G.a.s Expectation

[Guest Zenda]

I've just rerooted/copied this post to this forum because in the last place I posted it for some reason there was little interest ie. response. Angie one of the two responders suggested to me it might best be posted in this forum...I’m not too sure whether this topic has already been aired here. This sort of topic is better aired in an open forum than in poll form. In poll form one is restricted somewhat in their answers which can at times be quite complex.

How realistic are you when it comes to your expectations surrounding Real Life Experience and Gender Affirming Surgery? Or has R.L.E or G.A.S changed your life for the better-not really or it’s worse than before ?

Because many transsexual people have similar experiences regarding family circumstances- marriage-children-church and or their appearance-height -weight-looks etc prior to and after gender affirmation. It’s important to be open and honest about your personal experience. Your experiences might help others who are in a similar position you were prior to affirming your gender identity.

Bear in mind experiences will be right a cross the board from…Transtastic-transfabulous-to transcontent-transnormal-transmundane- transregret and sadly in some cases transhorrific . An example of what I mean by being realistic [or unrealistic in her case]-a trans person I know was convinced that after her GAS others would start to refer to her as ‘female’ with correct pronouns when addressing her etc. She had been living fulltime for around a year prior to GAS… Sadly this was not to be…she has since told me she does not ‘regret’ having surgery- [after transitioning and surgery she has really come out of her shell], but at times she still gets annoyed when being addressed as male.

Are you being realistic or were you unrealistic in your expectations?

Metta Jendar

[Guest Seren]

My only expectation is that i can feel completely comfortable with my body.

I'm simple like that, y'see?

[Guest angie]

Hey Ho Girl Childs,

This is one thought provoking question.

And if you are truthful with yourself,take the time to answer this query.

I am most interested in how we will respond.

Here goes,

What i expect from RLE/RLT,is to help me learn to handle being a woman on a daily basis.

Meaning,handling both the positive And negative energy thrown at me.

While i haven't been outed this time around,i have had my share of experience being "made."

At first it upset me,then i thought,"Ehh what the heck,they will probably never see me again.

Don't let it bother you girl."I am an anonymous stranger and so are they.

RLE/RLT is also giving me the opportunity to adjust to everyday living as a woman out in the real world.

Becoming comfortable in the role i will be living for the rest of my life.

Learning to interact converse and be just another woman like the billions out there.

Adjusting to the new emotions feelings and sensations as my body morphs into it's true intended form.

By the time i have my confirming surgery,I Will Be A Whole Woman Right Down To My Toes.

Mind Body And Soul.

That is what I expect to take from RLE/RLE.

Realism And The Experience To Live A Happy Fulfilling Life.

Hugs Sisters,

Angie.

[Guest Lethalia]

I believe my expectations are completely realistic. I will never be able to afford G.A.S.

If I were ever to be able to afford G.A.S., it would not change the way the world treats me. For the most part, people already do address me as a woman. And most people are quite respectful, no matter where I go. They had better be. And I think they see that. But I do not pass. At all. I will never pass. Period. So, I guess I would continue to live as I do now. It might be nice to wear some normal clothing. What might change… I don't know. In a fairy tale dream, I would be able to look at myself, wear something pretty, wear something nice to bed, and maybe to have sex. Perhaps that would be too optimistic. Yeah, Cinderella dreams. But at least I'm not fooling myself. So…

I do believe my expectations are completely realistic.

Here on Planet Earth...

Isabella Lethalia Innocenzi

.

[Zufrieden]

Jeez Lethalia:

I believe my expectations are completely realistic. I will never be able to afford G.A.S.

That's one of the saddest things I've read on these forums.

Z.

[Guest Katie-Louise]

I want it to look as close as a natural womans does, I want average death and good sensation. I'm looking into having mine done in Thailand but that will be many years from now unfortunately more than likely Dr Suporn the post operative aftercare is excellent and the GAS results are great although you will have to spend a month in Thailand recovering but so long as you have got the money why not . At the moment I am living full time as a woman (would that be counted as RLE/RLT?) but hopefully I hope to start HRT as soon as I can really. I've got an appointment with a physciatrist soon. After having GAS/GRS I will feel comfortable in my body. I got an embarassing question to ask but I will anyway what can I do about my sex drive? I don't act on it but it definitely gets on my nervs lots of love.

Katie

xxxxxx

[Guest EllenM]

I got an embarassing question to ask but I will anyway what can I do about my sex drive? I don't act on it but it definitely gets on my nervs lots of love.

Katie

xxxxxx

Ask your doctor endocrinologist, he / she can help with this and change your sex drive in to a female sort of sex drive (much nicer)

Ellen

[Guest Zenda]

Katie Louise,

Once you start hormones within six months your libido/sex drive should drop to that of a genetic females...If your endocrinologist feels the need to put you on anti androgens it will drop a lot quicker. DON'T WORRY THINGS WILL TURN OUT JUST FINE !

Metta Jendar

[Guest Lethalia]

Hey there, Zufrieden. OwUB?

You are such a sweetie. To be perfectly honest, it is nice, that someone understands. That made me smile. Thank you. You truly are a sweetie. But so long as we're being perfectly honest here, instead of G.A.S., I guess what I would really like is S.A.S. Yes, to be running up and down trees with my big bushy tail flickering back and forth… then all the other squirrels might accept me a little better. Oh, was that too honest?

Feeling squirrelly…

Isabella Lethalia Innocenzi

.

[Guest angie]

Hi There And top Of The Morning To Ya Ladies,

Let me tell,A LITTLE ABOUT WHERE I WAS WHEN I STARTED ON THIS ROAD.

For thiry seven years i was a Bodybuilder and a Power Lifter.

I am talking A body like Donna Rose at her most masculine,posing by the pool in her before pictures.

Just transplant that physique on to a five foot five frame,and that was me in a nut shell.

Do you think i could see my girl? I knew she was in there.

But to the world i just looked like a large muscular man.

I am talking Well defined sculpted muscle.Just like my girl is small and femme...

My guy was the polar opposite.Large macho and manly.

He was how i thought a "MAN" is supposed to look.My male construct.

And it took years to trim or shed all that mass when i came to terms with myself.

At the start of HRT,i had reached the limit on what could be shed and still be healthy.

And still i was defined,i know because the girls at group told me so.How depressing.

It wasn't until my buddy Buck,told me how much i have changed.

That i allowed myself to really see how i look to others now.

When i started out,i wore a size 12 due to my arms being so big.

Then it was a size 10...Finally,i fit into a size 8.

My goal?size 6.

No matter where you start from.Within five months of starting HRT,you will change markedly.

You just might not see it yourself.

Hugs Sisters,

Angie.

[Sakura]

i have been on estrogen almost aslong as i have been on testosterone i started when i was 14 ish unsure really it stopped all my body and facial hair primed me for enevetably stopping the T al together with spironolactone then things really took off im as comfy as i will ever be in my skin while i got it im as much a woman now as i will be after srs exept my male parts will simply be flipped inside out i am living my expectation im a hot girl i party and dance with straight men in straight bars im related to as female always im in the prime of my life and am lucky enough to live it exactly the way i invisioned it in my head the srs will be just a cherry on a rather larg sundae i am 23 now and never thought i would spend my birthdays parting in places like newyork philidelphia and every singal day is an adventure sure i have my share of trouble and heart ache and head aches but thats life grab your life by the horns before it runs off and leaves you

Jennifer Nichole VM '' Sakura''

[Guest lei9276]

hi!

yeah - this is a thought provoking one!

i've been in RLE since january 07 - HRT May 07. i never thought of it as an experiment, trial or test - i just needed to change my being in the world ASAP once i realized who i really am, and hopefully the world would accept me.

wish i could say i started hormones as a teen - oh these enlightened times ;-). unfortunately, i've lived several decades as a genetic, hormonal, physical, socially defined male, wrapped around a spiritual female. so, RLE is with no expectations or hopes other than to finally get some peace in my soul.

as for GAS (i never heard of it referred to as that - am i right in assuming we mean GRS? - i like GAS so much better!) if i were able to do it, i would definitely want to appear and function physically undeniably as a woman - that's what i wanted ever since i knew there was a difference in the sexes. i guess if i was going to lay down a life's fortune, i would expect that the doctor on the other side of knife would be able to produce those results. but financially i'm like Lethalia - i'll never have the $$$ for that - i wonder how people get it together - i also have a marriage, that is negotiated on the premise that i am not going to get THE surgery. so i have to come to terms with the reality that i'll be, and the hope that others that matter to me will accept me as who and what i am.

aloha

lei

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora Lei Welcome to the forum.

G.A.S means 'gender affirming surgery' one is affirming ones gender identity by 'surgical' means...And not having their gender reassigned/transferred so to speak...It does not really matter what one chooses to call it but I personally prefer to use the term GAS...I affirmed my gender identity I didn't have it reassigned.

Metta Jendar

[Guest angie]

Lei,

Becoming comfortable within ones self and accepting the true you.

Is what is important.

No one And I Mean No One...Will know if you do or do not have surgery.

Surgery is for each individuals peace of mind only.

No matter what you may read....And there's some nasty stuff out there.

Having or not having surgery...Doesn't make you anymore or less of a woman.

Find comfort in going as far as money allows.

And peace of mind that you are at least being as female as you can get.

That is far far better than stuck a dreaded (male) for the rest of your life.

Amen To That.

Hugs Lei,

Angie.

[Sakura]

my grandfather always told me to do the best i can with what im given and that there is only one thing you are promissed when your born...that you will die its what you do with that time is whats really important because it goes fast so dont dwell on what you dont have look at what you do and set goals for what you want and try to live your life to the fullest and as true to your self as possible because it will be gone before you know it

Jennifer "sakura" NVM

[Guest angie]

Good Morning Jennifer,

Wise Words To Live By.

Being Fifty One,watching my kids grow to adults in front of my eyes.

One Minute they were these cute little girls.

The next...Grown adult women..In the blink of an eye.

Make each minute count..Live life to the fullest.

We will be old before we know it.

I cannot redo what is done.

But i will embrace life as the woman i am.

Make up for my lost girlhood.

I'm just glad i finally found her.

Hugs Young Lady,

Angelique Michelle(Angie)

[Sakura]

Jennifer "Sakura"

[Guest angie]

Good Day Sakura,

Mine is an opps in deed.

No harm intended.

I expect others to recognize my name.

It is the very least i should do for others.

My apologies.

Angie.

[Sakura]

no worries

Sakura

[Guest Cait]

I expect to be "trans-normal"

but, i dress more like a "lesbian" I don't know if i can use that word?

I'm college- aged looking, and prefer those styles of dress in everyday life and only have issues with

being too tall and my voice

i can raise my voice to a pretty good level already by playing with it while singing.

I found a female voice already--but not sure about it all the time

my height could be a problem, but I just don't see my transition as an "all or nothing"

situation.(and am working on this too) but i move in a fast and fluid way, and i'm not that tall.

just too tall to be a natal -female

will aim for 5'9 as best i can...

i guess i feel i'm male AND female---and i'm tired of trying to balance the two---and would rather "default" into female

in every way.

basically I Just feel i'm modifying myself to have Breasts and bigger hips..

so i will be able to wear more "female" clothes in public and just feel i'm more at ease being me.

Although, i intend or would like to have a full Gender Reassignment,

right now i'm going after Cosmetic Surgery , Orchidectomy, RLE, and practicing my walking and talking

So, my expectations are really very moderate i feel

People do call me sir and that is fine with me

I'm doing my Transition for myself to feel I "righted a wrong"

It bothers me to some extent of never passing---

i see women in public that I look alot better than!!!

but I intend to just keep at it---so I think i'll eventually be very passable, if i wish

and it's ok if I don't

but I hate being in limbo about what gender I am!!!!

I've felt this way so long, ANY step forward feels great.

Also, i found a resource online that advised me on a very proper course of action

which mainly boiled down to not focusing on SRS as much as getting the other stuff down pat first

including Facial Feminization--which might not be so bad as i'm not too manly.

So, i'm able to do my transition over time.

I think my love life is destroyed!!!

that sucks, because i'm quite frisky and lonely--a bad combination.....

i feel my results are going to be good/acceptable at this time

based on my 3 months of Full HRT.

after 3 years I might be radically changed.

either way, i'm doing this to feel i'm looking like I want to

and not to escape my "male body".

I feel sorry for people trapped in their body.

i've felt that way before

the thing with me is:

i've been shaving my legs for years

and everything else.

wearing earrings and some make-up when allowed, in public

and so ---i've been trying to transition on a "non-hormonal" level since i don't know when

growing my hair long, etc.

Painting my nails---

which is how i actually got started in transition

people hated it so much--i grew immune to their opinions because i knew that wasn't even that extreme...

if they ever found out I wear panties and bras---and dresses all day if i don't have to go out!!

it seems kind of natural to walk kinda girly and write girly and see the world that way!

love and kisses,

Kate

[Guest Sofiadragon]

When it comes to the RLE I am expecting to get alot fo flak from those around me that don't know/understand my situation but from those that are around me alot I am sitting on the fence as to the expectations, but when it comes to the surgery aspect I am just hoping that I can look like a normal woman in anything that I wear that I wouldn't look normal in before.

[Guest AllisonD]

I got two benefits from SRS. The first was I could get a passport in the gender I had been living for years. That is what actually prompted me to find out about it and arrange it, I needed that passport in my career. The second was an unexpected benefit, freedom from fear of being discovered to have a thingy. I had not realized just how much that mattered until it no longer mattered.

People here talk all the time about living with denial, and this thread makes me realize I had lived with denial for a very long time myself. I just ignored the fact I had a thingy, and hid it, as I had been doing for years. Looking back, it had got to the point that I was so used to it that I didn't even think about it anymore. Like having any other disability I guess, I just adjusted my life and compensated for it. But I felt so FREE after SRS, since I no longer had a thingy to hide.

It didn't make any outward change in my appearance at all tho. So I guess my expectations were quite reasonable.

Allison

[Guest AshleyRF]

I guess what I wanted to get from my R L E was an affirmation that society would accept me as who I am on the inside on a 24/7 basis. Going out every now and then is one thing, it's a totally different story when you are faced with doing it every day. There is no "I don't really feel like it today" or "it's just easier to not try and pass". It really makes you open your eyes to the reality of your transition.

Did I get what I wanted from my R L E. So far, I think I have. I use to constantly worry if I passed or not when I would go out. Now that this is a 24/7 thing, I don't worry about it so much. I'm really starting to feel comfortable with myself and honestly, some days I forget that I've ever been anything different.

What I expect from G A S? I just want it to look natural. I'm not that worried about functionality really, just as long as it looks good. Granted functionality would be great, and I would welcome it 100%, but it's not number 1 on my list.

[Guest Isabella]

I will be forty in may. I have fought with this for yrs, first with myself and now with the outside world. I went through yrs of buying female clothing to wear just at home only to feel so ashamed & disgusted months later that i would gather them all into a giant trash bag & take them out to the dumpster.I did this over & over, each swearing never again. I finaly came to accept myself 7yrs ago & began hrt & perm hair removal while still living as a guy. I first tried to start rlt about 4yrs ago, only to lose a good paying union job as a cook. Living as a man I was able to find another good paying union job & tried again several times to start rlt & again it cost me my job. I believe self acceptance is the biggest step, but for me it still feels like a nightmare much of the time. It can be a real battlefield out there!

[Guest Zenda]

Are you being realistic or were you unrealistic in your expectations?

Metta Jendar

Kia Ora me,

I guess to answer my 'own' question Jendar dear...All my expectations are met-I'm as happy as a frog basking in the sunshine on a lilly pad with flies buzzing all around... One can't get much happier than that...

Metta Jendar:)