Them Changes

Another milestone passed today; I had my three-months-into-HRT followup with my doctor (it's actually closer to 3 1/2 months, but this was the first date I could get an appointment).

He started with a lot of questions about possible side effects: Any dizziness? Trouble urinating? Nausea? The list went on for ages... the only thing I had had was some fairly minor leg cramping at night, and that was only for the first few weeks.

He took blood for testing, mainly for liver function and that sort of thing. He suggested we wait until the six-month followup to do a full blood hormone level test. My body is probably still making adjustments, and by six months things should have settled into a pretty stable state (hormonally, that is), and we can look at the levels then and make any dosage adjustments that may be needed. I'm doing really well, he said; if I had had problems, or if the HRT had been ineffective, he would have suggested doing the full test now to see what's going on.

There was only one big surprise: I thought sure I had gained weight since I started in December; I had shed almost 40 pounds in the six months before that, and seriously doubted that I would stay at that weight with all the changes that have been going on. To my amazement (and delight!), I had somehow managed to drop another 8 pounds!

This seems a good time to look back at all the changes that have occurred in just 3 months...

I've kept track of my measurements since beginning HRT, and the changes have been pretty dramatic. My bust has increased an inch and a half, hips have gotten 3 inches larger, and my ribcage has actually decreased by almost an inch (though I have no idea how that is even possible). I've also lost an inch from my biceps. Interestingly, I've managed to get three-quarters of an inch shorter.

My hair has gotten noticably thicker. There is a lot of new growth, about 2 1/2 inches long, among the longer hair. The thin spot at the crown of my head has begun to go away. I now have hope of being able to dump my wig eventually!

The strangest and most unexpected change has been in my eye color. I've always had dark brown eyes, but now there is a ring of light grey around the outside of the iris, and it's getting wider. Could I eventually have grey eyes?

The changes haven't all been physical. I was always one to keep my emotions in check, to hold back and not put myself "out there", so to speak. Now I feel much closer to people, and if there's something even remotely touching about a song or a movie, I'm instantly in tears. Before, I would avoid anything that might really touch me; today it feels good to let go and let the emotion sweep over me.

Just before I started, a friend said, "Girl, you are in for the ride of your life!" She was certainly right.