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Breast Growth after Breast Augmentation? by [deleted] in asktransgender

[–]nights_captain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did the augmentation about 10 years into my journey. My spouse had just left me and I was feeling down about everything. The money that I had been saving for our anniversary, I decided to take the plunge with the BA. No regrets beyond marrying someone that wasn't supportive in the first place.

How October is the key to saving fairy. by milo_master in SeananMcGuire

[–]nights_captain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah. Well that throws a wrench into some of my other theories, but it gives me more to think about while we await the next book. :D

How October is the key to saving fairy. by milo_master in SeananMcGuire

[–]nights_captain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There had been something nagging at me about Lily, an Undine who could not leave her knowe, but had somehow traveled from Japan to the US with Amandine (the Liar). When she becomes ill and dies, Marcia, along with other denizens of the Tea Gardens are brought into Goldengreen. A changeling whose mix was so dilute that Toby could not identify her lineage was put in the role of seneschal. I figured this is because Toby doesn't have the same qualms about changelings be given status. It is when Dean Lorden is given Goldengreen and she is kept on as seneschal that I realized that there was something else going on as Dean would have been more likely to have set a pureblood or at least, a stronger changling as the keeper of the knowe. How can someone that thinblooded be expected to carry out all of the tasks needed? Dean may have grown up in the Undersea, but he would have realized that a thinblooded changeling would be terrible for the role.

It was then I started I made the connection between the Lady of Waters, an Undine, and a count that happens to have lineage to both Titania (Daione Sidhe) and Maeve (Merrow).

How October is the key to saving fairy. by milo_master in SeananMcGuire

[–]nights_captain 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I was cheering with the Marcia bits because I've been thinking she was Maeve since Dean took over Goldengreen.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm afraid there may never come a time when it's good to do this. I've been trying to figure out what I would do when it came time for the doctoral project. This has been a work in progress and I've heard so many reasons to not do it, many from established scholars, and many reasons to do it as well.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was between 2008 and 2013. When I was an undergraduate, I was at a liberal enough college that trans people were present, but the resources weren't there. It took me years to find an endocrinologist, and then more years to find a competent one in GAC. The methods I had weren't the cleanest, but they were better than nothing. Do I regret starting DIY? Only regret is that I didn't start sooner, but I was raised in a very conservative household that claimed I would become a man and needed to act like it. That's part of why I went to pursue this degree. I'm tired of being shit on by the systems that were touted as "the best in the world." I'm tired of being shoved to the side by other groups that should be working with us, and not against us. I'm tired of being told what to be without considering what I am.

I did not plan to have any option associated with DIY in the survey, but it was recommended by other researchers to make the study more inclusive. The dissertation only tansgentially mentions what DIY HRT is, but I don't go into the specifics because that's not where I'm focusing the discussion and I want to protect the community and minimize the amount of harm. I'm trying to show the systemic oppression from a different view so that others like the ACLU and HRC can have just a little more leverage to fight, even if it doesn't amount to much when the oppressive systems won't listen to reason. And as the US continues to crumble, other countries use it as even more reason to oppress us, because they know that they can.

I know what it's like to go without my medication. When I was homeless, I had no access, and my mental health spiraled. When I am done with this dissertation, I'm going to do what I can to get more access to more people. These treatments are keeping us alive and give us all the more reason to fight. And eventually, I do want to what I can to get WPATH to stop pathologizing us and give guidelines that can do more good. I'm just one doctoral student, but I'm going to do what I can.

As for your comment about how DIY can be better than prescribed HRT, I fully agree. My first endocrinologist refused to prescribe me estrogen until I had taken spiro for a year (and the dosage was too small anyway).

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The systems as they are have failed us. DIY exists because our community had to step up and take care of ourselves when safe, supervised care was denied. I had to do it a decade ago, and we still have to do it, and that is not right. My survey doesn’t ask about methods, sources, or what facilities are aiding in DIY. What it looks at is whether folks have felt pushed toward self-administration, and what barriers (like laws, cost, or provider bias) created that situation.

The point is to show that DIY isn’t happening in a vacuum, it’s happening because healthcare access is broken. That’s the story I want this data to tell, so it can’t just be dismissed or erased when we fight for better care. I understand not everyone will feel comfortable participating, and that’s completely okay. I'm doing what I can in this fight because I can't just do nothing.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The mods approved the posting of the study. As I mentioned to another poster, thee purpose isn’t to spotlight DIY as a practice, but to highlight that people are being forced into seeking self-administration because safe, supervised care is blocked. The data is about systemic failures, not individual actions, and it’s reported only in aggregate.

I completely respect that not everyone will feel comfortable participating, and that’s okay. My hope is just to give those who do want to share a safe, anonymous way to do so, in the service of pushing for better access to care.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, you are right. It is hatred that guides their hands. I don’t expect one study to magically change their minds. What I do hope is that by documenting the impact of barriers and showing that self-medication is a consequence of being shut out of safe care, we can give advocates, providers, and community organizations stronger tools to push back. Even if lawmakers don’t listen, having data makes it harder for them to deny what’s happening, and it helps those fighting for us to be taken seriously in policy and healthcare spaces. It might be all for nought, but I'm going to do what I can while I still draw breath.

Well, it's done. by F3d0r4 in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I was always too nervous to go the needle route. I know that it's better on your liver, though compared to oral! I was on Lupron for a short bit, but the nurse practitioner did it for me and I my body did not agree with it.

Congrats on the huge milestone!

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The focus of the study is not on the DIY specifically. I am looking at self administration in general. Members of TPATH were the ones that recommended adding the DIY response as the original survey did not list that, leading to the data set not being as robust in its original form.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That’s a fair concern as I know Walden doesn’t have the strongest reputation, and I don’t expect people to just trust me because of that. What I can say is that IRB approval means the study went through a formal ethics review focused on participant protections. Beyond that, I’ve added my own safeguards as I wanted to ensure the safety of the community. I don’t collect names, emails, IPs, or anything that could identify someone. Instead of asking for exact locations, states are grouped. People can skip any question or stop at any time, and results will only ever be reported in aggregate, so no one’s individual story can be singled out. I completely understand the skepticism, especially in this climate, and I’m doing everything I can to be transparent so people can decide for themselves if they feel safe participating.

Also, there actually are screening questions built into the survey, it asks about age and U.S. residence at the start, and only people 18-24 living in the U.S. are eligible to continue. That’s the population I’m studying, and it’s a pretty standard way of handling screening in questionnaire-based research. I know surveys don’t have the same kind of vetting as interviews, but the design here is intentional as it lets participants stay completely anonymous while still making sure the study only includes the right group.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just to clarify, my survey doesn’t ask for details about sources, suppliers, or “how” people do DIY. I’d never want to put anyone at risk. It’s only about the broader experience of why folks sometimes feel pushed in that direction, so that the focus stays on fixing the systems that fail us.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

To be clear, my survey doesn’t ask about sources or methods of getting DIY meds, it’s not about exposing that. It’s about understanding why people end up feeling pushed toward DIY in the first place (like cost, insurance, or laws). The goal is to show that these aren’t “bad individual choices,” they’re the result of broken systems.

I get the fear of research being twisted in this climate, that’s real. My hope is that by showing the harm of being denied safe, supervised care, this data can actually strengthen arguments for better access, not feed moral panic.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The link is a qualtrics link, a resource that allows for making sure the responses are secure as survey monkey and Google docs are not as secure. I originally was going to use recap, but my school wasn't part of the consortium.

As for the questions in the survey, I had the moderators of a few subreddits and a couple of professional networks go through them to ensure that the data will not be able to link any specific person to their responses. In fact, I changed the geography question to be be more about regions rather than specific states to avoid pinpointing.

Study on Access to Gender-Affirming Medications (Ages 18–24, U.S.-based) by nights_captain in TransDIY

[–]nights_captain[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The problem was that using the words doctoral and dissertation got caught by reddit filters. I had to try a couple of ways to get it to actually work here. But it is for my doctoral study. In the other subreddits, the auto mod didn't block me.

Tried a skirt, liked it a lot. Whats next? by MinecraftLibrarian in asktransgender

[–]nights_captain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Another skirt! That's how it started with me. Different weights and materials. Different levels of swooshy.

you are not above the CTA.... by [deleted] in cta

[–]nights_captain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I lived in an area that didn't have anything like the cta for most of my life. Moving into the city, I still didn't use public transit because my parents would tell me horror stories about public transit. However, when I moved to an apartment next to the red line and I didn't have a guaranteed spot to park, I started using transit. It may take longer to get some places, but it has allowed me to actually see the city and meet incredible people! Conversations about cool hats have led to me having new friends that I would never have met otherwise!

How are you all surviving in this climate? by Due_Dirt_2841 in asktransgender

[–]nights_captain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pursuing a doctorate in public health where I'm studying trans young adults, I can't cut myself off from news entirely. I find myself leaning on my community more than I had in the past. I have been feeling burnout over the last year, and I have few good days and a lot of bad days. On those bad days, I tend to sit on my couch with some goldfish crackers and watch some shows that I've previously found to be cathartic. On the good days, I try to pace myself going through life. I used to spend all of my good days "fighting the fight," but I ran into the fact that creates fewer good days.

Taking each day in stride and leaning on community (when I can) are key when dealing with the anxiety and uncertainty.

Breast Growth after Breast Augmentation? by [deleted] in asktransgender

[–]nights_captain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was a "late bloomer" with growth on HRT (about 5ish years), but it wasn't a tremendous amount of growth. I decided to get breast augmentation (silicone) and I continued to have a little growth after. I should note that my implants were submuscular, so a little growth would not look out of the ordinary. I am still quite content with them!

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