023) Who's the cute teenage girl in that mirror? Part III

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I am not imagining things. To be honest, I was slightly concerned after my mothers stunt last night that perhaps I'm merely seeing what I want to see. That my own measuring is the measuring that's wrong. That she was correct in measuring my loose flab as waist - loosely.

But this morning at work, my boss was all like, "So now you've lost all that weight, when are you gunna start bulking up?" Several other comments, and then, the bombshell: "You're starting to get a bit of a girlish figure." Damn. That felt good. Scary too though.

While I was taking that in, I'd fallen silent, and she was like, what's wrong, you suddenly got silent. Since we were in front of EVERYONE at this time, I just sort of brushed it off with something non-committal. But internally, I was fighting a bit of a battle.

I had not yet laid any plans at all for coming out at work. None. I knew it was an eventuality, but I felt they should come after religion and family. But my boss had noticed something my own mother continues to refuse to.

So the battle was thus: should I, or should I not tell my boss. And in what manner should I approach this.

At first, I was kind of half-pacing near her office door, going back and forth on talking to her directly, which just did not feel right for some reason. Eventually, someone else came and went in and started having a meeting with her, which precluded that avenue. Then I got my whisper of guidance that I depend so heavily on in my life.

I was prompted to write her a note on a folded sheet of paper towel. I had no clue what I was going to write. None at all, but as I got a pen in my hand, and made a space to write, the words just flowed onto the sheet. I completely filled an entire side of an entire sheet of paper towel. I essentially just covered the basics, that I've been suppressing something for most of my life and that it had caused me cyclic depression, and that I was now facing my demons, and came out to her. I told her I was transgender, though I did not tell her anything about what it means. I stated concern for my position at the complex, and asked for her acceptance of the real me. I signed it with my new name.

I then folded it four ways, and wrote "For *name*, Drew" on one side. I went into her office and slipped her the note, quietly said read it when you can, she said thank you, and I went back to work.

Most of the rest of the day, nothing happened at all, it just sat under her coffee mug. After she came back from her lunch break, though, I saw her reading it. A little while later, I saw her glance my way, then I saw her carefully crumple up the sheet and throw it away. I have not heard anything from her yet.

I'm hoping that no news is, indeed, good news in this case.

Still though, if my boss is starting to notice, who else might be and are just holding their tongue? I'm still a hairy ape, though it's much much less than it once was. I have too many changes to make before I can start really presenting female, and it's scary to think that I might not have as much control over the flow of dissemination of awareness of my status as I would like.

Today, my new bra's came in my new band size. It's amazing how much nicer it is to wear a bra that fits again. I noticed something though, while trying them on - my bust is more prominent, again.

Funny thing is, when I measured it after that observation, it was actually only 37", just shy. My under the bust remains 32", and, most curious of all - my over the bust went down to 35" from 36". Yet my bust appeared more prominent. Then I noticed it. According to everything that I've read and studied, this should be impossible - my shoulders narrowed.

I -KNOW- that shouldn't happen, so I measured at least a dozen times, and every single time it came back the same. I've lost an inch in my shoulders. It wasn't a loss of muscle mass, if anything, the muscles there are even more apparent now.

It shouldn't be possible. But it sure as I breath air and drink water happened.

I think I need to see a urologist,

Abigail Drew.

Comments

the shoulders narrowing

could fatty tissue be being replaced by leaner muscle mass? Abigail, i hope everything goes well for you at work... i will send out my intentions for you...
you have all of my hope and support.
Hugs,
Diana

hm... this would be a sensible explanation.

And the slimming below my armpits where the above-the-bust measurement gets taken would be from the same cause. I was fairly certain most of if not all my pudge was gone by now though, so a full inch from each seems awful incredible.

Would still be far more sensible than pretty much any alternative, especially the one that first sprang to mind. ^^

Abigail Drew.

More likely it is just a loss in muscle mass

if you are on estrogen.

If you are 32 under band, then you are probably wearing something like a 38 band bra. I am 29 under the breast with a 34 bust making me a 36B. If you lose some more muscle, it will narrow it some more. But the skeleton will not change. Now, what this all means is that your hips need to balance your bust and for me I think it is the hip measurement that is the most important as that is the measurement that defines a woman's shape.

Kim

actually...

38 band is too big, I'm in a 36 band.

I am also not on real estrogen, I'm taking an herbal cocktail of soy germ, saw palmetto, chasteberry, and now will be adding licorice root.

Both soy germ and saw palmetto contains phytoestrogens, or plant-derived compounds that act in your body as though they were estrogen. The really curious thing about phytoestrogens is that they appear to bind more strongly than estradiol to the beta receptor, while estradiol binds more readily to the alpha receptor. there's evidence linking the abundance of soy in a womans diet to a reduced risk of breast cancer. (I may have the receptors backwards, please forgive me if I do.)

Chasteberry's precise interaction seems to be based mostly on dosage levels and pre-existing hormonal balance. It acts as a mild opiate and progestin, stimulates production of prolactin, and inhibits production of dopamine. Depending on dose and pre-existing hormonal balance it can also act as an overall hormone re-balancer, inhibiting either androgens or estrogens. It's effect on the latter seems to be a direct consequence of it's effect on dopamine and prolactin levels.

Saw palmetto's strong point is in it's inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase - effectively cutting free testosterone from being reduced to sexually-determinant dihydrotestosterone.

Licorice root has a lot more risks, as it can decrease your potassium levels and cause an imbalance elsewhere in the hormonal heirarchy than where we want it - the 17,20 lyase inhibitor is what we're after. Basically, it helps prevent production of androgens at their source. But it also prevents the break down of cortisone into cortisol, which can lead to pseudohyperaldosteronism.

My hip to waist is 37" to 28" ;)

I have a waist that sits slightly above my navel, and a slightly higher bust as well.

I don't know if the phytoestrogenic effect should lead to the same level of muscle deterioration that estradiol seems to, but if so, that COULD be an explanation, except that the muscles, if anything, look more prominent in my shoulders now.

Still thinks she should start seeing a talented and skilled urologist soon,

Abigail Drew.

Abigail Drew.