I'm "Convinced" That I'm a Member of the Opposite Gender?

I haven't had much to write about lately. We're still waiting to move away from here (50 days to go!), and the kids have been off from school for Easter break and driving us nuts. Today was a particularly boring, rainy day. I wanted to walk, but well... rain. Tomorrow looks to be about the same.

The last time I saw my doctor, he said he was going to read up on me and see what new treatments would be available for transsexuals. I humored him and told him, "Why not?" I saw him a couple days ago, and he gave me a few pages of printout from a website with the address of http://www.uptodate.com/. The material on this website is written by physicians, and also intended for physicians, among others. This is a site that one has to subscribe to, to the tune of $195 annually.

Anyway, my doc printed out the pages having to do with transsexualism. Here are some excerpts, with my thoughts, of course.

"Transsexualism is the condition in which a person with apparently normal somatic sexual differentiation of one gender is convinced that he or she is actually a member of the opposite gender." I was fine until they threw the word "convinced" in there. Well, yes, I'm convinced! Are you convinced that you're the gender that you are? Are you convinced that you're actually reading this? Well, hell yeah! Ahem...

"When hormone treatment starts, or maybe even earlier, the "real life test," or "real life experience" should begin." I disagree, though for many transsexuals out there, this is the way it's gone for them. The way it's been for me, and I think all should have the option, is such:

1) Therapy with a GID specialist for at least three months.

2) Hormone therapy begins.

3) Real Life Test begins whenever patient feels ready to do so.

Why? For MTF's, hormones help your face get softer and more feminine looking. You get breasts and hips due to fat redistribution. For FTM's, facial hair growth and deepening of the voice certainly helps to become more manly in outward appearance. Looking more like your inner gender can definitely help with the RLT.

"Oral 17b-estradiol valerate 2 to 4 mg per day or transdermal 17b-estradiol, 100 mcg twice a week, is the treatment of choice." I'm on 8 mg a day of estradiol valerate. The doctor gave me a raised eyebrow at this, but let me stay at this dosage. I wonder, is it a bit much? I'd been on that dose for years, originally prescribed by my endocrinologist in New York, but then he was a newbie at treating transsexuals as well.

"After two years of estrogen administration, no further development can be expected." Really now? I started HRT (hormone replacement therapy) in July of 2003. I had slow development (in spurts) from then until August of 2007, at which I ran out of my meds and couldn't get any more due to lack of health insurance. That's four years so far with breast growth. I got back on my meds in May of 2008 (via a county-funded health care program), at which I had my biggest growth spurt to date.

There's a lot more to this, eight pages worth in fact. I could always scan this document and save it as a PDF file if anyone wants. Just leave me a comment and let me know.