with any of it.

Anonymous asked:

What steps did you have to take to get top surgery?

a lot of research and preparations- researched different kinds of top surgery and possible complications, researched recovery timelines, looked at pre and post-op pictures of people with similar body types to me and figured out what kind of results i was looking for, made a list of criteria for potential surgeons, found a surgeon that matched my criteria, scheduled a phone consultation, during the consult i discussed my medical history and surgery goals with the doctor, scheduled a surgery date, saved up enough money to pay for it, made sure to get plenty of time off work to recover, made sure i had a good support system for my time recovering

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.