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+--- Thread: I need personal experience stories... (/t-i-need-personal-experience-stories)
I need personal experience stories... - frankibleueyes - 06-24-2015
I have done loads of research and looking up surgeons and how much everything costs and what type of surgeries there are. But I'm more interested in the real information instead of estimated guesses. I'm 19 turning 20 and want nothing more then to have a flat chest but I have yet to come out to my family about how uncomfortable I am. I came out as a lesbian when I was 13 but now that I have learned what Transgender is I am that more then anything. I never really knew what it was until I started looking things up online. I want to eventually transition and have been thinking about it since I was 16 but I know if I go on T everything will change and my family might not accept me. My fathers side just came to terms with the Label lesbian and I know they will freak out if they knew I would crave to be a man. I would love to know how everyone developed the money for these hormones or surgeries and what it takes to get it and or what platform they used? And or what are the side effects of going on T? Or if I should start working out to gain a little muscle before too surgery? Or if they went on T before top surgery or if they didn't and went on hormones after what's the differences? I think the route I would like to go is top surgery without hormones but I am not quite sure how that works because every article I read everyone was on T for a year. I live in New Jersey so if anyone could tell me the best place for advice or an LGBT community close by or where the best surgeon is located closest to me I would appreciate that. Any story or information you can give me would help me exponentially. So please don't be shy to share as little or as much information you can. I need to be more informed on everything, anything counts and I surely appreciate it. Thank you!
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RE: I need personal experience stories... - Joshua - 07-03-2015
Raising money: I put my head down, worked hard and saved whatever I could. Financing transition is tough but it can be done.
Side effects of T: http://www.ftmguide.org/tandhealth.html
Also see: http://www.nickgorton.org/
Yes, start working out because 1) T tends to cause weight gain; 2) having more muscle definition in your chest will improve surgery results.
You do not need to be on hormones to have Top Surgery!
Quote:Do I need to be on testosterone before I can get top surgery?
No, WPATH Standards of Care do not require hormone therapy to be eligible for top surgery. (An exception to this is if you are trying to get U.S. insurance coverage for top surgery, in which case you may find that 1 year of HRT is required by the insurance company.) One benefit of being on T prior to surgery is that it can help you develop larger chest muscles, giving your surgeon more of a contour to work with, which can improve surgery results. However, this can also be achieved with push-ups and no testosterone.
http://www.topsurgery.net/faq/
Local support:
http://www.njsg.org/
http://www.gardenstateequality.org/issues/transgender/
http://www.pridecenter.org/
My Top Surgery experience:
https://genderoutlaw.wordpress.com/2008/05/04/my-top-surgery-experience/
I'm aware of a couple of surgeons in NJ but they don't have the experience of Dr. Rumer who's next door in PA: http://www.transhealthcare.org/kathy-rumer/
Hope this helps!