Gendersaurus Rex

I wasn’t expecting it so soon, but my testosterone arrived in the mail! I was at a friend’s house, planning on spending the night, so I went home to get some things. I checked the mail, and there it was! My package from Strohecker’s Pharmacy. Inside was the testosterone (10 ML vial of testosterone cyponaite 200mg/ml suspended in sesame oil), some syringes, 18g needles to draw with, and 22g needles to inject with. Oh, they also threw in some alcohol pads and Band-Aids. The final cost (including shipping) was $58.95.

So I was prescribed to inject 200mg every 2 weeks. However, I want to try and avoid too much of a “drop off” in levels, and 2 weeks tends to be too long for most guys. I talked to Jac, and some other transguys about it, and eventually settled on an injection schedule of 150mg (.75 cc) every 10 days. I think this will work out better for me.

So anyways, I grabbed my package, along with sleep over stuff and rushed back over to my friends’ house. I was really excited all the sudden! I was planning on doing my shot tomorrow (Valentine’s Day) since historically V-Day has always been really shitty for me, and it would be a great way to reclaim the holiday…but I changed my mind because most of my friends were over, and I thought having an audience to celebrate with would be more fun.

My friend Caleb gave me my first shot. All my friends watched, and I have a video of it that I will add. It was really great, and I am glad I did it around a bunch of friends. It was really nice to be able to celebrate with other people, and have other people share my happiness. I don’t think I would have done it any other way.

Here’s the steps to doing an injection:
1. Unwrap all necessary materials (syringe, 18g needle, 22g needle, alcohol swab).
2. Uncap the T and wipe the top of the vial with an alcohol swab.
3. Attach the 18g needle to the syringe.
4. Push it into the vial, tilt the vial so the needle is submerged in the T, and draw back to the appropriate amount.
5. Take the needle out of the vial, cap it, take it off, and dispose of it in a sharp’s container.
6. Put the injecting needle on the syringe.
7. Hold the syringe up and flick it, to knock the air to the top, then very slowly push up until a drop of liquid comes out of the tip of the needle. DO NOT SET THE NEEDLE DOWN (for it will contaminate it…remember, for everything to be safe it has to be sterile).
8. Find where you are injecting (research for acceptable places to inject), and clean that area with a new alcohol swab (or if you put the one that you used to clean the vial back in it’s original packing, you can reuse it, just do not use if you set it down on a table, the floor, or any non-sterile surface).
9. Stick yourself! Inject the T slowly, and leave the needle in for a second after you are finished injecting to avoid any liquid coming out.
10. Take the needle out, massage the area with a cotton swab, and if you need it, smack on a Band-Aide!

Also, under my resources section, I added a link to a really helpful “how to self-inject” YouTube video. I plan on self-injecting after my first couple shots.

So I really don’t feel any different. Taking T on Friday the 13th is in fact NOT going to turn me into a werewolf. I do however, feel a bit relieved that it’s finally started –that in a few months I will no longer have a fucking period (something anyone with a functioning uterus desires) and my voice can finally start to match what I think it should sound like, among other things. Ironically I started my period today. I am just feeling good about it being one of the last. I am not sure how real this will all feel until changes start to take place. However, I know I am ready, and I am prepared. I need to go ahead and take a bunch of photos for comparisons later (face, arm, body, back,…).

For the record, I am pretty small dude. I have no facial hair, and all my body hair (minus my legs) is thin, blonde, and soft. My lower leg hair is curly and
thick only in comparison to the rest of my body hair, but not anything outrageous. Looking at the men in my family, I can either get VERY hairy, or not really. Genetics are always a surprise though. I plan on beginning a work out regimen immediately so that with this new surge of testosterone in my body, my muscles will be able to develop AND grow, not just grow. It is important to me to be stronger, and I think it will be good for my mental health. I do have some fears, but for the most part I am feeling extremely good about this, and extremely good about myself. I am glad that I am finally making decisions for myself, and not for anyone else anymore. Here’s to a new beginning!

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