I've been updating this blog pretty regularly about my New Year Resolution, which was to get my dental care back to a reasonably adequate level. I had my wisdom teeth removed on Friday the 6th, and although I've had some annoying-as-hell complications (notably a big old hole between my mouth and my sinus cavity due to the root of an upper tooth being long enough to reach into it), I'm recovering reasonably well and hopefully will be eating more solid food soon (I managed some chicken and broccoli today).
The thing is, the wisdom teeth were only step one. My teeth have been neglected for years, and as such there is loads more work to be done. Because of this, I'm sincerely asking for your help.
I've opened a campaign on YouCaring called "Help Save Jackson's Smile." If you are able to in any way, please consider donating a few dollars to help me get cavities filled and other odds and ends that need to be dealt with. If I by some miracle make the original amount, anything extra will go to helping pay off my wisdom tooth extraction as well as the other medical bills I have to pay.
Not a fan of YouCaring? My PayPal donate button is also a great option, as pretty much any money I make anywhere is going to be eventually paying for my teeth anyway.
Can't donate? I understand! Please consider sharing the YouCaring page (or this one). This would be extremely appreciated!
Showing posts with label Health - Pharmaceutical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health - Pharmaceutical. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
A Hypertension and Dental Health Update
I wrote already in A Tale of Medical Woo and Woe, which talks about how there was an extended period of time where I refused basic medical care under the impression that anything pharmaceutical was automatically just Big Pharma trying to make a buck off things that are harmless, cosmetic, etc. As an update, I have oral surgery scheduled for this Friday to get all four wisdom teeth removed. Right now I'm looking for some reasonably paleo foods to eat during the recovery period after. For some clarity, I've been having a rough time keeping paleo at all due to finances, stress, food addiction, etc... but I'm hoping to get back on that train.
I have a feeling it's mostly going to be mashed potatoes, gravy, smoothies, and soup. Yeah, mashed potatoes aren't the greatest choice for somebody my size, but they're better than what I've been eating lately. According to the oral surgeon it'll only be a few days and I should be back reasonably solid food, and I should be back at work the following Monday, if achy.
Before going to the oral surgeon, I went to a regular dentist. I know that I have at least two or three cavities, but since I was a vegan for three years without ever once visiting a dentist I have a feeling there are many more than that lurking in my teeth. I have a comprehensive dental exam about a week after the wisdom tooth removal. So that's my dental health update. My New Year resolution is to get my teeth back to a healthy state so I can once again focus on prevention. So far it's going well!
I've been trying different hypertension medications. I don't know if these are going to wind up being a "forever drug" like testosterone typically is and am still hoping that I'll be able to get off them in the future. But regardless, it's a much better option that dying of a heart attack before I'm 35. I know I wrote something about it and then recalled it as a draft due to some problems I was having with the med. The first med I tried lowered my blood pressure so fast and so effectively that I was excited and wrote this essay about how relieved I was. Then the side effects came and I thought "Maybe I jumped the gun, here." So this is where I'm at now:
First Drug: Lisinopril HCTZ
This is actually two drugs, the lisinopril (an ACE inhibitor) and HCTZ (a diuretic). This brought me down to a normal blood pressure very rapidly, but the side effects were just too damn much. I started getting a weird sinus pressure in my face that felt like somebody was pinching the bridge of my nose, and it floated all around the sinus area (under the eyes, by the brows, all around the nose, sometimes it felt like it was behind my eyes). It was almost constant. I wound up with chills and went to the ER super dehydrated. The worst, though, was that my limbs randomly started to stop working properly. I'd get pins and needles, legs falling asleep, and crushing weakness. I had to talk to my doctor about this because I was just about to start a new job, and that sort of weakness would impair me just too much.
Second Drug: Losartan
Losartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, although I'm not entirely sure what that means. Like ACE inhibitors I think it relaxes or widens your blood vessels. Losartan was so much better than lisinopril as far as the side effects. Everything went away except for the occasional sinus pressure, usually when I lay down and not for very long. The main problem was that it hardly lowered my blood pressure at all. Due to the side effect my doctor had me change again.
Third Drug: Metoprolol Succinate
This is a drug that I believe actually slows your heart rate. I've only been on it a couple of days. The sinus pressure is beginning to fade (with doctor supervision I did an experiment with the lisinopril HCTZ where I went off it for a week and started it again, and it took almost the week for it to go away, so we'll see how it goes). Because I don't tolerate blood pressure medication very well, I'm starting on a low dose, so it's unlikely I'll reach my goal blood pressure on this dose. I hear from the Internets that it'll take about a week to see the maximum effect, so fingers crossed I don't need a whole lot of it.
It's important that I start really working on my diet so that I can avoid sabotaging my medication and maybe even go off it in the future. I've been working with a hypertension counselor from my insurance, but there's a problem: She's really into standard dietary advice. She insists I try things that I already know from experience don't work for me, like lowering sodium (although doing so while also increasing potassium certainly does help; it's shocking to me how none of the doctors talking to me about hypertension ever bring up potassium!), and will basically not let go of her irrational fear of saturated fat. It's not her fault specifically, this is what all of us were taught in school, after all. One of the great parts of this is that talking to her really does motivate me to do things that I do know work.
Which brings me to my last blood pressure update, and it's a scary one for me. Due to work I've been walking for miles daily, up stairs, down stairs, down halls, for hours at a time. This in the past has brought my blood pressure down a lot. Back when I was trying harder to stay off blood pressure medication than I was trying to keep my blood pressure down, it used to be a sure thing to go for a good five mile walk daily for a couple days prior to a doctor appointment, which would bring it down enough to squeak by. It's not doing anything this time, which suggests either that it's way worse than it was last year or the walking doesn't work anymore. Whatever the case, I do need to start using my gym membership, whether it helps my blood pressure or not.
I have a feeling it's mostly going to be mashed potatoes, gravy, smoothies, and soup. Yeah, mashed potatoes aren't the greatest choice for somebody my size, but they're better than what I've been eating lately. According to the oral surgeon it'll only be a few days and I should be back reasonably solid food, and I should be back at work the following Monday, if achy.
Before going to the oral surgeon, I went to a regular dentist. I know that I have at least two or three cavities, but since I was a vegan for three years without ever once visiting a dentist I have a feeling there are many more than that lurking in my teeth. I have a comprehensive dental exam about a week after the wisdom tooth removal. So that's my dental health update. My New Year resolution is to get my teeth back to a healthy state so I can once again focus on prevention. So far it's going well!
I've been trying different hypertension medications. I don't know if these are going to wind up being a "forever drug" like testosterone typically is and am still hoping that I'll be able to get off them in the future. But regardless, it's a much better option that dying of a heart attack before I'm 35. I know I wrote something about it and then recalled it as a draft due to some problems I was having with the med. The first med I tried lowered my blood pressure so fast and so effectively that I was excited and wrote this essay about how relieved I was. Then the side effects came and I thought "Maybe I jumped the gun, here." So this is where I'm at now:
First Drug: Lisinopril HCTZ
This is actually two drugs, the lisinopril (an ACE inhibitor) and HCTZ (a diuretic). This brought me down to a normal blood pressure very rapidly, but the side effects were just too damn much. I started getting a weird sinus pressure in my face that felt like somebody was pinching the bridge of my nose, and it floated all around the sinus area (under the eyes, by the brows, all around the nose, sometimes it felt like it was behind my eyes). It was almost constant. I wound up with chills and went to the ER super dehydrated. The worst, though, was that my limbs randomly started to stop working properly. I'd get pins and needles, legs falling asleep, and crushing weakness. I had to talk to my doctor about this because I was just about to start a new job, and that sort of weakness would impair me just too much.
Second Drug: Losartan
Losartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, although I'm not entirely sure what that means. Like ACE inhibitors I think it relaxes or widens your blood vessels. Losartan was so much better than lisinopril as far as the side effects. Everything went away except for the occasional sinus pressure, usually when I lay down and not for very long. The main problem was that it hardly lowered my blood pressure at all. Due to the side effect my doctor had me change again.
Third Drug: Metoprolol Succinate
This is a drug that I believe actually slows your heart rate. I've only been on it a couple of days. The sinus pressure is beginning to fade (with doctor supervision I did an experiment with the lisinopril HCTZ where I went off it for a week and started it again, and it took almost the week for it to go away, so we'll see how it goes). Because I don't tolerate blood pressure medication very well, I'm starting on a low dose, so it's unlikely I'll reach my goal blood pressure on this dose. I hear from the Internets that it'll take about a week to see the maximum effect, so fingers crossed I don't need a whole lot of it.
It's important that I start really working on my diet so that I can avoid sabotaging my medication and maybe even go off it in the future. I've been working with a hypertension counselor from my insurance, but there's a problem: She's really into standard dietary advice. She insists I try things that I already know from experience don't work for me, like lowering sodium (although doing so while also increasing potassium certainly does help; it's shocking to me how none of the doctors talking to me about hypertension ever bring up potassium!), and will basically not let go of her irrational fear of saturated fat. It's not her fault specifically, this is what all of us were taught in school, after all. One of the great parts of this is that talking to her really does motivate me to do things that I do know work.
Which brings me to my last blood pressure update, and it's a scary one for me. Due to work I've been walking for miles daily, up stairs, down stairs, down halls, for hours at a time. This in the past has brought my blood pressure down a lot. Back when I was trying harder to stay off blood pressure medication than I was trying to keep my blood pressure down, it used to be a sure thing to go for a good five mile walk daily for a couple days prior to a doctor appointment, which would bring it down enough to squeak by. It's not doing anything this time, which suggests either that it's way worse than it was last year or the walking doesn't work anymore. Whatever the case, I do need to start using my gym membership, whether it helps my blood pressure or not.
Monday, December 29, 2014
A Tale of Medical Woo and Woe
Several months ago I wrote a post called "Natural Transitioning is a Crock," explaining why using herbs and supplements instead of hormone replacement is not an effective method for most trans men. This system (and many of the reasons people try it) falls into the category of medical woo, which is an umbrella term for health and medical decisions that go against conventional medicine with little evidence to support its efficacy. The shining star of medical woo right now is the anti-vaccine/"antivaxxer" movement which has made parents terrified of vaccinating their kids under the erroneous assumption that influenza isn't nearly as bad as the scientifically inaccurate and downright ableist "threat" of autism. Medical woo is hugely popular among alternative diet communities, including veganism and paleo. In fact, many of the high-profile deaths of vegan children people bring up involve much more than just veganism... that French vegan couple whose baby died of malnutrition because the mother's breast milk was lacking in nutrients commonly found in animal products didn't just eat vegan, they ignored doctors' advice and tried treating her with cabbage, mustard, and clay.
I love the paleo lifestyle. I love it because I've found it works well for my body. In fact, there are plenty of other aspects of my lifestyle that are largely considered "woo." I love Vibram FiveFingers shoes. I use herbal tea when I'm mildly ill. Hell, I practice Witchcraft. In many respects, though, I'm recovering from a period of Peak Woo. This period encompassed almost the entire time I was a vegan and a big chunk of time I wasn't, and involved:
It was actually pretty hellish from the start. There were multiple times I could be found standing post at the door of the convenience store waiting for it to open so I could finally buy some Excedrin after a two-day-long pounding headache I'd have been trying to treat with coconut oil and lavender.
The most regrettable decision, though, was to keep my wisdom teeth. I tell you this as I sit at home with an ice pack on my face, going through a round of penicillin and ibuprofen--prescribed by an E.R. doctor--to keep the infection down until I can get to a dentist. They're bad. Really bad. And they've been bad for my whole adult life... but I still insisted on keeping them when my last dentist insisted I shouldn't.
Recently all these memories came flooding back to me as I looked desperately for ways to keep the pain down. Getting these teeth removed is on my list of New Year resolutions, and has been since before the current infection. I even have dental insurance starting in January. It's just bad timing. My search was not intended to convince me that my wisdom teeth are harmless, just to find ways to mitigate the pain... but rationalizations and anti-medical conspiracy was the main dish on the menu during that search, as I'm sure you can imagine. There are scores of blog posts from people talking about using clove oil and garlic to heal abscesses... a dangerous tooth condition that can be life threatening if not treated with antibiotics. "If God didn't intend me to have wisdom teeth he wouldn't have given them to me!" is a hilarious one from people who don't understand how dentition forms. There are people implying that oil pulling--squishing sesame, olive, or coconut oil in your mouth for a half hour daily--will heal every dental condition. "I just have a little puffiness every once in a while, but otherwise I'm fine!" is another common one. Some actually do want their wisdom teeth removed, but either can't afford to (as you can imagine I can relate to that) or are refusing on principle because it costs more than getting other teeth taken out.
Each of these blog posts is punctuated, by the way, with comments from people who were the exact same way and who are now in my predicament: Swollen, in massive pain, awaiting extremely expensive dental surgeries for things that could have been fixed as kids or teens if we hadn't drunk the natural blog Kool-Aid.
Why am I mentioning this on a paleo blog? Because I see the seeds of this shit in you. I see bloggers valiantly refusing to have fillings, opting instead to remineralize teeth with their diets. I see bloggers keeping impacted and problematic wisdom teeth. And I know that there are going to be plenty of people desperate to be told that they don't need expensive medical care experiencing loads of undeserved relief because Some Guy On The Internet did it and seems fine.
I'm writing this as a counter to that. If I can get even one person using Google or Bing to stop trying to talk themselves out of getting necessary medical care--whether that care is dental work, hormone therapy, vaccines, or any other common target of medical conspiracy theories--then I will be happy for that.
It's OK to try to do things a little differently, to try a non-typical diet or use herbal medicine to mitigate non-life-threatening symptoms, or even to use unconventional methods alongside conventional ones. It's an entirely different animal to just assume that well-documentedly life-saving treatments are a waste of money.
And for fuck's sake, if you're going to drown in woo, don't subject your kids to it.
I love the paleo lifestyle. I love it because I've found it works well for my body. In fact, there are plenty of other aspects of my lifestyle that are largely considered "woo." I love Vibram FiveFingers shoes. I use herbal tea when I'm mildly ill. Hell, I practice Witchcraft. In many respects, though, I'm recovering from a period of Peak Woo. This period encompassed almost the entire time I was a vegan and a big chunk of time I wasn't, and involved:
- Refusal to get vaccines.
- Refusal to take over-the-counter painkillers or other medicines.
- Refusal to use fluoride toothpaste.
- Refusal to get my wisdom teeth taken out.
- Attempts to do a lot of self-care including pelvic exams that I wasn't even close to qualified to do.
It was actually pretty hellish from the start. There were multiple times I could be found standing post at the door of the convenience store waiting for it to open so I could finally buy some Excedrin after a two-day-long pounding headache I'd have been trying to treat with coconut oil and lavender.
The most regrettable decision, though, was to keep my wisdom teeth. I tell you this as I sit at home with an ice pack on my face, going through a round of penicillin and ibuprofen--prescribed by an E.R. doctor--to keep the infection down until I can get to a dentist. They're bad. Really bad. And they've been bad for my whole adult life... but I still insisted on keeping them when my last dentist insisted I shouldn't.
Recently all these memories came flooding back to me as I looked desperately for ways to keep the pain down. Getting these teeth removed is on my list of New Year resolutions, and has been since before the current infection. I even have dental insurance starting in January. It's just bad timing. My search was not intended to convince me that my wisdom teeth are harmless, just to find ways to mitigate the pain... but rationalizations and anti-medical conspiracy was the main dish on the menu during that search, as I'm sure you can imagine. There are scores of blog posts from people talking about using clove oil and garlic to heal abscesses... a dangerous tooth condition that can be life threatening if not treated with antibiotics. "If God didn't intend me to have wisdom teeth he wouldn't have given them to me!" is a hilarious one from people who don't understand how dentition forms. There are people implying that oil pulling--squishing sesame, olive, or coconut oil in your mouth for a half hour daily--will heal every dental condition. "I just have a little puffiness every once in a while, but otherwise I'm fine!" is another common one. Some actually do want their wisdom teeth removed, but either can't afford to (as you can imagine I can relate to that) or are refusing on principle because it costs more than getting other teeth taken out.
Each of these blog posts is punctuated, by the way, with comments from people who were the exact same way and who are now in my predicament: Swollen, in massive pain, awaiting extremely expensive dental surgeries for things that could have been fixed as kids or teens if we hadn't drunk the natural blog Kool-Aid.
Why am I mentioning this on a paleo blog? Because I see the seeds of this shit in you. I see bloggers valiantly refusing to have fillings, opting instead to remineralize teeth with their diets. I see bloggers keeping impacted and problematic wisdom teeth. And I know that there are going to be plenty of people desperate to be told that they don't need expensive medical care experiencing loads of undeserved relief because Some Guy On The Internet did it and seems fine.
I'm writing this as a counter to that. If I can get even one person using Google or Bing to stop trying to talk themselves out of getting necessary medical care--whether that care is dental work, hormone therapy, vaccines, or any other common target of medical conspiracy theories--then I will be happy for that.
It's OK to try to do things a little differently, to try a non-typical diet or use herbal medicine to mitigate non-life-threatening symptoms, or even to use unconventional methods alongside conventional ones. It's an entirely different animal to just assume that well-documentedly life-saving treatments are a waste of money.
And for fuck's sake, if you're going to drown in woo, don't subject your kids to it.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
A Quick Update And A Trans Male Injecting PSA
I haven't updated here in a while. I've also been kind of off the paleo wagon for a while. I've hit some "life snags" so to speak that have made maintaining any sort of motivation difficult. I suffered a neck injury in a car accident that led to a lot of physical therapy and don't-give-a-fuck, and in addition I'm living in an environment filled with wheaty, sugary foods that are constantly being pushed onto me, complete with nagging guilt trips. And if you're reading this right now thinking about one of those insufferable "No Excuses" Facebook posts, you just might be the kind of person I originally wrote this blog to combat. Just saying.
Quick update: I wound up going to the doctor for various irritating symptoms and found out that I legitimately have a wheat allergy. So far it hasn't helped with the nagging guilt trips, but that's a subject for a different thing I'm planning on writing (and have been planning on writing since long before I was diagnosed with any allergies). I also almost passed out during a phlebotomy, which is directly related to my poor diet and weight problems. Will these factors be sufficient motivation to continue? I hope so, but I've had some damn good motivational triggers go sour before.
Anyway, enough of that, because I have something important to talk about that's relevant to trans men as well as anybody who injects testosterone: Please don't tell people it's safe to reuse your syringes and drawing needles.
I'm mentioning this because I'm reading a forum thread meant for trans men in which multiple people are talking about re-using syringes and drawing needles like it's no big thing. At least one has said that his doctor told him that reusing the drawing needle is OK "because that needle never goes into you."
First, let me mention that I understand sometimes people do these things out of necessity. Sometimes pharmacies are ridiculous and don't give you enough syringes, not everybody lives in a place where they can legally just buy extra syringes, not everybody even lives in a place where they can get testosterone legally. People make do with what they have. If the choice is really between re-using a drawing needle or syringe and not getting the medication you need, I'm not going to bother you for it. Harm reduction is important, even when it's not popular.
But I need you to stop acting like it's no big deal or carries no risk. Re-using products that are meant to be sterile always carries a risk. And the explanations people are giving are quite frankly horrifying and miss the entire point of sterile injection supplies to begin with.
When you have a needle, syringe, or set of both in the original package, that package is sterile. The testosterone itself is also sterile. That equipment has been kept out of the elements so that it can't be touched by any of the random crap floating around in our air supply.
Once you have opened a package, it's exposed to the air and can't really be considered sterile anymore. It needs to be used before the aforementioned random crap in the air supply attaches to it. From that point on, everything that needle touches also needs to be sterilized. That's why you take an alcohol prep pad to the top of the T bottle, and it's why you use the same on the injection site. Everything that needle touches that is not sterilized is a contaminant. If your needle taps into your desk before it goes into your T bottle or before it goes into you... that's a contaminated needle now, and ideally you will change it. If you take that contaminated needle and then punch it into your T bottle, that T is also contaminated. This is why needles and syringes are one-time-use. They even say this right on the package, so don't act like it's a huge surprise.
When it comes to users of illegal drugs especially, there are instructions available on how to clean them for reuse and sharing. This is a harm reduction technique. It's very risky, but it's better than not cleaning them for people who are going to reuse their needles and syringes no matter what you tell them. These techniques typically don't work for testosterone. Testosterone is usually carried in oil... sesame or cottonseed... and cleaning them is just not reliable.
To make matters worse, it's clear that a lot of trans men who reuse syringes and drawing needles are either just letting them sit in the air for a week or rinsing them with regular tap water. Leaving these supplies in a non-sterile environment compromises that sterility (otherwise there would be no need to sterile package them to begin with). Regular tap water isn't sterile, either.
I know some of you probably have heard people say--or are one of the people who continues to say--that you reuse syringes all the time and haven't gotten an infection. And you know, it's true that if you reuse a syringe it's not an automatic guarantee you're going to get an infection. This is a risk that grows over time as you continue to make these decisions. Several years of testosterone injections are bound to result in some mistakes made... accidentally dunking your needle in an artery, injecting air into yourself, having to stick yourself three times in a row because you screwed up the first two times. It happens... we just need to make sure it happens less by taking all possible precautions.
Finally, what can you do if you go through syringes too quickly or are broke? First, you can contact your doctor. Syringes are extremely inexpensive, and there's always a chance your doctor will just give you some spares if you're in a tight spot. If money isn't the issue but you just find yourself running out of supplies (maybe you drop them a lot or your dosing has been a bit weird), I recommend you order--if it's legal where you live--bulk needles and syringes so that you don't run out. There are also needle and syringe exchanges, some of which specifically cater to transgender participants. When I buy syringes and needles combined, they're usually about $25 for a hundred of them including shipping. If you have some trans friends you can even split that cost (on a related note, if I'm the trans friend, you can just ask me for some because I have dozens extra--again, mentioning for clarity that it's totally legal here to do that). There are also, of course, needle and syringe exchanges, some of which cater specifically to transgender people.
Again, I don't mean to write this to shame people who legitimately feel they have no option. The inability to get safe injecting supplies isn't necessarily a failure, it's a human rights and medical accessibility issue. Because it's an accessibility issue, it's important that we don't act like the need to reuse these things is normal and safe. It really isn't.
Quick update: I wound up going to the doctor for various irritating symptoms and found out that I legitimately have a wheat allergy. So far it hasn't helped with the nagging guilt trips, but that's a subject for a different thing I'm planning on writing (and have been planning on writing since long before I was diagnosed with any allergies). I also almost passed out during a phlebotomy, which is directly related to my poor diet and weight problems. Will these factors be sufficient motivation to continue? I hope so, but I've had some damn good motivational triggers go sour before.
Anyway, enough of that, because I have something important to talk about that's relevant to trans men as well as anybody who injects testosterone: Please don't tell people it's safe to reuse your syringes and drawing needles.
I'm mentioning this because I'm reading a forum thread meant for trans men in which multiple people are talking about re-using syringes and drawing needles like it's no big thing. At least one has said that his doctor told him that reusing the drawing needle is OK "because that needle never goes into you."
First, let me mention that I understand sometimes people do these things out of necessity. Sometimes pharmacies are ridiculous and don't give you enough syringes, not everybody lives in a place where they can legally just buy extra syringes, not everybody even lives in a place where they can get testosterone legally. People make do with what they have. If the choice is really between re-using a drawing needle or syringe and not getting the medication you need, I'm not going to bother you for it. Harm reduction is important, even when it's not popular.
But I need you to stop acting like it's no big deal or carries no risk. Re-using products that are meant to be sterile always carries a risk. And the explanations people are giving are quite frankly horrifying and miss the entire point of sterile injection supplies to begin with.
When you have a needle, syringe, or set of both in the original package, that package is sterile. The testosterone itself is also sterile. That equipment has been kept out of the elements so that it can't be touched by any of the random crap floating around in our air supply.
Once you have opened a package, it's exposed to the air and can't really be considered sterile anymore. It needs to be used before the aforementioned random crap in the air supply attaches to it. From that point on, everything that needle touches also needs to be sterilized. That's why you take an alcohol prep pad to the top of the T bottle, and it's why you use the same on the injection site. Everything that needle touches that is not sterilized is a contaminant. If your needle taps into your desk before it goes into your T bottle or before it goes into you... that's a contaminated needle now, and ideally you will change it. If you take that contaminated needle and then punch it into your T bottle, that T is also contaminated. This is why needles and syringes are one-time-use. They even say this right on the package, so don't act like it's a huge surprise.
When it comes to users of illegal drugs especially, there are instructions available on how to clean them for reuse and sharing. This is a harm reduction technique. It's very risky, but it's better than not cleaning them for people who are going to reuse their needles and syringes no matter what you tell them. These techniques typically don't work for testosterone. Testosterone is usually carried in oil... sesame or cottonseed... and cleaning them is just not reliable.
To make matters worse, it's clear that a lot of trans men who reuse syringes and drawing needles are either just letting them sit in the air for a week or rinsing them with regular tap water. Leaving these supplies in a non-sterile environment compromises that sterility (otherwise there would be no need to sterile package them to begin with). Regular tap water isn't sterile, either.
I know some of you probably have heard people say--or are one of the people who continues to say--that you reuse syringes all the time and haven't gotten an infection. And you know, it's true that if you reuse a syringe it's not an automatic guarantee you're going to get an infection. This is a risk that grows over time as you continue to make these decisions. Several years of testosterone injections are bound to result in some mistakes made... accidentally dunking your needle in an artery, injecting air into yourself, having to stick yourself three times in a row because you screwed up the first two times. It happens... we just need to make sure it happens less by taking all possible precautions.
Finally, what can you do if you go through syringes too quickly or are broke? First, you can contact your doctor. Syringes are extremely inexpensive, and there's always a chance your doctor will just give you some spares if you're in a tight spot. If money isn't the issue but you just find yourself running out of supplies (maybe you drop them a lot or your dosing has been a bit weird), I recommend you order--if it's legal where you live--bulk needles and syringes so that you don't run out. There are also needle and syringe exchanges, some of which specifically cater to transgender participants. When I buy syringes and needles combined, they're usually about $25 for a hundred of them including shipping. If you have some trans friends you can even split that cost (on a related note, if I'm the trans friend, you can just ask me for some because I have dozens extra--again, mentioning for clarity that it's totally legal here to do that). There are also, of course, needle and syringe exchanges, some of which cater specifically to transgender people.
Again, I don't mean to write this to shame people who legitimately feel they have no option. The inability to get safe injecting supplies isn't necessarily a failure, it's a human rights and medical accessibility issue. Because it's an accessibility issue, it's important that we don't act like the need to reuse these things is normal and safe. It really isn't.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Natural Transitioning for Trans Men is a Crock, and Here's Why
I've already written about the subject of Natural Transitioning for Trans Men (NT), but this was a long time ago, and since then... well, my opinions on it have changed, slightly. When I say "slightly" I mean I went from "this is crap" to "this is crap and I'm really, intensely offended by it." This was driven partially by the fact that it is now only available as a $20 book, rather than for free as it was originally presented... but mostly by the feelings that come from watching friend after friend wind up sorely disappointed.
Anyway, what is NT? It's a program designed for trans men to increase the amount of testosterone the body makes in order to masculinize a person's appearance. It involves taking over-the-counter supplements, a rigid exercise program, and dietary changes. And although I don't see it around so much anymore, every so often a friend or acquaintance of mine will decide to try it for some reason or another.
The top reasons?
But I think it's really important that trans men who are considering it are aware of the issues surrounding it. And it really is your choice, but I'm not going to sit here and say I don't think it's a crock, because I absolutely believe it is. Here's why.
1. Honorable Mention: Attempting to trademark "Natural Transitioning" when that was already a well-known term for something else.
First off, I don't think I've ever actually found reference to NT while looking for it in a trademark search, so I have a feeling he didn't actually trademark it and is just using the TM mark because... I don't know. Maybe he doesn't know what it means? There's also the chance I'm just not looking hard enough. Anyway, it doesn't matter.
Long before people were peddling programs promising FTM transition with herbs and vitamins, "Natural Transitioning" was a term used for black people--usually black women--who were going back to their natural hair texture after having straightened or permed it. It's worth a major eye-roll to me that this person has decided to try trademarking a term without even so much as a Google to make sure it's not already used by a marginalized group to refer to something personal and important. Just a thought. I mean, even when I create a new blog I always at least do a cursory search of the title just to make sure I'm not accidentally stealing a name. And while that's not always a perfect solution, this was something that would have shown up in even a cursory search.
But even if you totally don't give a shit about that, there's still a lot of other stuff to discuss.
2. The person who invented this had a metric fuckton of help from good old biology as well as training.
When you see a picture of a bearded dude with a reasonably deep voice hawking an herbal/nutritional regimen to people as an alternative to pharmaceutical transition, it gives the illusion that NT is practically as good as intramuscular injections or other methods of taking testosterone through conventional medicine. If you read more of this person's work, though, you learn that his voice is largely due to vocal training lessons. Even more importantly, he already had facial hair before he decided to transition, and used minoxidil (Rogaine) as well.
Now, NT will if done properly cause changes in things like body fat and muscle, which can be extremely masculinizing. But if you think you're going to come out of it looking like Tristan Skye, you're probably going to be sorely disappointed. It wasn't just pills, exercise, and diet that made him look the way he does.
3. The effects of Natural Transitioning are usually miniscule and not worth the costs for most people.
YouTube is culturally extremely important to trans men, and loads of us have posted videos there talking about our struggles and displaying the changes we go through while transitioning, whether hormonal or not. So of course there are people on there who are attempting NT.
Watch them. Seriously. The last time I did this, what I saw were a lot of guys talking about how many changes they were going through, who swore up and down that their voices were changing and their peach fuzz was slightly fuzzier. Most of them wind up giving up very quickly once they realize just how little the regimen is actually helping, especially when doing a cost/benefit analysis between it and conventional testosterone.
NT doesn't just make your transition more gradual so your body has time to adjust or whatever other woo you choose to use to justify it... it does practically nothing you won't get from just taking care of yourself. But I'll get to that later.
There are two main costs that make NT a poor choice for most trans men. They are...
4. Natural Transitioning is ridiculously expensive in comparison to testosterone.
All of the supplements required on this program are very, very expensive. Testosterone isn't that expensive, and it would be much more cost-effective to use the money you would be using to buy this crap to go to a therapist and a doctor instead (which is where the real costs of T come in; a bottle of testosterone for me costs around $60 and lasts six months, it's the bloodwork and therapy that is expensive).
But this more literal cost isn't even the worst part...
5. Natural Transitioning is a hell of a lot of effort to get a little of what cis men need basically no effort to achieve.
There's a pseudo-moralistic reasoning among quite a few trans men who attempt NT, as if they'll value transition significantly more because they worked so hard for it. This is ludicrous, though: Trans men shouldn't feel obligated to work hard to change our hormone ratios to those more similar to cis men's. A cis man who has a serious hormone deficiency doesn't need to feel like bodybuilding and paying GNC worker salaries is a more worthwhile option than a weekly shot, why should we?
And this takes a lot of effort and time. This is supplementation morning, noon, and night, as well as more exercise than most average people have the ability to do. And they aren't even that effective.
6. Most of these supplements are useless.
To do the whole NT program you will need to buy and consume over a dozen different supplements, mostly supplements that are advertised to bodybuilders with a few extras for general health. DebGod from Skepchick has a nice article in which a natural bodybuilder is queried and explains that most of these supplements are not necessary with good diet and exercise. She also explains that cis women who do natural bodybuilding, while they may gain more "stereotypically masculine" muscle structures, do not typically get deeper voices or facial hair. These are things you see when they use steroids; they don't just happen from bodybuilding. But for this sort of thing, and much more, you should really just read that article, which has more information on this particular subject than I have.
Basically, you're taking these supplements just to piss them out. You can achieve most of the real, tangible effects of NT just by going on a diet and exercise program... and you don't need this book for that.
7. Testosterone isn't that bad.
Testosterone has side effects. So does NT. Testosterone requires a doctor. Ideally, so does NT. Testosterone has contraindications that make it inaccessible for people with certain medical conditions. Most of them also make the supplements on NT more dangerous. We don't really have that much information about the risks of long-term testosterone use in trans men. But it's been studied a lot more than NT. Testosterone shocks your system. So does... you know... puberty. And most importantly, testosterone works for what trans men typically need.
Anyway, what is NT? It's a program designed for trans men to increase the amount of testosterone the body makes in order to masculinize a person's appearance. It involves taking over-the-counter supplements, a rigid exercise program, and dietary changes. And although I don't see it around so much anymore, every so often a friend or acquaintance of mine will decide to try it for some reason or another.
The top reasons?
- Inability to get hormones due to lack of access to local prescribing doctors.
- Desire to not be actually diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
- Lack of interest in going to therapy and lack of access to informed consent programs.
- Wants to avoid "shocking" their bodies.
- Are non-binary and/or only want some of the effects of higher testosterone.
- Contraindicated from using testosterone injections.
- Attracted to the concept of "naturalness."
- A few were trying it because they are vegans and wanted to avoid animal-tested and animal-ingredient-including pharmaceuticals.
But I think it's really important that trans men who are considering it are aware of the issues surrounding it. And it really is your choice, but I'm not going to sit here and say I don't think it's a crock, because I absolutely believe it is. Here's why.
1. Honorable Mention: Attempting to trademark "Natural Transitioning" when that was already a well-known term for something else.
First off, I don't think I've ever actually found reference to NT while looking for it in a trademark search, so I have a feeling he didn't actually trademark it and is just using the TM mark because... I don't know. Maybe he doesn't know what it means? There's also the chance I'm just not looking hard enough. Anyway, it doesn't matter.
Long before people were peddling programs promising FTM transition with herbs and vitamins, "Natural Transitioning" was a term used for black people--usually black women--who were going back to their natural hair texture after having straightened or permed it. It's worth a major eye-roll to me that this person has decided to try trademarking a term without even so much as a Google to make sure it's not already used by a marginalized group to refer to something personal and important. Just a thought. I mean, even when I create a new blog I always at least do a cursory search of the title just to make sure I'm not accidentally stealing a name. And while that's not always a perfect solution, this was something that would have shown up in even a cursory search.
But even if you totally don't give a shit about that, there's still a lot of other stuff to discuss.
2. The person who invented this had a metric fuckton of help from good old biology as well as training.
When you see a picture of a bearded dude with a reasonably deep voice hawking an herbal/nutritional regimen to people as an alternative to pharmaceutical transition, it gives the illusion that NT is practically as good as intramuscular injections or other methods of taking testosterone through conventional medicine. If you read more of this person's work, though, you learn that his voice is largely due to vocal training lessons. Even more importantly, he already had facial hair before he decided to transition, and used minoxidil (Rogaine) as well.
Now, NT will if done properly cause changes in things like body fat and muscle, which can be extremely masculinizing. But if you think you're going to come out of it looking like Tristan Skye, you're probably going to be sorely disappointed. It wasn't just pills, exercise, and diet that made him look the way he does.
3. The effects of Natural Transitioning are usually miniscule and not worth the costs for most people.
YouTube is culturally extremely important to trans men, and loads of us have posted videos there talking about our struggles and displaying the changes we go through while transitioning, whether hormonal or not. So of course there are people on there who are attempting NT.
Watch them. Seriously. The last time I did this, what I saw were a lot of guys talking about how many changes they were going through, who swore up and down that their voices were changing and their peach fuzz was slightly fuzzier. Most of them wind up giving up very quickly once they realize just how little the regimen is actually helping, especially when doing a cost/benefit analysis between it and conventional testosterone.
NT doesn't just make your transition more gradual so your body has time to adjust or whatever other woo you choose to use to justify it... it does practically nothing you won't get from just taking care of yourself. But I'll get to that later.
There are two main costs that make NT a poor choice for most trans men. They are...
4. Natural Transitioning is ridiculously expensive in comparison to testosterone.
All of the supplements required on this program are very, very expensive. Testosterone isn't that expensive, and it would be much more cost-effective to use the money you would be using to buy this crap to go to a therapist and a doctor instead (which is where the real costs of T come in; a bottle of testosterone for me costs around $60 and lasts six months, it's the bloodwork and therapy that is expensive).
But this more literal cost isn't even the worst part...
5. Natural Transitioning is a hell of a lot of effort to get a little of what cis men need basically no effort to achieve.
There's a pseudo-moralistic reasoning among quite a few trans men who attempt NT, as if they'll value transition significantly more because they worked so hard for it. This is ludicrous, though: Trans men shouldn't feel obligated to work hard to change our hormone ratios to those more similar to cis men's. A cis man who has a serious hormone deficiency doesn't need to feel like bodybuilding and paying GNC worker salaries is a more worthwhile option than a weekly shot, why should we?
And this takes a lot of effort and time. This is supplementation morning, noon, and night, as well as more exercise than most average people have the ability to do. And they aren't even that effective.
6. Most of these supplements are useless.
To do the whole NT program you will need to buy and consume over a dozen different supplements, mostly supplements that are advertised to bodybuilders with a few extras for general health. DebGod from Skepchick has a nice article in which a natural bodybuilder is queried and explains that most of these supplements are not necessary with good diet and exercise. She also explains that cis women who do natural bodybuilding, while they may gain more "stereotypically masculine" muscle structures, do not typically get deeper voices or facial hair. These are things you see when they use steroids; they don't just happen from bodybuilding. But for this sort of thing, and much more, you should really just read that article, which has more information on this particular subject than I have.
Basically, you're taking these supplements just to piss them out. You can achieve most of the real, tangible effects of NT just by going on a diet and exercise program... and you don't need this book for that.
7. Testosterone isn't that bad.
Testosterone has side effects. So does NT. Testosterone requires a doctor. Ideally, so does NT. Testosterone has contraindications that make it inaccessible for people with certain medical conditions. Most of them also make the supplements on NT more dangerous. We don't really have that much information about the risks of long-term testosterone use in trans men. But it's been studied a lot more than NT. Testosterone shocks your system. So does... you know... puberty. And most importantly, testosterone works for what trans men typically need.
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