Answers to a yahoo group survey

This is what I'm about to submit to the yahoo group TSDIYHormones. It will hopefully answer some questions.

1. What is your name? : Caisa Viksten

2. What gender do you identify as? : Woman

Is this your birth sex? : No

3. Age? : 60

4. How tall are you? : 187 cm

5. Weight? : 73.5 kg

6. Hair (color, length)? : blond, balding, shaved

7. Do you wear a wig? : Yes

8. Eye Color? : Bluish/Greenish

9. Where are you living? : Stockholm, Sweden

10. Where were you born? : Stockholm, Sweden

12. How do you self-identify (TS, CD, TG, Other? : TS

14. What kind of clothes do you prefer wearing? : Depends on the circumstances and my mood. My current favourites are black leather trousers or Victoria Beckham jeans, a black top or shirt, black boots, a black DKNY sweater, A black fur coat and a black Sonia Rykiel handbag.

Another favourite is my black Madonna designed dress from H&M.

A more conservative look is a grey wollen skirt By Swedish Designer Anna Nygårds and a rus red top by another Swedish designer, Filippa K.

The reason I can afford designer labels and furs is that I work in a Salvation Army second hand shop.


15. What are your favorite colors? : Obviously black also red, green, pink anything really that I fancy at the moment.

16. What are your hobbies or things you like to do? : Shopping :-), reading (fantasy, SF, thrillers... )

17. What kind of music do you like? : Oh, almost anything. At the moment old jazz, Billy and Ella.

18. What are your favorite Movies & TV Shows? : Ugly Betty, Xena, ER, Greys Anatomy, Private Practice, L-World, Dr Who, Bones.

19. Do you have any pets & what are they? : No, my latest cat, Ika, Died five yars ago.

If not, what pet[s]would you like to have? : Cats

20. What kinds of things do you do that are considered stereotypically feminine?
(sewing, knitting, etc.)? : Shopping. I want to learn how to knit and sew.

21. What kinds of things do you do that are considered stereotypically
masculine? : Nothing I can think of.

22. What type of food do you like (Thai, French, Mexican, etc.)? : I'm open to anything as long as I like the taste.

23. What is your favorite fragrance? : At he moment a Kenzo perfume.

25. How long have you been using the internet? : Since about 1991

26. Did you know anyone like yourself before the use of the internet? : Not that I'm aware

27. Do you belong to a local or state T group that you attend? : Yes

If yes, what group is it? : RFSL, Queer Dykes.

28. Have you ever attended a T function such as SCC, Texas Tea Party? : Yes, Trans Cafë at RFSL, Stockholm Pride, and I was one of the organizer behind an LGBT event called Queer Kult.

29. Do you belong to any other T* group on the 'net? : Yes.Besides several yahoo groups the Swedish LGBT site QX

30. How did you find out about this group? : I don't remember

31. What operating system does your computer use? : Linux and windooze

32. Do you have a home page? :Yes, several

If yes, what is the URL? : http://www.genderswitch.net http://www.gender-outlaw.com

33. What kind of connection do you have to the Internet (Cable, DSL, Modem,
etc)? : ADSL

34. Do you own a digital camera? : Yes

35. Do you own any books that are about being transgendered? : Yes

If yes, what are they? : Several but the most important for me is Kate Bornsteins Gender Outlaw.

36. How long have you known or felt different than your born sex? : About ten years

37. Did your parents or others know or pick this up? : No

38. At what age did you start wearing clothes that would be considered cross-
dressing by others? : Around 50

39. Were you ever caught doing so? : No

40. What is your sexual preference? : Women

41. Has this changed in any way from your sexual preference prior to transition
(i.e. from heterosexual male to heterosexual female, heterosexual male
to lesbian, etc.)? : Heterosexual male to lesbian

42. Have you ever had what some may consider a same-sex partner? : Not yet

43. How many times have you been married? : None, but I lived with the mother of my two daughters for about ten years.

44 Are you currently married? : No

46. Have your gender issues been a factor in any divorce(s)? : No

47. If not married, are you living with someone you consider a partner or
SO? : No

49. Do you have any kids? : Yes

If yes, have you told them about you? : Yes

If yes, are you accepted? : Yes

If no, did either of you cease contact with each other? :

50. Do your parents know about you? : Yes

If yes, are you accepted? : Yes

If no, did either of you cease contact with each other? :

51. Do you have any siblings? : Yes

If yes, do they know about you? : Yes

If they know about you, are you accepted? :

If no, did either of you cease contact with each other? :

52. Do any of your old friends (for example, from high school, etc.) know
about you? : Yes

If yes, do they accept you? : Yes

If no, did any of you cease contact with each other? :

53 Have people picked up on your gender identity without you trying to pass? : If you mean have I passed as a woman - yes. As long as I don't talk.

54. Are you doing RLT/RLE (real life test/experience)? : Yes

If yes, how long? : Since two years ago

55. Did you transition on the job? : No, I started my current job as Caisa, a man on his way to become a woman.

If yes, how did this go? : No problems

56 Have you legally changed your name? : Not yet

59. Have you had any problems with references because of your transition? : No

60. Are your ears pierced? : Yes

If yes, how long ago did you have them done? : About 35 years ago.

61. Are you currently or have you undergone electrolysis? : Yes

If so, what method; (RF, "flash"), galvanic, or blend?" : galvanic

If yes, how many hours so-far? : To many! :-)

62 I see an electrologist? :

63. Do you smoke? : Yes

65. Are you taking anti-depressants? : No

67. Do you wear any prosthetics (breast forms, etc.) to enhance your
appearance? : Breast forms that make me about a C-cup, and also an older pair that makes me more of a D

69. Are you on Hormones (HRT) now? : Yes

If yes, how long have you been taking Hormones? : Since November 18 2008

What hormones are you taking? For estrogen a gel called Divigel - 2x1mg in the morning and 1 in the evening, as an aniandrogen Cyproteron 50mg 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening.

Have you had any negative side-effects from hormones and, if so, what?:None so far.

What change to your body did you first notice after starting hormones? : A swelling of nipples and pain in them and also a small growth.

Has your height changed as a result of HRT and If so, how did it
change? : Not that I know

72. Are you planning on undergoing Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS)? : Yes

If yes, who would currently be your preferred surgeon? : The one I'm seeing at Karolinska Sjukhuset Stockholm, Sweden.

74. Are you following the HBIGDA/SOC http://www.hbigda.org/ guidelines for
SRS? : If the Swedish guidelines are about the same - yes. And I supose that they are as there is a link on the site to The World Association for Sexology 19th World Congress for Sexual Health in Goteborg,

75. With regards to SRS, do you think the HBIGDA is worth while or just
another hurdle for you? : It has helped me to get the transition I need.


76. "Are you currently seeing a therapist, councilor, psychiatrist, or
psychologist regarding your gender issues?: Yes to all.

77. Have you ever gone out in public in what others might consider a cross-
dressed state? : Currently all the time.

If yes, how old were you when you first did so? : Around 50

If yes, did you feel uncomfortable or scared about being out? : The first times nervous, exited and a bir scared.

78. How important is passing to you? : Very

79. How much of your old self (male self if MTF, female self if FTM) do you
plan on taking with you in your new role? : As a person I'm the one I've always been.

80. If you are planning on having SRS, do you think that the "discord" between who you are
and you bodily physics will be resolved once you have had SRS? Yes

81 Are there things that you would like to resolve which is not resolved by SRS
(transplantation of ovaries to be able to get a baby, etc)? : No

82. What part of transition are you looking forward to the most? : Beeing complete


87. General comments about yourself, if any:

Finally starting with the blog!

It was almost a year ago that I registered this domain in order to record my journey from man to woman. Lazy as I am I've procrastinated and procrastinated. But now I've finally started! And I hope to write here on an, almost, daily basis.

So Who am I?

I was born back in 1949 in Stockholm, Sweden as a boy. Moved to Gothenburg when I was 8 and then back to Stockholm when I was 18. I have two lovely daughters born 1970 and 1972. I am currently singel.

As a child I didn't feel like I "was born in the wrong body". But I didn't participate in the usual "boy stuff" much. The sexual revolution and womens lib in the late sixties made me question the traditional gender values. But it wasn't untill the mid 90's that I begun to question my gender identity. And in 2005 I got a referal to the sex change clinic in Stockholm. After extensive talks and tests I finally got mu diagnosis in October 2008. I am now offically a transsexual person! :-)

We have an excellent health care system in Sweden and for me it means that I don't have to pay more than 900 Swedish kronor a year for medical care and not more than 1800 SEK for medicine. I also get 4000 SEK a year to spend on wigs for the rest of my life. As part of the medical care I also get facial hair removal.

I started HRT on november 18 2008. Cyproteron 2x50 mg each day one in the morning and one in the evening as an antiandrogen and Divigel (as the name implies a gel to put on the skin) 3x 1 mg, originally in the morning but now 2 in the morning and 1 at night.

I noticed a pain behind the niples after only one week on the meds and now have very small but defined breasts. My waist have also got more pronounced.

As for the final step - the operation- I hope to get it in the late spring or early summer. It depends in part on my quiting smoking.

Well that's all for this first installment.

C U soon
Caisa