28 November 2009 by admin.

I had urological problems long before I transitioned to living as Kathleen.  The staff at Urology of Virginia knew my boy self for some years before my girl self came out.  Despite that, I am routinely treated respectfully by the staff at all levels.

I hope that, wherever you are, you are treated respectfully, too.  Please be open with your doctor.

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26 November 2009 by admin.

I wrote up the first draft of an article on prostate cancer and SRS.  Please see GenderSong references pages. Most illustrations of the prostate are side view, because the relationship of the prostate to the bladder and urethra are clearest from that angle. The most relevant angle for discussion of SRS, however, is front quarter view. I’m looking for an image to which to link. Till then, the text alone will have to do (boring, I know:-( )

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25 November 2009 by admin.

Surgical removal of a cancerous prostate leaves a gap between the end of the now-cut urethra and the bladder.  The surgeon could pull the urethra up to the bladder and stitch it there, but for many/most/all men this would make erection painful as the penile skin is stretched.

To remedy this, the surgeon pulls the bladder down toward the pubic bone, and then sutures the urethra to the bladder.

This is an elegant solution which neatly solves the problem for men who are not transgendered, and for transgendered men until they have vaginoplasty.  It becomes an issue then because the neo-vagina is normally created next to the prostate and below the bladder.  Whoops!  The bladder isn’t where it’s supposed to be — there’s no room for a normal-sized neo-vagina.

I’ve put an article into the GenderSong Reference section.

Are you a transgendered male who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer? Send a note to prostate-cancer@gendersong.com.  We’re not selling anything, but we may have some information that may help.  Please let us know, too, if you have had radiation therapy (either pellets or external beam) instead of surgery.  I have no idea what happens to the bladder and the urethra with radiation.

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23 November 2009 by admin.

I sure underestimated the amount of work needed to set up the GenderSong website, and to set up this blog — well, to customize it, really.  I mean, the basic functionality is there, but the yellow and brown picture at the top….. oh, yuck!

Still, the admin and tech support from 1and 1, the hosting company, has been great.  I just have to do my homework.

I have a lot to say about being trans, and living trans, and feeling trans.  Like today: I walked a couple of blocks to a Schlotsky’s to pick up a salad.  Well, no problem….. except that it’s very humid in Norfolk today, even tho it wasn’t actually raining when I left.

I never knew what bad hair was before I transitioned!  My hair doesn’t have to get rained upon to go stringy and curly; dampness is enough.  But wait: this isn’t a complaint.  It’s so exciting to be learning (still, again) how to take care of my hair.  For 60 years my hair was short, and I never had to fuss with it.  Now almost daily I have something new to learn about my hair.

If you’re trans, and you’re still living in your birth gender, oh, my! what surprises are in store for you!

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21 November 2009 by admin.

I opened this website on TDOR 2009, Transgender Day of Remembrance, tho I didn’t set up the blog till the day after.

So, I am a little behind, but I have to start somewhere, and a good place to start is with Ethan St. Pierre’s transgender DOR page.

The passionate intensity with which we transgendered people seek to live our lives can be a lesson in courage to anyone.  Living true to our transgendered natures is ubiquitous across many human cultures — so ubiquitous and so enduring that an honest person cannot question its validity.  Transgendered living is only for the transgendered; it is not for everyone.

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