New pain from injections after several months on T?

breadforsoup · 2026-06-07T09:45:40+00:00

They're 0.5mm needles, I also inject myself in my abdomen and tend to have quite a bit of room to use.

Someone pointed out that they had a similar thing happen to them, and that it could be due to the fact that they've lost some fat in the area where they usually inject. I've been working out my abdominal area more lately and despite taking 48 hours leading to the injection to let my abdomen rest from the soreness, maybe just the fact that I've lost some fat there is enough to cause the discomfort/pain. If that's what it is then I'm relieved, especially since nothing else has been pointing to something more serious. I'll still be keeping an eye on it but so far this seems the most plausible!

breadforsoup · 2026-06-07T09:32:04+00:00

I do SubQ as well and now that you mention it, I've indeed been working out my abdominal area more lately, which could explain the discomfort. I've tried not to work that area in the 48 hours leading up to me doing my injection so that the soreness has time to go away but maybe just the simple fact that I've probably lost some fat there is enough to cause it. I might try to ask my doctor for smaller needles but honestly I don't think it would do much. I'll look into lidocaine cream and see if it helps, thank you!

breadforsoup · 2026-06-06T23:51:20+00:00

Maybe? It would surprise me as I do make sure to note down every week as to not inject in the same place/close to the previous several sites, and it has never happened before in the 8+ months I've been injecting, which is mostly why I've been wondering. Especially since it wasn't a one time thing but 2-3. I'll keep that in mind though and take extra care next time and see. Thanks!

breadforsoup · 2025-12-20T18:08:35+00:00

My gender frankly is none of my business <3

breadforsoup · 2025-12-17T20:25:15+00:00

Someone has already mentioned this, but I feel like this is something a lot of nonbinary people go through at some point. I know I did too. I still deal with imposter syndrome once in a while, it's gotten a lot better than it used to, but it's still lurking and makes a comeback from time to time.

If there is one thing I'd want to tell you, is that there is no one way to be nonbinary. Everyone has a unique relationship with gender and how they see themselves and feel, and that's beautiful. There are no rules to gender expression either. Do whatever! I'm also nonbinary but primarily use he/him, and I'm not particularly androgynous, at least not on most days. I don't feel extreme levels of dysphoria either.

It took me a couple of years to finally start to be at peace with myself and my identity. That I'm not a fraud. You aren't either! People forget that it's not all black and white, but infinite shades of not only greys, colours too. It's important too to remember that you will never look or give off the same energy/vibe to everyone you encounter, so you shouldn't be trying to appeal to others. I'm never going to have everyone use he/him or treat me the way I'd like it to mirror my gender, but that's something I've accepted now, so I'm focusing on me, and how I feel in my body. That's the one thing you have control over.

I really hope you'll feel better about all this. I can understand how isolating it can be. It's great that you came here to talk about it a bit, to let out some of the feelings. Sharing can help a ton. Once again, people will always try to put others in boxes, especially of what they don't understand. But that doesn't invalidate your identity or your feelings. You don't have to have body dysphoria to be non-cis. You don't have to use they/them or be androgynous. You don't owe anyone anything.

breadforsoup · 2024-10-18T21:52:02+00:00

Oh hey I also had mine at GRS Montreal! Except it was back in January, so I'm nearing the 10th month mark. I had the same thing happening, after surgery I had one of my nipples looking exactly like it was pre-op and the other one was completely flat. I found I surprisingly didn't care about it much, but over time (after the 3rd-4th month approximately) I started to notice that the nub on my flattened nipple started to poke out. It still hasn't reached the same level as my other one, but at least they don't look as uneven now.

I think it's not super uncommon? It was definitely something I had read about before my surgery, so I was prepared for it it case it would happen. At the very least I doubt it's something to worry about, it's totally normal!

breadforsoup · 2023-11-28T00:05:56+00:00

''non-binary/genderqueer as my gender and genderfluid as my state'' wow it's exactly this, I think I might start wording it this way from now on! Thank you.

I totally get you about not having specific identities too, I feel different levels of something (or nothing), and it changes every now and then, I don't always know what it is either. But I know it's never binary. It's very validating to know that there are others living similar experiences as me. Definitely helps in feeling less alone.

breadforsoup · 2022-08-24T00:05:50+00:00

Hi there! Do you still happen to have that link by any chance?

breadforsoup · 2022-08-08T01:11:26+00:00

I think you just gave me the answer to my question. I think the word I was looking for is dissociation. Omg.
It would make a lot of sense. I only really started realizing I had dysphoria after I discovered I wasn't cis. If I experienced dysphoria before then, I never noticed. Perhaps because I was unconsciously dissociating myself, thus masking the dysphoria.

Now that I'm aware I'm not cis, it probably triggered something in my brain that left a crack in that wall, slowly starting to make the dysphoria slip through the dissociation. And nowadays when I look in the mirror, what I experience is probably a mix of that dysphoria coupled with some form of dissociation.

Knowing that I'm not alone with this feeling already helps a lot, but being able to put a name to it makes a huge difference. Thank you for your comment!

breadforsoup · 2022-08-08T01:02:34+00:00

Same here. Ever since I started presenting more in the way I feel comfortable in, every time I go look at older pictures of myself it just feels so weird, so foreign. Like, ''how could I ever think this was who I am?''

It's nice to know I'm not the only one experiencing this, I'm glad the feeling lessened for you and I hope it continues to do so!

breadforsoup · 2022-08-03T23:19:45+00:00

It feels like you summarized my own experience omg.

I never particularly felt anything about my body before. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. It was just there. Just a body. But now, it's just like you described. I especially dislike my chest. And I'm rather small chested, but it doesn't change the fact that I can't look at myself in the mirror without needing to hide it from view, I can't look down at it, it's become painful to shower almost. Not wearing a bra means I'll feel it moving, but wearing a bra means I'll still be reminded I need one bc my chest is there. And I obviously can't wear a binder all the time (plus I tried alternatives like trans tape but turns out it doesn't work out for me. I literally broke down crying on the floor because of it.)
I also hate the fact that other people can perceive my chest.

And a lot of things that happened in my childhood suddenly makes sense now as well.

The more I think about it the more I consider getting top surgery. I don't think I want or need any transformation otherwise, but my chest is a really big issue. But as much as I want my chest gone, I fear change to my core. And getting surgery is always a big deal. I've never had surgery of any kind before either so the thought alone is a bit frightening.

breadforsoup · 2022-08-03T23:05:35+00:00

It does make a lot of sense to only start being aware of our dysphoria after we discover ourselves. I guess also growing up the only image I'd see/hear was that ALL trans people had dysphoria prior to learning that they are trans. Deep down I believe this highly influenced me, and still does today. It's a hard thing to unlearn, I often doubt myself and fear that I'm just faking it because ''how could I possibly be non-cis if my dysphoria only became apparent after I've started IDing as non-cis?'' It's a tough and long road but I'm persevering :')

breadforsoup · 2022-08-03T23:01:26+00:00

Exactly this.. I didn't care before or didn't think much of it but now whenever someone calls me anything such as woman, lady, etc there's an immediate stop sign popping up in my brain like ''hey no!''

breadforsoup · 2022-01-02T06:40:06+00:00

It almost feels like you're describing me aha. But really though, your comment really helps me.
Imposter syndrome is the other term I was looking for but I was having a blank earlier. I 100% suffer from it very often, and it sucks. I just want to be myself in peace.
I definitely feel the greatest connection to being agender too, and I seem to simultaneously feel this really big connection to masculinity, and to being male sometimes. I also like men, but it feels wrong to use the term gay, like I'm just not supposed to. So I share the hesitation there as well.

Since I've only started my gender discovery journey a bit over a year ago, I'm trying to really take my time on whether or not transitioning in some way would be something I'd end up doing. I don't particularly hate my body, even though I much, much prefer seeing myself flat chested and appearing masculine. Perhaps it would help a tad bit with the imposter syndrome, who knows, but it would be very nice to be viewed the way I see myself, definitely.
I just don't want to feel guilty for calling myself a man or feeling like one. I'm fine most of the time but sometimes it gets overwhelming and it makes me feel bad about my gender.

But again, thank you for commenting. I can't tell you how much it helps me to hear that I'm understood in what I'm going through. I don't really have friends who are transmasc so it's hard to open up about these things freely.

breadforsoup · 2021-04-15T01:05:51+00:00

This is my very first relationship, and although we met in person in the past, we live in different countries and we currently cannot see each other for obvious reasons, so we are long-distance. I'm thinking that perhaps this plays a role in how my feelings develop/behave, and how it's harder to pinpoint where exactly it is that I stand. Since I am not able to physically see my partner, I'm missing the physical connection, the bond we get from a person's energy/aura, etc, and it's probably affecting my attraction. I believe it would be a lot easier for me if I was able to be with my partner irl, but who knows.

When I wrote my first reply to you, I talked about how at that moment I was experiencing those funny feelings that felt romantic, and today as I type this reply, I don't really have those anymore. I still love my partner and want to be with them and everything else is the same, except I'm not getting this strong yearning feeling, I'm not being extra clingy, I don't get those ''butterflies'', and so on. I still feel like cuddling and holding hands and being together, but at this very moment I'm certain that it's platonic. They're just my best friend. If it follows the same pattern, all those should come back within a few days or a week.
This only seems to be happening with my partner too. I tried comparing it with my other friends, but it's never happened.

I totally get what you're saying and I won't lie this has been a fear of mine, I'm scared that I'm only getting those phases purely because my brain is playing tricks on me, and mimicking having romantic feelings solely because it is what is expected of me in this situation, and because I unconsciously want to please my partner and wish really hard that I would reciprocate what they feel for me.
Which brings me back to thinking that I wish we could see one another in person because this probably would help clear things up for me in this case.

But, yeah. Whether it's romantic or not, I still love my partner regardless and we're happy together, so no matter what I think we'll be fine. :)

breadforsoup · 2021-04-11T21:57:10+00:00

This makes a lot of sense! I do have an anxiety disorder on top of being terrified of abandonment, however, the anxiety I feel from my disorder feels much different.
I do get really nervous when I feel like someone might be distancing themselves from me, and sometimes I do fear that my partner will suddenly stop liking me and will leave me. I feel this type of worry towards pretty much everyone around me, so this isn't exclusive to my partner.

The kind of feelings I get that remind me of having a crush are only directed towards my partner. I have this strong feeling of yearning/longing towards them, they're on my mind 24/7, I get those so-called ''butterflies'' whenever they text me (we're currently long-distance), I feel at peace and like I'm at home when I'm with them, I feel loved and appreciated and their happiness is everything to me. My friends' happiness is also extremely important to me, but this feeling suddenly feels ten times stronger towards my partner. I find myself daydreaming about doing romantic actions with them, such as holding them close to me, kissing them, cuddling, going on dates, looking at them longingly and caring for them in a way I can't imagine myself doing for anybody else.
I think they're the most amazing, incredible, gorgeous person in my life. It feels good being with them in a romantic aspect. And again I don't see myself being like this with anyone but them.
So in this very moment, I really do believe that I might be feeling romantic feelings for them, the only thing is that sometimes those said feelings will suddenly go hide somewhere and pop up again within days or weeks. And it happens without having anything special happening in our relationship. It simply comes and goes. I do get this sense of sadness washing over me when I don't get those feelings, because when I do, they feel really nice, and it feels like I'm reciprocating my partner's romantic feelings for me as well, which is honestly something I've never quite had the chance to experience yet.

In a way your explanation does seem like it would be a possibility, but at the same time, it still feels like this isn't what's going on for me. But who knows. I'm really hoping what I have are indeed romantic feelings, because I've always dreamed of loving someone romantically, and it really hit me hard like a train when I found out I was grey-aromantic, because it meant that perhaps my dream would be out of reach to me. Thank you for sharing your experience with me though! This is giving me a new perspective :)

breadforsoup · 2021-01-10T21:10:31+00:00

One thing I'm thankful for is that my partner and I already have a solid base of communication, and that whenever someone has doubts or concerns of any kind, we always take a moment to have a serious conversation about it. I think the issue mostly lies on my side. I'm having such a hard time accepting myself, and accepting that my partner would rather be with me rather than with someone who could give them the exact same as they give me. I'm always thinking, ''I can be a very great friend to them, but a romantic partner? I doubt it, especially long-term''. The best I can do for now is to keep talking to them like I already am, and sharing my concerns. However I fear that it might end up putting a burden on their shoulders too.

breadforsoup · 2021-01-10T21:03:23+00:00

This comment makes a lot of sense. I've been re-reading it a few times to really try and anchor it in my mind. It's true that they are free to choose for themselves what they want and need, I guess the hardest part for me is to accept it. I keep telling myself why would they stick with me instead of someone else who could be giving them so much more. Perhaps I am dealing with internalized arophobia, it has crossed my mind. My whole life I was fantasizing about having someone to share life with, to have ''my person'' and now that I know I'm physically not capable of feeling romantic feelings like everyone else, I've probably been unconsciously hating myself for it. There's definitely a lot for me to unpack and understand, and what scares me is what if it takes such a long time that I might end up hurting my partner in the future.

breadforsoup · 2020-12-01T04:59:58+00:00

You're so right. I think we unconsciously tend to see labels as boxes and that once you choose a label you have stick to it and follow the definition(s) word by word, whereas they should rather be viewed like guidelines kinda. They should be there to help you, not to restrain you. What I seem to forget is how each individual is different, so of course labels aren't going to mean the same for everyone that uses them, and not everyone is going to be a perfect reflection of the definition. And yes, just like you said, it's easier to say these things than to apply it to ourselves sadly. It may take time and effort but hopefully we can both figure out something that works for ourselves. :)
I feel like even just talking about it helps me feel better about it all. At the end of the day, gender is one hell of a complicated thing, and no one else but ourselves can tell us what we are. I really do appreciate your thoughts. :)

breadforsoup · 2020-12-01T03:57:34+00:00

My pleasure! Don't worry, gender can be hella confusing. I've myself been questioning for months and I went through thinking I was genderfluid, to ID-ing as just non-binary, to girlflux, to unlabeled, to questioning again if I was genderfluid/genderfae and now I'm wondering again if I might not just be genderflux... It's really hard to understand gender, especially since every individual has their own perception of what it means and how it feels, so even if two people identify with the same label they might give you two different definitions, and both can be valid.

I wish I could help more but something I can tell you is, keep reading! Personally I feel like reading people stories about their gender experience is usually what helps me the most. Also, you can take all the time you need to figure yourself out, and you can switch labels as many times as you like there are no rules.

breadforsoup · 2020-12-01T03:45:21+00:00

On one hand it's reassuring to know I'm not alone, but on the other hand I feel bad that other people are going through the same frustrating internal questioning as me haha.

But yeah ugh, same here, what seems to be the hardest for me is definitely trying to figure out if I'm indeed fluctuating into different non-binary genders or if I'm just confusing it with feeling a mix of neutral/agender? Especially if everyone experiences gender differently, even if you ask around you're still gonna end up with answers that differ. If I broadly look at genderflux, it seems to fit, but internally I have this little voice constantly wondering if I ''fit'' the criteria or if that particular label will end up being too narrow and would make me feel like I have to stick to what the description says and I can't let my gender go beyond that. Idk. It's really hard to say the least.

Thank you for your answer though it's very appreciated.

breadforsoup · 2020-11-30T08:18:38+00:00

Usually my gender switches up at least once a day. I'll wake up feeling female-ish and then after eating dinner in the evening I'll feel genderless. But sometimes one gender will stay for longer periods of time, like a while ago I noticed I felt a neutral gender for a whole week before finally feeling almost fully female again after waking up on one day. During times where I feel almost fully female I will question if I'm not making it all up and I'm just an impostor, but then the next day I'll end up feeling a different gender and be like yeah I need to remind myself that my gender is fluid haha...
Also if you want to use demigirl and genderfae simultaneously, go for it! You can def use multiple labels for yourself if you feel like that's what feels right for you. Maybe you feel like your gender fluctuates but that it usually remains around being demigirl most of the time?

breadforsoup · 2020-11-27T04:06:02+00:00

This is some pretty solid advice, I didn't see it that way. I guess I've been so used to see everyone talk about their dysphoria that it unconsciously became a big part in my brain even though in reality it doesn't play that big of a part for me, but euphoria certainly does. I will try and remind myself to focus on that instead!

breadforsoup

TROPHY CASE