And so it begins!

[Willa]

 Hello gentle ladies and gentlemen!

Last Wednesday, January 23 I begin HRT!  I can hardly believe it I have finally started this part of my journey. The one thing I have noticed is that I am sleeping better at night after mini  years of trouble sleeping. At this point I cannot say that I have noticed anything else.

 

One or two questions please :

 I am currently taking Spearow and estradiol and would like to know if there are things I should avoid eating or drinking that would inhibit them?

 I am very fond of my coffee and my green tea, I also enjoy an occasional scotch in the evenin

 and now here’s one, I am totally blind and have no way to observe the ladies around me for cues and mannerisms so suggestions would be welcome as to how I may  incorporate these into my body language.

About my luxe I am  5‘6“ tall, I am fine bone, and have a long fine blonde hair I wear 9.5 size  women’s shoes. I am also I’m afraid I’ll be at overweight hitting the scales at around 182 pounds. I’m working on that though.

 Due to our life situation here I do not plan to socially transition at this time choosing rather to keep things low key.

 

So there it is I look forward to hearing your replies!

Cordially 

Willa

[Susan R]

Hi Willa, congratulations on starting HRT.  That's one giant milestone on your journey completed.  You should always ask these questions of your Endo or PCP first just to make sure.

 

I was prescribed Spiro and Estradiol which may be what you are taking, however your medication spelling was different (Spearow) so ignore my advice if Spironolactone was not what you are taking as your anti androgen (T-blocker).

 

My med app only had one critical food avoidance mentioned in the warning if you were taking Spiro...Licorice was to be avoided.  Alcohol consumption was also mentioned.  Also because Spiro causes Potassium retention and can build up in your system so foods plentiful in that should be eaten in moderation.  There wasn't any restriction listed in the app for the Estradiol but again check with your doctor.

 

Good luck on your transition.  Keep us updated.  I've included a screen of my med app interactions result for Spiro (dosages removed as per the forum rules)

 

Susan R?

 

 

[Josie Beth]

Coffee and green tea are fine. 

[Cyndee]

Congrats on starting Willa,

 

I will just mention my experience in using Spironolactone for over 5 years, it changed the way my body processed sodium, and when I stopped using the medicine, I became very sodium sensitive for several months afterwards, I really had to watch how much I consumed, I never had this issue in life before. I'm fine now, but there was an adjustment, this medicine affects your kidneys and electrolytes. Stay well hydrated is my .02 here.

 

Best of luck to you

 

C -

[Kirsten]

Hey Willa. 

Congratulations on the hrt! That’s a big step! The only little things I could tell you is stay away from heavy potassium foods such as bananas avocados and mangoes in big quantities. Potassium can build up in your system and cause issues. But by no means does that mean to stop eating these foods. Just in moderation. 

And the water! Lots of water! You should be taking in close to 100 fluid ounces a day. That’s like 3-4 liters or almost a gallon a day. Spiro is a diarrhetic so you need to really stay hydrated. Especially if you’ll be outdoors in the sun. 

The last thing I’ll mention is that your metabolism will start to slow down now so cutting back on food intake is a good idea too. 25% or so less calories a day seems to do well for me pre vs post transition. 

Well good luck to you hun! And congrats again! 

[Raven1981]

Congrats Willa.  Hold on to a bumpy roller coaster.  Like how everyone said to limit the potassium foods.  Limit caffeine, limit or cut out alcohol.  Since Spiro is a diuretic and you will need to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.  You will also in the beginning crave salty snacks and usually the most common is pickles.  But limit the salt intake.

 

Enjoy the ride and congrats on your first step.

 

Lots of Love

 

Amy

[Willa]

 Hello all!

Thank you for all your kind reply’s I’m buckled in tight and holding on!

Susan you got it right I am on SpiRO (SIC?)   And estrogen.

The foods that were mentioned bananas, mangoes, etc. I have never been fond of as they tend to mildly irritate my mouth so I avoid them anyway. HMM, I wonder if that has anything to do with the potassium content ?  One of the things that I deal with and I absolutely do not love is the excess hair on my ears. I wonder does HRT take care of that too? LOL!

Just a heads up I use voiceover and the dictation feature on my phone and sometimes it spells what I say  in a weird way. Hence the miss spelling of SPIRO in my original post. When I take time and Verbalee spell a word it puts it in all capitals don’t know why.

 The day I went in for my visit with the endocrinologist I was just nervous as a long tailed cat in a room of busy rocking chairs! Being in that state of mind I’m surprised I could remember my name! LOL! I did remember to ask about my atrial fib relation  and was told that he was aware of it and that it should be OK since it was well-controlled. That was a load off my mind.

 

Well I look forward to visiting more with everyone  do you take care and stay warm. I just heard the weather report and where I am at six in the evening it’s already 20 below heading down to around 35 hello! BRRR!

 

Cordially!

 

Willa

[Jani]

47 minutes ago, Willa said:

I wonder if that has anything to do with the potassium content ?

YES.  You will need to stay well hydrated!  Like a fish.

 

47 minutes ago, Willa said:

One of the things that I deal with and I absolutely do not love is the excess hair on my ears.

HRT won't help that but electrolysis will.  

 

49 minutes ago, Willa said:

Well I look forward to visiting more with everyone  do you take care and stay warm.

Please do come back frequently.  We all support each other.   You stay warm too!  

 

Hugs, Jani