T update: four weeks
For reference, weeks three, two, and one.
For the first half of the week I was still splitting a 2.5g packet of AndroGel 1% once daily and folding up the foil on the day I open a new packet and using the other half the next day. Five days ago I picked up an AndroGel 1% metered pump, so I get exactly 1.25g daily now. I'm vaguely trying (and so far succeeding) to alternate sides.
Chest:
My chest, erm, density hit an all time low this week, and I experienced a huge increase in dysphoria after generally being okay for the past few months (aside from binding-related dysphoria when teaching). This was not an effect I was expecting so soon, and it might have been exacerbated by the heat; the skin-on-skin feeling is more noticeable when I'm sweaty, I was already wishing I could be shirtless, and it went back to normal when the temperature dropped. Needless to say, I've been thinking a lot about top surgery.
Sex drive:
I seem to be out of the "hump everything" stage and just need to masturbate more, which is perfectly fine for me.
Downstairs:
It's not nearly as oversensitive as it was last week, but it's more than it would be from just masturbating too much.
Cycles:
In the absence of T, I would have expected to ovulate this week but didn't get normal ovulation pain (well, normal for me). Instead of getting a mild but sharp pain in an ovary on and off on a single day, I had a moderate aching pain in an ovary for a few days, and it was severe enough at times that I considered going to an emergency room. I wonder if I got a cyst? I thought my dose would be too low to shut down my ovaries, but it seems to be enough to agitate them.
Emotions:
I've been a little irritable lately, but that tends to happen when I spend too much time with my partner, which is why we usually don't live together, but I'm staying at his place while my advisor's out of town and we're getting in each other's personal space a lot. I've handled some stressful incidents without losing my temper, although I did yell (at no one) when I got an unexpected and significant bill in the mail. I was concerned I was becoming argumentative after someone accused me of such on the internet, but then a bunch of bystanders intervened and said the other person was the one being unreasonable and picking fights, so I'm confident it wasn't me. I'm still pretty nervous and keeping a close eye on myself. Oh, and the ADHD, she is still pretty bad.
Voice:
It seems to have hit a plateau. When I try to be loud (like when there are two fans on in the room and I want to have a normal conversation), my voice still goes into the old range. It sometimes just cuts out at the highest pitches, like I'm trying to make sound but nothing comes out. I'm practicing speaking from my chest instead of from my head, basically the opposite of advice I've seen given to transwomen. My partner sometimes makes deep, growling "monster voices" that I could never imitate before, and now I can match them, so I'm gaining access to more low tones.
Acne:
Things have calmed down a lot, probably because of the tretinoin 0.1%. Now I'd say it's back to my average pre-T severity, so, lots of not-so-noticeable cysts on my back, hairline, jawline, and chin plus small pimples on my chin, nose, and forehead. I've got a new crop of little pimples on my chest, but I think that happens every summer. I have noticed small pimples creeping across my shoulders and down my arms where I never used to get pimples, so I'm keeping an eye on it and trying to wash them whenever I wash my face.
Body hair:
I've got pretty thick vellous hair on my back, and it seems to be getting longer for the first time, like it's growing faster if not thicker. I can't for the life of me tell if my sideburns are doing the same thing.
Everything else:
I'm going to try to comment on hair, metabolism, facial hair, muscle growth, body fat migration, and aromatic changes but nothing's changed yet. There was one notable instance of passing; I was referred to with masculine pronouns when checking out in a shop, after having a lengthy conversation with the cashier.
For the first half of the week I was still splitting a 2.5g packet of AndroGel 1% once daily and folding up the foil on the day I open a new packet and using the other half the next day. Five days ago I picked up an AndroGel 1% metered pump, so I get exactly 1.25g daily now. I'm vaguely trying (and so far succeeding) to alternate sides.
Chest:
My chest, erm, density hit an all time low this week, and I experienced a huge increase in dysphoria after generally being okay for the past few months (aside from binding-related dysphoria when teaching). This was not an effect I was expecting so soon, and it might have been exacerbated by the heat; the skin-on-skin feeling is more noticeable when I'm sweaty, I was already wishing I could be shirtless, and it went back to normal when the temperature dropped. Needless to say, I've been thinking a lot about top surgery.
Sex drive:
I seem to be out of the "hump everything" stage and just need to masturbate more, which is perfectly fine for me.
Downstairs:
It's not nearly as oversensitive as it was last week, but it's more than it would be from just masturbating too much.
Cycles:
In the absence of T, I would have expected to ovulate this week but didn't get normal ovulation pain (well, normal for me). Instead of getting a mild but sharp pain in an ovary on and off on a single day, I had a moderate aching pain in an ovary for a few days, and it was severe enough at times that I considered going to an emergency room. I wonder if I got a cyst? I thought my dose would be too low to shut down my ovaries, but it seems to be enough to agitate them.
Emotions:
I've been a little irritable lately, but that tends to happen when I spend too much time with my partner, which is why we usually don't live together, but I'm staying at his place while my advisor's out of town and we're getting in each other's personal space a lot. I've handled some stressful incidents without losing my temper, although I did yell (at no one) when I got an unexpected and significant bill in the mail. I was concerned I was becoming argumentative after someone accused me of such on the internet, but then a bunch of bystanders intervened and said the other person was the one being unreasonable and picking fights, so I'm confident it wasn't me. I'm still pretty nervous and keeping a close eye on myself. Oh, and the ADHD, she is still pretty bad.
Voice:
It seems to have hit a plateau. When I try to be loud (like when there are two fans on in the room and I want to have a normal conversation), my voice still goes into the old range. It sometimes just cuts out at the highest pitches, like I'm trying to make sound but nothing comes out. I'm practicing speaking from my chest instead of from my head, basically the opposite of advice I've seen given to transwomen. My partner sometimes makes deep, growling "monster voices" that I could never imitate before, and now I can match them, so I'm gaining access to more low tones.
Acne:
Things have calmed down a lot, probably because of the tretinoin 0.1%. Now I'd say it's back to my average pre-T severity, so, lots of not-so-noticeable cysts on my back, hairline, jawline, and chin plus small pimples on my chin, nose, and forehead. I've got a new crop of little pimples on my chest, but I think that happens every summer. I have noticed small pimples creeping across my shoulders and down my arms where I never used to get pimples, so I'm keeping an eye on it and trying to wash them whenever I wash my face.
Body hair:
I've got pretty thick vellous hair on my back, and it seems to be getting longer for the first time, like it's growing faster if not thicker. I can't for the life of me tell if my sideburns are doing the same thing.
Everything else:
I'm going to try to comment on hair, metabolism, facial hair, muscle growth, body fat migration, and aromatic changes but nothing's changed yet. There was one notable instance of passing; I was referred to with masculine pronouns when checking out in a shop, after having a lengthy conversation with the cashier.