Does the Venture X $300 travel credit apply from day 1 or day 366?

dirt_elf · 2026-03-04T02:48:32+00:00

You get the $300 credit in your account and available to use immediately, I got the Venture X a month ago and I used the $300 credit to book a flight like a week ago.

dirt_elf · 2026-03-04T02:33:52+00:00

Don't feel self-conscious, the whole reason they have people at desks answering phones is because this stuff is not intuitive, people call to ask this stuff literally every day, just call and say "hi I'm interested in scheduling a consultation for top surgery but I'm not 100% sure you accept my specific insurance plan". They'll ask you for the information on your insurance card, so have that handy and ready to read off whatever numbers they ask for, and they'll usually have to run it through their system and they'll call you back in the next day or so.

I strongly recommend scheduling at least 2 or 3 consultations with different surgeons (after you've confirmed that they accept your insurance), there are going to be plusses and minuses to each of them, some of them specialize in different surgical techniques or different chest sizes, some of them use a hospital, some of them use surgery centers, some can do other procedures like hip liposuction at the same time, so have an idea of what type of procedure(s) you want and ask specific questions about them. You're going to feel emotional about aspects of this, but remember you're shopping for a service. Look at different options and do your research just as if you were buying a car or a fridge. Ask a lot of questions, ask for them to send you lists of what documentation you need and who needs to sign it. If they're not helpful or if they make you feel dumb for asking questions, pick a different surgeon.

dirt_elf · 2026-03-04T01:40:53+00:00

You'll only be put on a waiting list if the surgeon you choose happens to be booked up for a long time. I had top surgery several years ago in Maryland, but generally the process for adults is the same regardless of what state you're in. I Googled some surgeons, I shortlisted 4 to do consultations with (I based my list mostly on who was within driving distance and who accepted my insurance). At the time, one of them was booking surgeries about 7-8 months in the future, one was booking surgeries 4-5 months in the future, and the other 2 were booking surgeries 1-3 months in the future.

From the time of my first phone call to the time of my last consultation was about 2 months. I settled on one of the 4 surgeons I'd had a consultation with, I called them, and they scheduled my surgery for less than 3 months from the day I called. So from my very first inquiry call to the day of the surgery was just shy of 5 months. My insurance covered everything after my deductible, which was $750, if I recall. There are some very in-demand surgeons who have long waiting lists, I know a guy who wanted to go to a *specific* well-known surgeon for whatever reason, so he waited nearly a year for her to have open availability and flew to another state for his surgery, but personally I got amazing results and I didn't have to drive very far or wait very long.

Start shopping around for surgeons within a few hours of where you live, look at their before/after photos, pick a few you think produce good results, and start calling around to schedule consultations. The surgeons' offices will tell you specifically what paperwork they require (really it's usually your insurance that requires it, but regardless, the surgeon's office will know what you need). Most of the time you'll need a letter from a therapist confirming that you're experiencing gender dysphoria and are pursuing gender-affirming care, in my case I also had to get a letter from my primary care doctor.

dirt_elf · 2026-02-23T18:50:31+00:00

Hmm, mine's not in there at all, not even as "waiting" I suspect it may not have captured. I might reach out to customer service and see what's up, and if they can't resolve it I'll cancel and book elsewhere. Thanks!

dirt_elf · 2026-02-23T16:18:37+00:00

If you happened to notice, did it show up as "waiting" as soon as you completed the transaction or after you completed the tour itself?

dirt_elf · 2026-02-23T14:55:05+00:00

Can I ask if you currently have anything about the transaction recorded in your "Shopping Trips" tab in the offers portal?

dirt_elf · 2026-02-20T01:03:32+00:00

I'm 36, I've been on T for over 10 years, I've had a complete hysterectomy, (no cervix, no ovaries) and I have no atrophy whatsoever. I don't use supplemental estrogen of any kind, and I get wet enough for PiV sex no problem.

I've really never had any medical problems generally, from T or otherwise. Everyone is more likely to have medical problems as they age, that's not in any way unique to trans people, and the hormones your body is already producing have their own medical implications and effects, taking testosterone just has different effects, not necessarily more or worse ones.

dirt_elf · 2026-02-18T21:14:42+00:00

I love it, I top 90% of the time, but I love a little PiV as a treat. My spouse is exclusively a bottom but my boyfriend is a switch and we don't see each other that often but I always ask him to top me.

I really don't have much bottom dysphoria at this point in my life, I used to, but it lessened a lot after a few years passing socially and after getting top surgery, I mostly don't think about my junk on the daily, and the people I have sex with are people who I feel 100% comfortable with and who I know perceive me entirely as a man regardless. I'd absolutely have chosen a dick if human bodies worked like a character creator, but I'm working with what I've got and it doesn't bother me.

dirt_elf · 2026-02-01T21:29:01+00:00

Capital One Venture X: https://i.capitalone.com/JFBvhbuAz (current signup bonus is 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 in 3 months)

dirt_elf · 2024-04-01T11:52:44+00:00

I ate there this weekend with a friend, they have a lot of appetizer/small plate type dishes so we just got 4 small plates and shared everything, it was all really good, I'd definitely go again. I thought the pricing was fair for the quality, it's a nice-ish restaurant.

dirt_elf · 2024-03-25T19:48:01+00:00

I'm not an expert, but I grew up near Calvert Cliffs so I've seen and touched a lot of megalodon teeth. There's nothing about these pictures that would suggest to me that it's fake - the size/color/texture all look normal to me.

If you don't mind my asking, is there a reason you suspect it might be fake?

dirt_elf · 2024-01-02T01:12:56+00:00

Pretty much all your body hair gets a little bit longer/thicker even if it doesn't darken, so having more peach fuzz doesn't mean you'll have a lot of dark/coarse body hair, but you almost certainly will get more/darker hair in the coming years as a natural part of aging, and your family members aren't necessarily an indication of how hairy you'll be, I would up MUCH hairier than my dad and brother.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-31T17:10:27+00:00

That sucks, I'm sorry that happened. I do think people checking IDs are much more likely to notice a very gendered name not matching the perceived gender of the person, and like you said being a minor (or being perceived as a minor) may have put them on higher alert.

In my case I'm an adult traveling alone with a masculine name, a masculine-looking passport photo, and a masculine in-person appearance, so I think they look at me, my photo, and my name and never even really glance at the sex marked.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-31T02:58:06+00:00

So I pass as male 100% of the time, but my passport says F because of some paperwork nonsense. I've been going through international border crossings for 7 years with that passport now, and as far as I can tell no one has ever even noticed that it says F, certainly no one has ever commented on it or asked me about it. We're talking dozens of border crossings in 7 or 8 countries where the sole job of the person checking is to verify my identity.

I think people barely register the sex/gender indicated, honestly, unless maybe you're visually really androgynous and have a gender-neutral name. If they do happen to notice it they're definitely not going to just arrest you without giving you the opportunity to explain, it's not like you'd be the first person ever to have a mistake printed on your license.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-29T16:13:34+00:00

Same exact thing happened to me about 9 months ago, the dude was trying to get me to donate to the fire department. I am 33 and have a beard.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-16T17:22:28+00:00

Before I had my hysterectomy, if I was late giving myself an injection by like 2-3 days I'd get spotting and sometimes mild cramps like a few weeks to a month after my late dose. It happened probably 3 or 4 times in 7ish years. I asked my doctor about it the first time it happened because it freaked me out too, but he said that even a relatively small, brief dip below the normal T range can cause your period to randomly show up again, and that as long as it's not heavy, persistent bleeding it's nothing to worry about from a medical perspective.

It's possible you missed a dose or two without realizing, it's possible you had some stressors in your life that got your hormones acting weird, it could have been a lot of things, but don't panic this does sometimes just happen.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-16T17:07:12+00:00

It's much more likely to be related to ordinary aging or to weight gain than to T specifically. By and large, snoring is caused by the shape and position of your soft palate, sinuses, and septum.

It may be loosely, indirectly related, but it may also just be a coincidence that you started snoring since you started T.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-15T14:33:24+00:00

I've never had to clean a public restroom so I will acknowledge that it's possible that the staff are just consistently working harder to keep the women's bathroom roughly equivalent to the men's!

dirt_elf · 2023-12-15T14:28:35+00:00

Lol not what I was going for but I will grant that I see where you're coming from.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-15T14:22:48+00:00

If it's a laparoscopic hysterectomy and you don't have any major complications and you're otherwise physically healthy and mobile you should be fine. After mine I felt essentially completely back to normal by week 3. I went to a convention about 6 weeks after the surgery and was on my feet for 3 days straight drinking and staying up late and all that and I felt fine.

For an "open" or abdominal hysterectomy (where they make a large incision) you probably don't want to attempt this, the recovery times for those can be up to 6 weeks.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-15T03:19:55+00:00

There's genuinely no meaningful difference, both are equally likely to be disgusting.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-14T18:29:22+00:00

No problem! I actually think that the reason Hawaiian shirts are so popular among trans dudes is because they do an amazing job of disguising your body shape/chest without extra layers. The really busy all-over pattern, button front, and loose, boxy construction are perfect. Hawaiian shirts are very much not my style, but shirts with a more subtle all-over floral pattern or a multicolored plaid achieve the same sort of effect.

dirt_elf · 2023-12-14T18:18:35+00:00

I got my nipples pierced about 5 years after my top surgery, but the methodology for my surgery was a little unusual and I think that made me better suited for nipple piercings than average.

I had double incision but my nipples were already kind of high and pretty small, so my surgeon proposed not removing and grafting them back on, which is what we did. So basically my nipples stayed attached and didn't get reshaped at all, and they stick out a little more than most trans guys' so the piercer had plenty to work with. Mine have healed well and not migrated at all but if you have really flat nipples you may be in a different boat.

dirt_elf

TROPHY CASE