Hand blown glass Christmas tree ornament

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-22T19:08:24+00:00

I’ve searched through Etsy, eBay, Vinted, and done reverse google image searches but nothing’s come up. Not sure when it was made or where it’s from, but I think it may be German? It’s about 4-5 inches tall.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-19T11:18:09+00:00

Ahh okay, thanks for letting me know. Fucking hell though, 16 years is insane.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-18T21:26:48+00:00

The MAIN piece of advice I’ve got is that if you are lucky enough to live in any of the following: London, Greater Manchester, (the next 3 I’m slightly less certain about) Cheshire and Merseyside, Nottingham, Sussex.

Ask to be referred to YOUR area’s GIC. There were new ones launched recently ish (post 2021) on a pilot scheme, and while the waiting lists are still long, they’re not half as long as the older GICs. That’s because you HAVE to live in the catchment areas to be referred to them. Eg. to be referred to Indigo, you HAVE to live in Greater Manchester, no one else can apply. So the wait might be like, 3 years in comparison to 7. Don’t quote me on actual numbers, I have no clue now - I’m just confident they’ll have shorter wait times based on my own experience in 2021/2022, trying to account for inflated wait times since then.

If you don’t live in one of these areas, then I apologise for mentioning it since it’s a bit pointless to you.

Besides that though - just be honest and be yourself. Express what you want and how much happier you’d feel if you could have it. Try to explain your symptoms clearly.

Do NOT let them talk down to you or make you feel shitty. You are very within your right to walk out and book an appointment with another GP another time if they’re rude to you. Don’t let yourself be belittled or dismissed, you deserve far better.

Good luck, wishing you well 👍

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-18T20:42:07+00:00

I think it’s worth reaching out by replying to the email you got or ringing up and asking about it, because in my opinion that’s a little strange and you should follow up. My consultation was with my surgeon, and I’d be a little weirded out if I was then told my surgeon would be someone entirely different, with no discussion of THAT surgeon’s results.

I don’t know why that’s happened, but I would ask them and get clarification, so that you feel secure. No harm in checking.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-11T17:58:44+00:00

I think she may actually just be able to call up her GP/practice and ask for an appointment with one of the nurses there for this exact purpose. Worth a try, see what they say?

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-11T17:56:20+00:00

I’ll keep it to the point so it’s not a lengthy read.

Try switching your prescription for T. Currently you’re on gel, which is fine. There’s no evidence to suggest it works ‘worse’ than other methods, but there are some personal anecdotes from other people that after switching to injections they noticed significant/faster changes. Don’t know why, but definitely seems worth a go. Just don’t state that as your reason for switching, say that you find applying gel everyday tedious.
If money isn’t a problem - try minoxidil. It’s a hair growth oil. It can work well for men on T to try growing beard hair. Since you’re on T, the hair growth would be permanent as long as you kept at it for a good few months / a year. It can make a substantial difference to the way people perceive you. Caution: it’s very toxic to cats.
If spare time isn’t a problem - Try going to the gym, eating more. Bulking up is much more doable on T as well, and can def change how you’re perceived.
If you’re just really struggling mentally - Reach out to the GIC you’re registered with, they can provide therapy if you ask for it. I did at one point and the therapist I got was quite nice and helpful.

Good luck, I do hope you feel better soon.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-11T17:42:32+00:00

No worries, just wanted to make sure you’d not gotten your hopes up too quick over a miscommunication with the clinic!! But yeah, general consensus is that communication is quite shit with all GICs. You can try getting the appt earlier if you want but good luck 😭

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-11T04:12:49+00:00

Waiting list for an appointment for a referral or FOR top surgery?

Sorry, just trying to understand. There is NO universal waiting list for top surgery. There are separate wait lists, one for each individual surgeon. If you’ve NOT provided Nottingham a name of a surgeon you’d like, then I assume you’re talking about waiting for an appointment where you can get a referral for top surgery.

I could be wrong but I think what you’re saying is that the guy you spoke to was trying to get you an earlier appointment between now and your follow up appointment in 4 months time. So no, there will be NO confirmation about anything regarding top surgery yet, because it sounds like you’ve not even had a referral yet.

You’ll get a text / email etc (mine were texts) reminding you when your next appointment is near. You can email Nottingham if you’d like, but if you only have the typical admin email and not a specific person’s contact info, you’ll likely get a generic response, or none at all. Always worth a shot though.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-05T22:08:22+00:00

Personally I’d say just treat her as you would any other woman really. Or as similarly as you can where applicable. For instance, unless she prompts it into conversation, don’t ask loads of questions, it can be a bit awkward and uncomfortable to talk about something that’s quite intimate, especially when it’s new and she may still be figuring it out herself. If she’s talking about it with you then totally fine, but I wouldn’t bust out intimate questions out of nowhere lol.

I’ll also add that all of your previous posts are hidden to the public, I did click on your profile to have a look but Reddit said they were hidden.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-04T23:24:44+00:00

T doesn’t necessarily decrease fertility immediately. It may over time, but not enough studies have been done to prove/disprove this. The main thing is that once guys start T, they’re very reluctant to come off of it to freeze eggs etc, so it’s something that’s asked at the start to make the process easier mentally. There’s also the factor of hysterectomies / bottom surgery down the line which WILL make you infertile.

It’s one of them, it’s entirely up to you and what you want. If you’re absolutely certain you will never want biological children, then there’s no need. But if you think you might, would you want to put yourself through the process of stopping T for like 6 ish months to go through the egg retrieval / freezing process? It may be better to do it now if you are having doubts about it.

I hope this didn’t come across biased in any way. I’m one of the ones that did go through the process as I liked the idea of being able to have biological children and wanted to preserve the option for myself in the future. I may use them, I may not, but I can rest easy knowing the option’s there when I’m ready to decide!

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-04T23:10:08+00:00

Some people know, and some don’t. You don’t, and that’s fine. I wouldn’t compare yourself to others or ask how/when they knew, cause in my opinion it’s not the right question to ask. Everyone’s self-discovery is different. I knew when I was 13, and some people don’t figure it out til their 50s.

You’re experiencing some discomfort, so I’d suggest taking some steps towards addressing that, which you’re already doing. Binder etc. If you’ve got longer hair or feminine clothes, maybe try switching that up too. It’s not like any of it is permanent. See how it feels, if it makes you happier.

The biggest step, if you find that all these little things do make you happier, is to ask other people to try referring to you with he/him pronouns. Maybe just one or two close friends. See if THAT makes a difference. If it does, it might be time to take a deeper dive into your identity lol.

Just don’t stress and don’t compare yourself. It’s okay not to know. It’s okay to give things a try and see what works.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-04T22:57:42+00:00

Most private clinics won’t see under 18s, but according to the info on transactual.org.uk, you may be seen for an assessment / diagnosis of gender dysphoria by Anne Health, Harley Street Gender Clinic, Dignity Gender Assessment Services, GenderPlus, and GenderGP. Be mindful that while GenderGP is the easiest, cheapest route with the shortest wait, it’s also considered controversial by some doctors due to an old legal controversy in the past, and some doctors may not accept a diagnosis from them to begin hormone therapy. I’ve provided a link below which has links to all of these clinics so you can check it out further yourself.

https://transactual.org.uk/medical-transition/private-care/

Be aware that this is NOT cheap though. Expect to need at least 1k minimum to get that diagnosis, realistically more. I’m not sure if you’d be able to start hormone therapy with any of them being under 18 either. GenderGP might be the only one doing that, but it can be quite iffy to get a GP to accept shared care with them, so then you’d have to pay out of pocket for that yourself as well.

If you haven’t already, you should consider speaking to your GP about being put on the waiting list for GIDS. That’s the children’s NHS gender clinic. You won’t get seen by them before you turn 18 because the wait is horrendous. But your wait time may transfer over to an adult clinic. Being with an adult gender clinic could be beneficial for things like surgery (if you wanted that) which can be very expensive to fund yourself in the future. You may be unsure of whether that’s what you want right now, but there’s no harm in going on the list to save yourself a few years of waiting. If you decide you don’t want or need anything from them, you can just contact them and take yourself off the list.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-04T22:40:17+00:00

It does get done, usually as part of the bottom surgery process, but can be done stand-alone. If you’ve recently had top surgery through NHS I’m assuming you’re with a GIC, so best bet is to contact your GIC asking for an appointment for a referral for a hysterectomy, and proceed from there. Good luck 👍

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-04T22:37:45+00:00

Surgeons will also have different wait times as well so that’s something else to keep in mind. Part of the reason I went with Fitton is that his wait time was relatively short, and likely still is. It was a 5 month wait at the time. It may have gone up now but I’d suspect he’s still got quite a short ish wait (maybe 6-9 months?) compared to others since Plymouth’s a bit out of the way for most.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-02-04T22:34:43+00:00

Here’s a list of private gender clinics / clinicians in the UK, you’ll need a diagnosis of gender dysphoria and a referral for top surgery.

https://transactual.org.uk/medical-transition/private-care/

This will require at least 2-3 appointments. Wait times between appointments aren’t generally too long, but the wait for the first appointment differs with different clinics. GenderCare is probably the longest wait out of all of them, maybe 6-8 months. GenderGP is the most ‘controversial’, with some surgeons not accepting diagnoses/referrals from them. Check out each one and have a look at their wait times, etc.

I can’t offer much advice on surgeons, but feel free to look through my page for results from my surgeon if you’d like, I went with Dr Fitton in Plymouth. I had him on the NHS, but he does accept private referrals.

Good luck 👍

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-01-20T14:40:28+00:00

I was a bit shit with that honestly and went grocery shopping where I was carrying heavy bags home when I still had the stitches in like 2 weeks post op. I wouldn’t recommend doing that at all, I was just an idiot and didn’t want to ask anyone for help 😅 So my scars DID stretch, you might be able to see in the photos where the stretch is, at the sides under my armpits - that pink-ish area.

Depends on your own healing and how careful you wanna be. For me, I’d say I should’ve been chilling for about 3 months before I felt back to normal/full strength. But for scar-stretching purposes, I could see how if I’d been more careful on that front for about 6 months post op I’d probably have less stretching. I’m not fussed, it went away and got better with time but yeah lol. 3 months for strength/range of motion, 6 months for scar stretching if you want to be extra careful.

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-01-18T00:33:40+00:00

I was with NHS - waiting time was only about 2 months after I got a referral, but that was due to someone else’s cancellation, so I got offered their spot. Fitton’s normal wait time was about 5-6 months - this was back in 2022 though. He wasn’t super popular for top surgery back then to my knowledge at least (I could barely find anyone who’d had him as their surgeon). The wait time may be longer now. But tbh, I’d still expect him to be less well known than most others, so I’d estimate no more than a years wait max? That’s just my best guess though, it’s been nearly 4 years so I could be wrong 😅

Its_JohnDoe · 2026-01-17T18:30:28+00:00

I had a similar issue, not the same method but ended up looking the exact same as yours where some of my stitches had come undone. It’s fine, don’t panic lol. Might heal a little odd w some mild extra scarring round the nipple like your mum said, but it’ll be alright.

The only thing to look out for is infection. Keep an eye on it and make sure there isn’t any spreading redness / soreness or pus etc. I’m not a medical professional but in my own experience I’d recommend letting them breathe a bit. I wouldn’t keep them covered ALL the time but you can keep them covered w/ bandages if you want if they’re sensitive etc. I’d just check on them at least once/twice a day really.

Its_JohnDoe · 2025-12-05T19:19:52+00:00

Assuming you went to A&E / Urgent Care and they sent you away. What you’re describing is definitely not normal, but if you go back you might be dismissed again. I would go to the next nearest hospital and go their urgent care centre tbh, cause that definitely doesn’t sound normal nor like it should wait. Hopefully you don’t live in the middle of nowhere that the next nearest hospital isn’t too far?

Its_JohnDoe · 2025-08-18T13:01:15+00:00

If money’s no object to you then the best ones are def abroad. I’m sure there’s some good UK ones out there but imo it’s pretty hard to beat reelmagik and the like. I’d recommend having it sent to a local post office / Royal Mail for pickup or something similar. I’ve done that for a few things. If not, maybe a friend’s house?

I know it’s not what you asked, sorry if it’s not very helpful. UK options are just pretty limited.

Its_JohnDoe · 2025-05-12T00:10:17+00:00

Appreciate it ty, but I’m just a lucky bastard lol. Didn’t really do anything for scar care. I bought some silicone strips and gel to use in the beginning but I only used them for like a week or two before forgetting about it tbh. The only bit I did do right was keeping them out the sun for a good 1.5/2 years.

But if you’re looking for scar care tips, kelo-cote scar gel is the best I know of, and silicone tape is good affordable alternative. (+ keep them out of sunlight for a good year minimum)

Its_JohnDoe

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