THERAPY & TESTOSTERONE:
Finding The Right Therapist and
Attaining T
Last Updated:
03/18/2008
My first therapist was from my insurance
company, a woman named Monica ($10 co-pay) who knew nothing
about transgender people and who I figured out quickly was in it
for money. Because of that, I dropped her like a bag of rocks.
My second therapist was recommended to me by my doctor, Scott
Calig (he's been my doctor since I was 6), her name was Linda
Klane. She was friendly, genuine, but once again, clueless about
transgender people. My insurance covered her ($5 co-pay) and I
stuck with her for four months. She didn't know what to do and
the process took too long which forced me to seek out another
therapist.
This time I looked for a gender specialist, a trans friend of
mine recommended me to Penelope X Voekel. She's worked with many
FTMs and MTFs in the past, it was as smooth as butter with her
because she knew the right people and places. It only took two
sessions ($100 each) before I was sent to Los Angeles Children's
Hospital. There, I met Sabel Simone, the woman who heads the
youth and gender department. Children's Hospital has its' own
doctor, it's almost like a well-oiled transgender program that
guides transfolks in the right direction and gives them
guidance. Sabel introduced me to the doctor who would be
prescribing my testosterone, Dr. Marvin
Belzer. I needed a
letter of recommendation from my therapist, Penelope, to start
testosterone/ Penelope has already sent the letter to Dr. Belzer.
Paper from Children's Hospital confirming my gender identity and
demeanor.
In preparation for testosterone, I had to take a blood test
first. They took four vials of my blood and checked for
cholesterol, red and white blood cell count, blood sugar, etc.
etc. to make sure I was physically cleared for T. T can be
administered through gel, patches, or more commonly— shots. I
chose the shots route, I'm not afraid of needles and the changes
tend to come faster. I was assessed by a woman named Katherine,
she asked me questions to make sure I was mentally stable and
prepared. I wasn't offended or nervous, I know who I am, what I
want, and why I'm doing it so it wasn't a problem. The staff
care and want to make sure that you aren't making a mistake
because some changes are permanent. Dr. Belzer is covered by my
insurance so I didn't need to pay for the visits, the T,
however, isn't free and I had to pay out of pocket. Uninsured, a
vial (10 ML) of 200mg testosterone will last approximately 10
months (For reference; 1ML = 200mg, therefore, .5ML = 100mg). I
started on 100mg every two weeks, injected in the thigh muscle,
alternating legs every two weeks.
My left arm after blood tests, pretty purple band-aid.
Keep in mind that testosterone isn't required, it's a choice.
Many guys choose not to take testosterone ever, or decide to
stop taking it later on in life. Testosterone is the male
hormone that causes the body to become more masculine. Changes
include, but are not limited to; a deeper voice, facial and body
hair, fat redistribution (from the chest, thighs, and butt to
the shoulders, biceps, and stomach), enlarged clitoris and
increased sensitivity, more susceptibility to cholesterol
problems, acne, etc. etc. To maintain those changes, the FTM
usually uses testosterone for the rest of his life to
continually counter the estrogen being produced in his body.
Some FTMs opt for the hysterectomy which is the complete removal
of the uterus. This stops estrogen production and removes the
equipment to bear children. Even with a hysterectomy, the
testosterone must be continually injected; how often and how
much testosterone injected is different individually. No one
wants to have a body that doesn't produce any hormones, this
causes a lot of serious health problems. How dramatically
testosterone changes a person's appearance is determined case by
case.
For detailed information on testosterone (what it's made of, how
to inject, etc), check out this great site:
Forge Forward: Testosterone
To track my progress with testosterone,
check the timeline
section.
