If it really hurts when I start my jab, I'll move to a slightly different spot. I figure this means I'm close to nicking a vein--or I'm just too soft. 8D   Also, you may be hitting a healing subcutaneous wound from earlier injections. I had a pretty bad bruise last week, but this week not even a dot of blood.

And Gender Identity is different from sexual orientation but interconnected. One is who you are and other who you are attracted to. There is a whole range of identities and orientations but the only one who can actually determine for yourself is yourself. Try and be true to yourself (very difficult at times I know).  

I switched from patches to weekly injections last fall. Not that big of a deal once I did it a few times. This stuff definitely works! But suddenly, it's like I can't give myself a shot correctly anymore.  Usually the needle slides right in, smooth with very little pain, boom and I am done. The past 3-4 times, though, have been rough. Needle struggles to go in (ouch!) and then I bleed a decent amount when I am done. I still have a bruise on my tummy from last week's shot ... Is it just in my head at this point, lol ? Anyone else have similar issues?   Can't complain about results, though. I am mostly under-the-radar with folks around me, but it is getting more difficult to hide the effects at this point (hey, how did my shirts get so tight all of the sudden?  ) 

Have been on a similar journey for more than a year ... it's pretty wild! ... Blessings to you ... this stuff does work! Just when I thought, "Nothing's happening!" I look in the mirror and something's happening... 

Indeed, I share a similar story as well (age 54) but alas don't really have an understanding partner ... Can totally relate to the "more I dress, the better I feel" and that this is increasingly taking over my life ... I started HRT about a year ago (mostly the under-the-radar, though it is getting harder to stay under-the-radar) ... Best wishes to you ! This is a great community with very caring, understanding folks ... 

@VickySGV you probably realize this, but it's worth remarking that such comments reveal insecurities of those who make them. That they need you to be a certain way for them to feel comfortable underscores their lack of personal development. Still, indeed it sounds real old & tired. On the other hand, I want to highlight that your response, especially to the teasing by the surviving family members, brings into focus the extent to which you have become integrated. It's remarkable that things that strike us as painful can serve as signposts of progress. For real and for certain, you are no joke. You are a deep, dynamic and lovable person who deserves respect and whom others should be honored to know. Many people are not ready for the emotional intimacy others of us desire.

Perhaps so, but it is the world's best backward nation!!  No other nation even comes close!*   *  Sarcasm intended.   Carolyn Marie

P.S. However, if the frame is too wide, it WILL emphasize the narrowness of the jaw. So, balance is key. Check out how Johnny Depp wears his glasses. Bold frame, avoiding angles that interfere with angularity of the face, and chunky brow. Good luck!

Happy it helped you. I think that glasses won't make your jawline appear more prominent per se, but rather can serve to draw attention away from the jaw and accentuate the brow. Check out glasses with a chunky brow line, even glasses with only the brow line and invisible frame on bottom might work.  

Hi, Rosie.  Welcome!   Your story sounds quite familiar, and will likely resonate with many members here.  Please feel free to ask questions or join in any of the discussions.   Regards, Kathy

This makes my heart happy. I love Bette so much too!     It's worth acknowledging that the very act of transitioning - however grand or subtle - is an act of self-love, whether or not we are able to perceive it that way. Why else would one endeavor to seek the remedy to the ongoing distress of closeted life? One may frame it as "out of necessity" or "vital to survival". But the deepest core of that is self-love. Animals act largely on instinct (some animals are more emotionally sensitive than others). But humans have higher faculties to work with. And addressing emotional/psychological/spiritual distress is motivated by something deeper than simply the gut instinct to survive. I believe there's a seed of self-love in everyone.

I am 61, been cross dressing as long as I can remember.  Sister dresses my first, and been hiding this all my life.  In recent years it has been taking over my everyday life.  I do have an understanding partner, which means I can dress in the home, which I am not sure is a blessing or curse   What I do know is whatever more I do, the better I feel, it’s getting hard to hide who I am 

That's so sad! I guess I just presumed we all found self love easier (even if just a tiny bit) after transition.

It is OK, your phone got it partially correct. LOL.   My post  Not even when I didn't know who I was. Meaning before I realized I am a woman. So, 50 of my 60 yrs I never realized I was trans and a woman. I have never loved who I am.   Kymmie

@Willow I have set days that I work. Tues is HiSET testing. then Wednesday. I am going to fill in the extra 3 hours where ever I can. I'm limited to 19hrs a week. 79hrs a month. I've the weekend to wrench or in the case of last weekend put up a shed. Those keyless starting can be a pain. The last 5 new(er) vehicles we have owned have had it. Our golf wagen has it. even the new motorcycle has it. Having bulky key fobs in your pocket are a major pain. I wish I could carry a purse. Alas it may be pushing it with the wife.   Hugs, Kymmie

It is a mystery to me, but I am guessing that the main reason is that "At least he owns the libs."

Hi   @Mmindy that’s what happens when you take a break.  And these were relatively slow days.  lol. Glad you are back with us.     @KymmieLSo, Ms Kymmie are you “on call” or do you go in on certain days or certain hours most days?  How do you know when you can work on the car(s)?  I ran into an interesting problem with the old caddy, it would go to start then die like a dead battery.  I started monitoring the battery voltage and only once was it unusually low.  Then I thought could there be a bad winding on the starter?  Then I thought, start with the easiest answer.  I replaced the battery in the key fob.  Since it is keyless start and the door was giving me an issue that day.  Certainly wasn’t my first thought but that seems to have fixed it.   @awkward-yet-sweet sounds like a wonderful weekend, and well deserved too.  I hope you are able to fully patch things up with your GF.  Holding a grudge is just as hard on you as it is the other person when you are so close.   Today is the last Women’s Circle Meeting until next Fall. I plan on going but I woke up with a really bad headache and I have to work starting at noon.   We did get rain over the weekend but again, not enough except to keep the grass green and the flowers blooming.  The two large local wildfires are still burning under the surface and flare up during periods of high winds. Both were started by humans.  One is fighting in court to stay out of jail.  I suspect she will end up at the wrong end of a lot of lawsuits from the people who were forced to evacuate and had damages.  The area is still actively blocked of to everyone that doesn’t live there.  We don’t hear a lot about the second one although it did flare up last week. I am pretty certain they have that person as well but they don’t seem to be making as big of a fuss about it.  Probably because no homes were threatened.  

(1) Somewhat important, (2) Yes, definitely.   It has only been in the past 12 months or so that I have openly bought outerwear from 'the other side of the aisle' while maintaining a unisex look. When I do wear those tops or jumpers, I feel lovelier than when I don't. I don't wear makeup, but I do apply a face cream most days, and it also feels like I'm lifting myself up to a higher level when I apply it. Both of those things, especially in conjunction, give me a tiny little euphoria hit which carries through the day.

Over here, Trump is affecting me less and less, despite the media saturation.   We had a federal election on the weekend, and the incumbent center-left party was re-elected with a vastly increased majority, in part due to the revolt against Trumpism by fair minded people which the center-right opposition party was flirting with. Trump has since heaped praise on our PM, but I suspect it is just cheap words.   There is a resolve here to just carry on and keep calm.   What I don't understand is the total acceptance by Trump supporters of him despite his complete lack of a moral compass. Taking the piss of papacy and pretending he's the Pope? Really? Well, if religion is a joke, I guess I'm all in, but how do all the respectable catholic conservatives in USA reconcile what he did?    Why is Trump still acceptable to so many?   This will hurt - there's an old saying, you end up with what you deserve. I see the rise of Trump as a reflection on the USA at large. In many respects it is such a backward nation.