Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Well, You Decide-Effects of T When You are Older


Recommended Posts

Guest ashleynikole

HOLY CARP!!!!!

I just went back to this thread from the top and WOW!

Last night at support group, I showed someone a pic of me from 2005 and they said, "NO <EXPLETIVE> WAY?!??!". I honestly don't think I'm that far along at only 6 months HRT, but seeing your pics Johnny have inspired me to find the best pic of my old self and partner it up with a new pic in about 6-8 months (maybe for my 1 yr HRT anniversary).

Wow. God bless you in your journey sir. You are an inspiration (and quite handsome).

Astonished

Ashley

Link to comment
  • Replies 89
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • JJ

    17

  • Bulldog1948

    5

  • Drea

    1

  • ~Nova~

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Forum Moderator

Thanks! The pics in this thread don't even really capture how great the change has been because I don't have any pics of where I was before transition that really show how I looked. The one at the beginning of the thread was me but it was also flattering . I think this one shows it best and it was worse after that.

anniversary3a_zps5b43ec2b.jpg

Not one day goes by that I am not thankful and amazed at what can happen when you decide to do your best. I really never believed I could look male at all. Now even the most redneck guys, who though not nasty as I expected were still very uncomfortable, are just treating me like a regular guy. And recently a young guy refused to believe I wasn't in my 30s till I proved my age. :D Not that I think I look that young but I do feel great. T is still making changes -which was unexpected.

Sure I sometimes struggle with the whole "I lost so much of my life" or "I'll never be or have" thing, but when I do I remember what I do have is so much more than I dreamed and living as me just feels so good. I look in the mirror and smile-not because I'm good looking-I don't really think so and actually it isn't important to me-but because I see the me I have always needed to be. I see what others see- a man.

I was thinking about it the other day and realized I have made the very best of me that I can physically. That is a great feeling. It's really all I could ask for. I'll never be a big guy or a young guy but I am the best me I can be. It took time and patience and work. Relearning a lot-changing bad habits even more mentally than physically. Deciding to be happy and letting go of bitterness and regret. I've said before and will again and again-this condition robbed me of enough without me letting it rob me of more by being angry and resentful . Being happy IS a choice. And I KNOW that if I can do this anyone can.

Believing that can be hard-can be scary. But even trying makes it better. Trying makes it happen. Making the choice to do your best. I've seen so many lives turned around here as well as my own.

Sometimes it feels like this must all be a dream-but most of the time it feels more like the past was a nightmare and I finally managed to find my way through and wake myself up.

Thanks again!

Johnny

Link to comment
Guest MostlySwell

Hear! Hear!

I very much appreciate your sharing this, Johnny. I feel the same way about the past and the struggle with not feeling bitter. How free it is to let go of that, even if I find myself letting go over and over. I'm so very grateful for this site and for all of you who have helped make the path and all who are still doing so. It's remarkable how far we've come and how quickly things attitudes and level of awareness are changing.

Link to comment
Guest MostlySwell

Oh. I meant to add an anecdote. A friend came to visit the other day. It was the first time she saw me after my top surgery and starting T. She was floored by the change. She then commented on the phone yesterday about how she couldn't imagine my wearing some items I had given her. Some jewelry and a purse. Yet, she had seen me week after week wearing those very items. (I also can't imagine ever wearing those items!!!!!)

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Such an inspiration Johnny! I'm new here - tomorrow will be my 6th weekly T shot, so I'm very new to transition. I started my transition just after my 50th birthday. I am recovering from 7 major spine surgeries from 2004 - 2009. I think I read somewhere that you use elastic bands for your incredible results. Can you point me to some exercise routines using the bands? I ordered a set after reading your post and seeing your results. Thanks in advance :)

Jay

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Thanks Jay. Still amazes me that it's happened and real.

I started with weaker resistance tubes and worked up to ultra and started with around 10 reps then 20 and now 25 with each thing I do and I do a set twice during a 5 hour hike. I also use wrist weights which I think helps. I hike with them too. As with the resistance I worked up from small weights to now using 2 sets that are close to 5 lbs each arm. If you start out with high weight it will do far more harm than good.

I don't want to build my lower body- had enough of big legs and calves and thighs in my past from rriding a bicycle everywhere, including trips to the mountains, when I lived in Denver in my 20s and 30s and fear that if I work them they will come back. I could never wear boots even when I was super fit and small because of the calf muscles. So I only do upper body workouts.

Basically I do pullups with each arm-25 each side while standing feet apart on the tube. I pull up in front and lift my arm till it curls into my shoulder. Then I attach the tube about shoulder height and do then overhand pulls back to my chest, 25 on each arm, underhand pulls ditto, and 25 side pulls with both arms. Then I turn around and do pushing out with them-25 of the overhand and 25 underhand with each arm, and then I do 25 where I start with my arms parallel to my body and bring them forward straight armed to meet in the middle. I finish with 25 starting with both arms straight overhead and bring them down in front straight armed. You can feel each group of muscles as they work. Because I am in the woods I wrap the band around a tree just a little larger than the grip of my hand-just needs to be stable and not bend. I step out to the point I feel tensions on the band. Because the bark is abrasive I went through tunes every few months till I got one with a fabric cover.

Hard to describe clearly I'm afraid but the bands will come with exercises -at least every one I've gotten has-and there are also videos on YouTube. Just feel free to adapt to what works for you. You can feel the muscles that are working with each exercise. The one with your arms straight out to the side and brought together will also build pecs - not good for chest dysphoria -but it builds upper back and shoulders even better. So I do it. Before I used the bands I could wear a mens small in the shoulders and now I need a large. Still the same size waist etc. Athletic fit shirts work best actually but I can seldom find them. Also because pecs are muscle they will not bind flat. But if you have shoulder and arm muscles you won't look right flat anyway.And nothing eases those dysphoric days like seeing those arm muscles or the strength they bring when I am working on something. I hope it works well for you too.

I've had less back pain since using them than any time in the last 40 years. Apparently the core strength and muscles have stabilized my back. Even the drop foot thing I got from my back problems has virtually disappeared. Just go slow and build up and it should do the job without injury to your back.

Johnny

Link to comment
Guest NeutraLee

I just want to say thank you for sharing your story like this, Johnny. There aren't many ftm stories around. I'm a newly exploring ft? and your story provides me so much food for thought.

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
  • Forum Moderator

THe other day while I was clearing out some old stuff I came across what is probably the latest picture of me before I decided to transition. About 2 years before and I actually gained even more weight after this was taken. . Those were my arms and not just the shirt puffing out.Eventually that shirt got too small believe it or not. Nor does it show my largest area then by far which was my backside and legs but it gives you an idea. You can still see it was me but also see how different I am now

Sometimes it's hard to believe it was ever so. Other times that my life is like it is today. Can't quite get my head around both having been me.

Anyway thought I'd share a different before pic closer to my transition. There are plenty of after pics around the forums and this thread so I'm not adding one here.

beforea_zps04935937.jpg

Johnny

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Forum Moderator

Every pic of me is always dressed to hike or hiking but I finally got one dressed to go somewhere instead. This is Thanksgiving this year.. Makes quite a contrast to the one above I think

In fact sometimes I still can't get my head around it.

mea_zps772ab038.jpg

Johnny

Link to comment
Guest MostlySwell

Wow, JJ. That's great. You are a handsome fella!

You inspire me or motivate me to stick to an exercise regime and just keep moving forward. I jumped back onto my home rower the other day.

Just for grins, I'll post a before after here, as well. (Well, I'll have to figure out the My Media thing first. Then I'll post a before after. :harhar: )

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   6 Members, 0 Anonymous, 136 Guests (See full list)

    • Karen Carey
    • LC
    • Ashley0616
    • Adrianna Danielle
    • April Marie
    • Melissa_J
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.5k
    • Total Posts
      767.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      11,944
    • Most Online
      8,356

    taxicab
    Newest Member
    taxicab
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Amyjay
      Amyjay
      (58 years old)
    2. bettyjean
      bettyjean
    3. Breanna
      Breanna
      (52 years old)
    4. Emily Ayla
      Emily Ayla
    5. JET182
      JET182
  • Posts

    • LC
      That is wonderful. Congratulations!
    • Heather Shay
      What is relaxation to you? Nature? Movie? Reading? Cuddling with a pet? Music?
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
      Having just a normal emotional day.
    • Heather Shay
      AMUSEMENT The feeling when you encounter something silly, ironic, witty, or absurd, which makes you laugh. You have the urge to be playful and share the joke with others. Similar words: Mirth Amusement is the emotional reaction to humor. This can be something that is intended to be humorous, like when someone tells a good joke or when a friend dresses up in a ridiculous costume. But it can also be something that you find funny that was not intended to be humorous, like when you read a sign with a spelling error that turns it into an ironic pun. For millennia, philosophers and scholars have been attempting to explain what exactly it is that makes something funny. This has led to several different theories. Nowadays, the most widely accepted one is the Incongruity Theory, which states that something is amusing if it violates our standards of how things are supposed to be. For example, Charlie Chaplin-style slapstick is funny because it violates our norms of competence and proper conduct, while Monty Python-style absurdity is funny because it violates reason and logic. However, not every standard or norm violation is necessarily funny. Violations can also evoke confusion, indignation, or shock. An important condition for amusement is that there is a certain psychological distance to the violation. One of the ways to achieve this is captured by the statement ‘comedy is tragedy plus time’. A dreadful mistake today may become a funny story a year from now. But it can also be distant in other ways, for instance, because it happened to someone you do not know, or because it happens in fiction instead of in real life. Amusement also needs a safe and relaxed environment: people who are relaxed and among friends are much more likely to feel amused by something. A violation and sufficient psychological distance are the basic ingredients for amusement, but what any one person find funny will depend on their taste and sense of humor. There are dozens of ‘humor genres’, such as observational comedy, deadpan, toilet humor, and black comedy. Amusement is contagious: in groups, people are more prone to be amused and express their amusement more overtly. People are more likely to share amusement when they are with friends or like-minded people. For these reasons, amusement is often considered a social emotion. It encourages people to engage in social interactions and it promotes social bonding. Many people consider amusement to be good for the body and the soul. By the end of the 20th century, humor and laughter were considered important for mental and physical health, even by psychoneuroimmunology researchers who suggested that emotions influenced immunity. This precipitated the ‘humor and health movement’ among health care providers who believed that humor and laughter help speed recovery, including in patients suffering from cancer1). However, the evidence for health benefits of humor and laughter is less conclusive than commonly believed2. Amusement is a frequent target of regulation: we down-regulate it by shifting our attention to avoid inappropriate laughter, or up-regulate it by focusing on a humorous aspect of a negative situation. Interestingly, amusement that is purposefully up-regulated has been found to have the same beneficial physical and psychological effects as the naturally experienced emotion. Amusement has a few clear expressions that emerge depending on the intensity of the emotion. When people are mildly amused, they tend to smile or chuckle. When amusement intensifies, people laugh out loud and tilt or bob their head. The most extreme bouts of amusement may be accompanied by uncontrollable laughter, tears, and rolling on the floor. Most cultures welcome and endorse amusement. Many people even consider a ‘good sense of humor’ as one of the most desirable characteristics in a partner. At the same time, most cultures have (implicit) rules about what is the right time and place for amusement. For example, displays of amusement may be deemed inappropriate in situations that demand seriousness or solemness, such as at work or during religious rituals.
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • April Marie
      Good morning, everyone!!! Two cups of coffee in the books and I am just feeling so wonderful this morning. Not sure why, but I'm happy and smiling.   Enjoy this beautiful day!!!
    • Heather Shay
      A U.S. dollar bill can be folded approximately 4,000 times in the same place before it will tear. -You cannot snore and dream at the same time. -The average person walks the equivalent of three times around the world in a lifetime. -A hippo’s wide open mouth is big enough to fit a 4-foot-tall child in. -Chewing gum while you cut an onion will help keep you from crying.
    • Susan R
      Love it! This is great news. We need more of this to combat the excessive hate-filled rhetoric and misinformation. 👍
    • Susan R
      The experience was the same for me @April Marie. I slept much deeper and I woke up each morning feeling so much more restful sleeping with forms solidly in place. For me, wearing breast forms at night started when before I was a teenager. I had no access up to modern breast forms and certainly no way to buy mastectomy bras back then. I wore a basic bra my mom had put in a donation box and two pairs of soft cotton socks. I have some crazy memories of things I did in my youth to combat my GD but regardless, these makeshift concoctions helped me work through it all.   All My Best, Susan R🌷
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Colorado isn't exactly a Republican place, and won't become one anytime soon.  I think those folks might be better off not spending their time playing Don Quixote.    We certainly have our share of California "refugees" moving into where I live, so I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing Coloradans too.  I suspect the trend over the next few years will see the blue areas getting more blue and the red areas getting more red as anybody who can relocate tries to find a place where they fit better.   
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Well, at least it'll be a place some folks could choose.  Options are a good thing.
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      My family would have gobbled that jar up in a minute or two.  When we do have pickled herring, its usually for Christmas.  I didn't grow up with that particular dish, but I grew up in a Greek family so I like just about any kind of fish if I can get it.  However, ocean fish and freshwater fish taste so different.  We usually have more catfish and tilapia to eat than anything else.    What I can't quite get used to is the tons of cabbage my GF insists on eating.  When you live with a Russian, there is always cabbage soup.  Always.  When I first moved in with her, breakfast was "shchi" for soup and either bread or "kasha" which is a bowl of boiled buckwheat with butter and salt.  Those dishes can be made in any number of ways, some are better than others.  In the winter, it can even be salty and sour like kraut.  Not exactly sauerkraut, but packed in tubs with vinegar and salt so it keeps partially for the winter.  But I drew the line when the cabbage soup included pieces of fried snake one day.  😆
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...