So, breast growth hurts. They get very sensitive. I know for my part, the early days of HRT was a whole lot of accidentally feeling like I punched myself in the chest when all I really did was raise my forearm a little fast. Or lean forward too far and lightly, but unexpectedly, touch them to my desk. Or open a door (or turn a page, as Rain describes), only to very barely bump them. The result: agony. XD
The good news is that that painful sensitivity doesn't last forever. But the early months - at least in my experience and many of the stories I've heard - are a series of clumsy moments while we get used to these changes. ^^;
As an addendum to Monday's page, today's is mostly played for laughs, but there's an important message in there too. It's okay if trans women never get particularly big breasts. It doesn't make them any less of women. Some cis women - like Maria, for example - also might have small breasts. Or even no breasts. And that's okay too. There's a lot more to being a woman than just boobs.
I think a lot of trans women focus on it because it's usually one of more noticeable effects of HRT, and I don't think there's nothing wrong with that. But as I said last time, be kind to yourself. It's okay. You already are what you say you are. ^_^
The desks at my school in a few of my classes have the chairs attached to them and I had a habit of leaning on the desks. The height was perfectly painfullllll
Honestly, I almost sort of miss it, just because it was reassurance that things were definitely changing. I think stuff still is, but its a lot less easily perceptible now.
I've always been thankful to be fairly flat-chested, even before I heard of the hassles that can come with bigger ones. I already deal with occasional muscle, joint, and neck/back pain caused by/related to an anxiety disorder and an autoimmune condition, so I can't imagine living with pains related to chest size. :(
There's a medical scientific reason for this phenomenon. HGH (human growth hormone) is one of the vital ingredients for breast growth. Injuries/trauma such as surgery, causes your brain's hypothalamus & pituitary gland to kick into high gear to make the extra HGH necessary to promote healing and that in turn causes your liver to rev up production of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) which also acts as a breast growth stimulator. I thought I was too old (57 in Nov 2019 to make enough HGH and IGF-1 anymore for further breast growth and had stalled out after 3 years of HRT, so I got implants.... then while healing up from that surgery, boob growth kicked into afterburners. Now I kinda wish I'd gotten smaller implants, lol! Moral of that story is kinda like "don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry".
In all silliness (and truth) -
Kudos to Rain for succeeding where I have always failed! As a fairly flat-chested girl, I've yet to find a one-piece bathing suit (don't like two-piece myself) that doesn't just fill up with water in the front, providing a constant threat of slipping of or being able to see right down it... I've had to wear T-shirts over every bathing suit I've had since I grew out of kid/juvenile sizes...
[That said, I also don't want to spend a lot of money on a bathing suit since I don't swim often. So, that could also be a factor in my woes. XD]
God I’m right in that stage right now, I sympathize with Rain. Whenever I hurt myself I also try to remind myself that the pain means they’re growing, doesn’t help the pain at all but it makes me feel a bit better mentally lol. The worst though is hugging someone and forgetting about the sensitivity, do not recommend
They hurt, but after a while it's not necessarily bad hurt. Which sounds completely weird until you experience it lol. I personally took it as an excuse to get bras that were a little too big to protect them and give them ever so slightly more protection, it worked for me well enough.
I still laugh at the "boob obsessed" comment. That was the #1 thing I wanted out of HRT when I started... both of the other trans women I'm close with got decently endowed with no hips whereas I got good hips with little boob.
I got to be honest, i really miss that sensitivity. It's almost as if they're now less sensitive than before hrt. Haven't felt sensitive in more than 3 years.
I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum but I relate so hard to this. I've been on a medication for years that I can't really do without, and one of the side effects is chest soreness. I can't even bind for more than an hour or two anymore. Like, I really didn't want these in the first place--now I've got to suffer for them? Ugh.
Okay self-pitying rant over I guess.
When I first read that last line I read it as "Let them have tits"...probably should have known you wouldn't go that far but it would have been the perfect pun.
Yeah, its funny. If I could give them away, I gladly would. But in good news I just started seeing a gender therapist and I’m looking toward getting top surgery in maybe a year :D I’m so excited to jump in a pool without a shirt. What a dream xD
I haven't started HRT yet (THANK YOU FOR THAT NHS) but even so I have a HUGE hang up over my chest size like I am pretty sure it is the BIGGEST source of dysphoria for me.
Really feeling this comic, in more ways than one :X
Almost a year into HRT and not much to show for it, so hard not to get jealous seeing other trans girls' amazing progress after one year. Just gotta tell myself that it may take a long time.
Not on HRT yet, maybe eventually lol, but I would be pretty happy with smallish breasts as I'm a fairly small person in general. That plus a lightly padded bra and I'd probably be set lol. (I've got a few reservations about hrt for myself still, but also I got a cheap but comfy Target bra with breast forms recently, and uuuuuuh yeah safe to say I'm cool with the breast development from hrt since I've worn it almost every day since then haha)
The early days are the worst, they are so goddamn sensitive to the lightest breeze...
But um
😳
Sometimes it was a good thing they were
☺️
But I think I've gotten used to it at this point so it's not as bad
Kudos to Rain for succeeding where I have always failed! As a fairly flat-chested girl, I've yet to find a one-piece bathing suit (don't like two-piece myself) that doesn't just fill up with water in the front, providing a constant threat of slipping of or being able to see right down it... I've had to wear T-shirts over every bathing suit I've had since I grew out of kid/juvenile sizes...
[That said, I also don't want to spend a lot of money on a bathing suit since I don't swim often. So, that could also be a factor in my woes. XD]
https://reallifecomics.com/comic.php?comic=february-25-2021
I caught up to date with it today
Enough said (^ν^)
Okay self-pitying rant over I guess.
Almost a year into HRT and not much to show for it, so hard not to get jealous seeing other trans girls' amazing progress after one year. Just gotta tell myself that it may take a long time.