Alas, bodies

[dismallyoriented]

 

Feels bad having to cw for menstruation when it's like. Just a normal bodily process and I think one that society could do more to talk about regularly. But yknow, I wanna be mindful about the ways other people's dysphoria manifests.

Anyway I think I may have cursed myself. On Wednesday I went to Planned Parenthood for an HRT checkup, and told them my period had stopped entirely, between both T and my nexplanon implant. Then yesterday I ended up having an extended talk with some younger queer folks about tampons and menstruation and dysphoria relating to sex & uteruses.

And then. This morning. Blood on the toilet paper and cramping in my abs. Thanks body. Doing me a real solid here, ha.

I'll be alright but it's always a bit of a dysphoric bummer when it recurs unexpectedly. I'm hoping it'll stay gone for the most part, especially after it was gone for about 6 weeks before? I should probably actually go back to tracking my cycle, to see when it happens and know for sure how much time has elapsed. Deleted all my previous tracked data from the app I used when Roe v Wade got overturned, cuz I was in Alabama at the time. But it probably won't kill me to pick it up again, here and now in Virginia.

The scientist in me is sad for the loss of data. But keeping track of all of it doesn't really affect me in my life now. Maybe trying to eliminate my period will finally push me onto injections. We shall see.

Comments

[onlyknownothing]

I'm sorry. I do know that dysphoria is not inherently a logical thing, and thus cannot be overcome via logical counter-argument... but if it helps, know that men do have a hormone cycle and it has some similar presentation. The science is still being developed, and there is presently a lot of controversy about it (not the least of which is that they're currently calling symptoms of it "Irritable Male Syndrome," which generates knee-jerk responses) - it's a general part of the body's rhythmic fluctuations. Here is an article about it, in case it helps any.

As someone who actually takes testosterone injections, the worst part of it is that the best location to get them is someplace you can't give yourself. I've given myself the shot in my leg once, but it's more unpleasant for a few days than the primarily-recommended back-of-hip injection site. There's a greater soreness because it's injected in the muscle and the thigh works more. If you have somebody who can give them to you, it's not really bad at all. Slight sting in the moment, gone quickly. 🤷

Sorry about the rough moment. It will pass, at least. One recommendation, just... because of the bullshit times we live in. Use something that isn't connected to a database. I did some searching, and apparently Drip is open-source and stores all data locally. You could also just legitimately use a paper calendar, if you wanted, or a not-cloud-based spreadsheet program. It's stupid and I hate it, but better safe than subpoenaed. 😑

Love to put the men in menstruation

[dismallyoriented]

Hey, thanks for trying to help, even if it didn't land super effectively. I appreciate the effort a lot.

I think I heard someone talk about some of this recently, and tbh I also reacted to it with a bit of skepticism, but like. It would make sense for there to be multiple kinds of hormonal cycles, and a form of hormonal senescence for cis men as well. (It was guy PMS that tripped me up in that other convo).

I actually don't do injections, I do mine via gel. Daily application instead of weekly, and no needles required. It does mean a much slower rate of change - most of the guys I know who are on injections are already getting facial hair at 1-2 months grumble grumble. But there is something I like a lot about the fact that I can incorporate it into daily self-care routines. Shower, brush my teeth, apply my gel. It feels of a kind in a way that feels good and personally true.

I do know how to give IM injections because I help my wife with hers. Unfortunately her needlephobia means she can't return the favor, and that's one of many reasons I don't do injections myself. Having to administer both sets of shots would be somewhat onerous (and besides, I wouldn't want to have to inject meds if I were on a work trip at sea). I could ask if any of her headmates are up for the task, but idk. Some things are pretty consistent across all of them. I might ask again if the itch for injection gets strong enough.

Also, here's the most effective solution I have for period-related dysphoria. A sketch comedy for Manpons: Tampons for MEN. They're the ones who originated the joke in the subject line - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwaBD56ouNk

Re: Love to put the men in menstruation

[onlyknownothing]

Yeah, I figured I wasn't exactly going to be able to talk you out of dysphoria with a comment on a post. That'd be quite the accomplishment, and... well, frankly, I don't think I have that level of rhetorical persuasion. I just wanted to offer what I could in the off-chance it helped some, and I'm glad it at least let you know that someone else out there is sympathetic and hopes you get to a more positive place soon.

I do know how to give IM injections because I help my wife with hers. Unfortunately her needlephobia means she can't return the favor, and that's one of many reasons I don't do injections myself. Having to administer both sets of shots would be somewhat onerous (and besides, I wouldn't want to have to inject meds if I were on a work trip at sea).

My partner is the same way. Wanted to try, so I got a spare needle and an orange - which was how I practiced it in the first place before giving myself my shot in my leg. She couldn't even do the orange, actually. No needle-phobia, it's just the idea of stabbing me with something... which... fair. 🤷

And I totally get not wanting to do that on a ship. Stable positioning is a must. Very reasonable to stick with the gel given the circumstances, especially since testosterone is a controlled substance and thus providers are very reticent on prescribing more than the absolute minimum by my experience. "I need injectable testosterone for the times that I can get shots, and gel for the times I can't" seems likely not to succeed as an ask. 😑

Re: Love to put the men in menstruation

[lb_lee]

Oh hey, we did the gel too, back in the day! The slow steadiness was why we picked it, to keep us nice and level. (T turned out to be a short-term thing for us. Not sorry we tried it, not sorry we stopped.) Plus we are a mixed gender group and didn’t want anything too fast.