A Silver Lining

The beauty of silver linings is that they don’t take away the rain. Rather, they provide an umbrella. Elizabeth Messina

So I have a bit of good news to share this week. I met with my new endocrinologist, whom I really like. She viewed all of my lab results (one before starting testosterone and two after). I’m happy to share these two very positives:

1. The testosterone doesn’t appear to be having any negative effects on me. So I don’t need to reduce or stop taking it. Will get more labs done in May.
2. I no longer have to take intramuscular testosterone injections in my thighs every week. I’ve been switched to subcutaneous!!! What a relief! It’s a relief for me because I hate those needles my wife has to use for my IM shots. Sometimes it really hurts, and I’ve only been able to give myself a shot once. Plus if my wife is ever away on a Thursday evening, I’ll be in trouble if there is no one else who can give me the shot. It’s a relief for my wife because she no longer has to worry about giving them to me.

In addition, Dr. Kelley, my new endocrinologist has taken me on as a patient of hers. She will now be in charge of my testosterone, lab requests, etc. She also shared my story with her Physical Therapy colleagues, who specialize in treating patients with edema, and they asked her to see if I would give them a shot at working with me. What have I got to lose, I thought. So they scheduled an appointment for me to see the Duke PT on March 18th. Yesterday I got a call from one of the therapists asking if I wanted to be moved up to March 1st. Of course, I did. So, I’m hoping that there might be some more good news to share after that appointment. Maybe they can do something that the therapists at Pivot couldn’t. It’s worth a shot at this point.

On another note, I’m thinking of writing a children’s book — or maybe I should call it a parent’s book — about a child who is transgender and the positive response they receive from their parents. I’ve also considered turning this blog into a book — to help other transgender people. Thoughts??? I’m not looking to have a bestseller or make millions. I just want to help educate others.

More to come after my March 1st appointment.

Much love. 💓💓💓

Liam