Well not these days! Postal services were actually one of the first institutions to start using a ML based image classifier to determine zip codes automatically from people’s hand writing. I could easily see something like that existing for X-rays to auto-classify package contents if they wanted. That being said, I agree that they haven’t seemed motivated to implement that (thank goodness).

That’s super interesting! Seems like difficulty to juggle all of that tbh, but it makes sense.

I can definitely increase my caloric intake a little bit. To be honest, I usually hit 1700+ since I’m not super strict. But I think I just need to be a lot more focused I suppose. It’s so hard to lose weight at this point.

Yeah I use MyFitnessPal right now to track my calories. I’m aiming for 1600 calories a day which is kinda hard. I skip breakfast and sometimes lunch but I’m vegan so my meals tend to be carb-forward. I try and eat things like just Tofu

Thanks! Yes while I’m waiting for my shipment, I’m going to spend time figuring that all out. I’ll reach out to you if I hit a wall in my understanding.

Thanks for your help! I ended up picking monotherapy and going on the matrix subreddit to double check my plans for DIY HRT.

I can’t join the Matrix server. When I try registering with the server chat.blahaj.zone and blahaj-20250508 I just get a 500 Internal Server Error response from the server. I tried different username/password combinations in case there was an issue with special characters, but nothing seemed to change. Instead I registered with matrix.org and was able to get accepted. I’m learning how to use Matrix, but I’m getting the hang of it a bit. I’ll try and find the HRT room :)

Are you comfortable describing where you source your Estradiol Enanthate and anti-androgens? I am looking at Open Gate Labs since they ship from the US and I live in the US. But I can’t find any sources that are selling Bicalutamide. Each seller is out of stock or saying they aren’t shipping due to the Trump tariffs. I don’t really want to go on Spiro since they say it’s weaker and then the side effects of Cyproterone acetate scare the heck out of me (e.g., benign brain tumors).

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In my experience, my wife flip flops a bit between accepting and feeling sad about it. Sometimes our conversations are similar to yours: practical, forward thinking, assuming I’ll transition, etc. Other times, our conversations are more reflective, sadder, concerned about the future, uncertain about my transition, etc. We’ve decided to put a pause on conversations about it. As you can see from my post history, I’m still leaning towards HRT, but I’m running into a lot of insurance blockers that make it difficult. I’m now considering the DIY route, but it’s kinda complicated looking. Not too bad, but it requires learning a lot of stuff I was hoping my doctors would figure out for me.

I hope your journey goes well! I’ll probably be on this community fairly frequently over the coming months.

Thanks for the guide. It sounds like it’s mostly a cost based issue then? The DIY route seems a bit more expensive than insurance, but it’s fairly reasonable.

How do you handle injections? I feel like it’d be super hard to put a needle in me. I’ve never done something like that before.

Edit I watched a video on how to do it. Doesn’t actually look too bad. I hate needles, but for some reason the 45deg. angle and pinching the skin made it seem less daunting.

That’s fair. I can try giving them a call, but most of my experience on UHC phone trees end up frustrating and unhelpful.

I just finished the first climb of the mountain. Awesome game. So stressful though lol

Sorry that I’m late to the party. My egg cracked last month. 31 MTF and I’m also figuring things out. My wife is also cis and she’s also struggling to support me. I’ve been all over the emotional map these days. I have a daughter, but she’s only a baby so maybe that’s a bit easier to deal with. I’m not really through this journey so I’m not much help in terms of advice, but you’re definitely not alone.

Ok I played for 90min so far and Celeste is hard! It’s fun though

I’m not on HRT and I’m still learning about it. I’m a newbie. But as someone who has struggled with depression, I advocate constantly for therapy. I feel like hormones have got to impact your brain chemistry in a myriad of ways. If you can afford therapy (if you’re not still going) and checking in with your doctor, I think that would be a good idea.

I’m sorry you’re going through such a hard time. Don’t forget to reach out to your support system. Sometimes a coffee date with an old friend or a call to a family (chosen or not) can be just as healing as an hour of therapy. I hope you know people care about you and you matter.

Personally, I went to therapy on Friday and my therapist said “we are in crisis mode”. I’m still new to my transition and even though that language is scary, it was very affirming to recognize that - yes - I’m scared and uncertain and learning a lot of things all at once. My life is changing. She also said “get used to feeling uncomfortable”, which is so hard for me. But her recognition of some hard facts about my current situation grounded me and gave me a courage to try some more daring things as part of my pre-HRT transition.

I am a woman.

I would have preferred exploding, but I’ll take it.

<3 Thanks. It’s helping that I can start doing some things to help alleviate the dysphoria :) I have things to look forward to for now.

Same age here and similar timeline. I’m still figuring things out. I’m a remote worker so I can hide from my job in a lot of ways, but I’m not sure how it’ll impact my career. Feel free to checkout the /c/TransLater community as well! I’m not out to my parents or siblings - only my cis wife. I don’t think I’ll be coming out to anyone anytime soon because my family trends quite conservative.

I’m excited on your behalf!