The never-ending tasks

I'm still unpacking all my clothes. Between work, a tiny closet and too few hangers, it's quite a chore. And yet it's interesting. I've discovered I recall many items I hadn't seen in years, and sometimes when and where I bought them. This includes the very first outfit I bought, waaaaaaay back in 1989 (a cheetah-print straight skirt and wrap top). Other things come as a complete surprise, like a gold flared skirt. What was I thinking? Likely I wasn't thinking. I also found a pink silk dress with 3/4 sleeves that would be perfect for wearing in the day-time next June, if I can get it pressed.

On other things, I have a lead on an electrologist. Electrolysis is a very painful method of permanent hair removal. I don't quite trust laser hair removal; too many conflicting reports. I did undergo some electrolysis a few years back, but the inexperienced operator made a hash out of the job. Long story short, I paid for a very painful, non-permanent method of hair removal. Live and learn. I also need to find lydocaine cream or spray. I know I'll need it.

The diet continues well, with only minor slips. I had a cookie for desert today because the box said "sugar-free." I wish I had read the nutritional table before eating it, though. For one thing it contains honey, which is sugar for all intents and purposes. For another it has 6 grams of fat! yuck! Tasty, though, with bits of chewy apple in it.

I also gathered my courage and weighed myself. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it wasn't good. That's the good news. The bad news is I have a long way to go. I may have to revise my diet, and definitely need to find a way to exercise at least a little two more days a week.

I also have a lead on a few psychologists/psychiatrists. I don't need one, but that's where the process outlined in the Standards of Care (SOC, or SoC) has to begin (or, as many TGs call it, Jumping Through Hoops) <sigh> Right now I need the electrolysis more than the pshrink, so I'll start there. The headshrinker (where did you think the term "shrink" comes from?) can wait til after WovCon.

I'll post a bit about the SOC in another thread later.

Quote: Nareed

...the pshrink, so I'll start there. The headshrinker (where did you think the term "shrink" comes from?)....

I've always known where, but this is the first time I've seen it with the the silent 'p' spelling!


Good luck on your efforts.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I've always known where, but this is the first time I've seen it with the the silent 'p' spelling!

It was pretty late last night (or this morning). I'm surprised I made any kind of sense. I've seen that spelling here and there.

Quote:

Good luck on your efforts.

Thank you. I'll think about you when the hot needle goes into my face :)

I feel like I'm getting stuck again.

I've tried to find TG boards. I've found a few, including one in mexico. I need to make contacts and friends here and I'd like to make more in Vegas. I also need information and advice. Much of it is in such sites. But whenever I go in and start reading, I invariably run accross mentions of what some of these people have done. This tends to get me depressed. I wasted an awful lot of years in denial and I very much regret it, so reading about thsoe who did or are doing what I should have done depresses me. When I get depressed I start losing the will to go on. I haven't lost it, and the other baby steps are progressing, but I'm really afraid I'll get stuck in the near future again.

That's one reason I started out in this site. Here I could post and count on comments and some support. In fact I've found more suport than I expected, and thank you all for that. But this board is a starting place for now. I need to spread out. I'll just have to get it over with, one way or another.

Just ranting, you know.

Self pity and rantings aside, I called the electrologist today. I set up an appointment next Saturday for an evaluation, it's not clear whether we'll start treatment then or not. We'll see. I'm trying pain-killers first this time. I think it's easier than a topical anesthetic. That's the good news.

The bad news is how long this will take. All info I come accross is mostly anecdotal and highly imprecise. I get estimates of anywhere from 40 hours to 700 hours. Bleh. I'm estimating for myself 2 hours per week, once per week for two years. Of course I'll revise it after I actually get any sort of treatment. If it takes 2 years, it will cost me around$5,000 (see? I told you it's painful). Spread over 2 years, naturally, and this includes a volume discount.

I've learned something over the past few years, though. For one thign there's mroe to the process than inserting a needle, pushing a button and removing a dead hair. The machine's setting counts. Typically the operator set it to the max I could take, which wasn't much. The end result was that few follicles ever died as they were supposed to. This time either I'll find something to help me take the pain, or I'll just tough it out.

I'll look into laser hair removal again, too, but all I've read about it makes me skeptical. For one thing it's more widespread, meaning there are bound to be more incompetent practitioners. For antoher I've heard it either works like a charm first crack out fo the box, or it's a waste of time and money. The stories about electrolysis vary widely in time and pain, but they all agree that it does work.

I may try laser in other parts of my body later on. Those parts are easier to get by temporary means, which also last longer, and are also more susceptible to the actions of hormone therapy. So from every point of view it makes better sense to wait.

I forgot this: due to my work schedule, I'll very likely only be able to get treatment on Saturdays. This is ok, but it disrupts my Saturday morning workout routine. Hopefully I can simply move to Saturday afternoon or evening. Given a choice, I'd rather loose weight first and then get rid fo the facial hair, but it would be best to just do both.

Now to figure out when I'll have time to write...

Oh, the painkiller I chose is an analgesic, non-steroid anti-inflamatory agent, of the same type as aspirin and tylenol. I can get a generic version cheap ($2 for ten pills), and it has worked very well for me for very strong pain. And the anti-inflamatory properties shoudl come in handy as well.

I had my first electrolysis appointment.

The good news is the people there do know what they're doing. The bad news is it will take between 12 and 18 months, if not more, to finish the entire face. The price is quite steep, too. though they offered me a good deal if I pay for 20 hours in advance. My new estimate hovers around $3,000 for the whole process.

I took a painkiller a few minutes before we got started. I don't think it worked, but maybe I need to take it sooner. I'll try again next week. If that fails, the electrologist recommended an anesthetic cream her clients swear by. Of course her clients don't require the kind of setting I do.

The pain was bad, but not that bad. Most important it doesn't linger at all. Once it's done that's it. And it's only for two hours each week or so (face to brain: are you out of your mind??!) I figure I can take it. And, really, what choice do i have?

For now the plan is to get weekly 2 hour treatments for the next two months, about 20 hours. Then I'll see how it's going.

Quote: Nareed

I took a painkiller a few minutes before we got started. I don't think it worked, but maybe I need to take it sooner

If the cream is a skin numbing kind, I would take that. Pain pills (I find) are better for continuous pain than sharp irregular pain.

Quote: rxwine

If the cream is a skin numbing kind, I would take that. Pain pills (I find) are better for continuous pain than sharp irregular pain.

The cream contains lidocaine and a different anesthetic. I've also looked into lidocaine creams and sprays. Painkillers might work better with existing pain, too, some to think of it.

The idea is to treat by parts, so I wouldn't need to cover all the facial hair with anesthetic, which is good. Now, going by past experience there are areas I should not need any help with. We'll see. Next week we're doing the neck.

I should have said next week we're doing part of the neck. And that's only a start. likely each follicle will need to be treated several times before it dies <sigh>

Anyway, I should be all unpacked in two weeks more or so. I only unpack during weekends, because that's when I have time. So it's slow work. It's amazing what you find when you go through all your stuff. I figure some of it might end up on eBay sometime soon.

I've found things that not only I don't remember getting, but that I would never have bought of my own free will. There's a blouse so hideous I figure it must have come in a set. I've also found some really nice things I'd more or less forgotten about. There's a velvet cocktail dress with metallic, silver/copper and black sleeves and accents on the bodice that I just have to find an occasion to wear :) It would be perfect for a fancy Vegas restaurant for a late dinner, for example.

I'm having mroe trouble finding enough day time clothes for a week. Some of the things I remembered have turned up, but many are either too short or too tight for my age. Oh, I've enough for two or three days, which might be all I can do anyway. I expect to find enough, but if not then I'd have a good reason to hit the shops.

Electrolysis sounds like my worst nightmare--needles combined with shocks. I hope it turns out to be worth the effort!

Quote: FarFromVegas

Electrolysis sounds like my worst nightmare--needles combined with shocks. I hope it turns out to be worth the effort!

Most places that offer electrolysis actually do thermolysis. The electric charge heats up the needle and the heat kills the follicle, or so the the theory goes. I can attest it doesn't feel like a shock :)

It will be worth it when it works. I've been thinking about how best to proceed. I need to discuss it with the electrologist, but I think I'll have them do the neck intensively first. That's the part where I get the most irritation when shaving and where I need more concealer afterwards, so it makes sense to be rid of it sooner. It should also help in getting me through one week en femme, also a major consideration.

So I'm done with the second appointment. Ouch! Seriously, the painkiller is doing nothing. I'll have to try a topical anesthetic next. The electrologist did say I'm taking it well...

She managed to do about a third of the neck in one hour. Next week we're doing an hour and a half, with the idea of doing the other two thirds. The week after that we'll go after whatever re-grows, and then we'll see what there's time for.

My idea is to completely clear the neck area by May, or at least reduce growth there. You see, when I shave the neck is what 1) gets irritated the most and 2) doesn't end up as closely shaved as other areas. So If it's gone or very light by WoVCon, I'll be able to manage the entire week without trouble :)

I did look again into laser hair removal. I remain unconvinced. Laser works best on dark hair, and hardly at all on light hair. In the facial area, alas, about half of all hairs are quite light, with many turning white already. So even if laser worked, I'd still need electrolysis for the rest. And the money just isn't there.

Of course, Murphy's Law anticipates the day after my last treatment someone will discover and market cheap, effective, fast and pain free method of permanent hair removal, maybe a cream of some sort. So keep an eye out starting in 18 months!

Oh, I forgot one thing about electrolysis. The treated area stays swollen for a few days, and the small but very hot needle often leaves behind small, red lessions. This is no big deal, not measured against the pain anyway, but sometimes people notice. a co-worker did yesterday and asked what the hell happened. he then went on to answer his own question (I forget what he said about shaving). But I toyed witht he idea of telling him.

I didn't, of course. I figure I'll have to be fairly out eventually, but not this soon. Which reminds me no one has said anything about my finger nails yet. I've let them grow out a bit, but I don't paint them even with clear nail polish yet. I'm sure it's just a matter of time...

So, third appointment. No, I won't post every one. After this one I'll only do so sporadically.

I got 80 minutes (they're very scrupulous about logging time). First the electrologist went after re-growth on last week's area. There was very little, or rather very little that could be treated. If the hairs are too short to pull out, there's no point in zapping them. This took about 15 minutes. Surprisingly it didn't hurt. At first i put it down to having taken two tylenol earlier.

Next she went after the other side of the neck. Well, the tylenol quit working just then. it was every bit as painful as the last time. In 75 minutes, she managed to clear another third. Next week she'll finish the center third and clear the parts already treated. Hopefully by then I'll try a topical anesthetic (long story on why I haven't, not worth telling).

Success!

Last week I tested a 5% lydocaine cream. It did absolutely nothing. This week I tried a different one, called EMLA, it's 2.5% Lydocaine and 2.5% Prilocaine. In order to work you're supposed to apply a thick coating and cover it with plastic, then leave it there for one hour. I was half afraid to try it, lest it not work either. Well, I tried it without the plastic cover just a few minutes ago, left it for one hour and it worked! My chin is numb :D

So, next Saturday I'll do it with the plastic cover and see how it holds up vs the hot, sharp needle.

I found out today that when the directions say one hour, they mean one hour.

My day got all messed up. I won't bore you with the details (not when there's something else to bore you with), but suffice it to say I wound up arriving at the electrologist about 35 minutes before my appointment. I put on the EMLA then and covered it with plastic as directed. But the appointment was for 2 pm, so I let the anesthetic act only for 30 minutes.

It worked a bit. When the needle went into the anesthetized area I felt it, but not the pain. When the shock was applied I heard it (the machine beeps), but felt nothing. Problem is it wore off long, long before every part was treated. But the first fifteen or twenty minutes were very pleasant.

When it wore off, I learned something else: the painkillers I'd taken on previous sessions do make a difference; just not enough of one.

Is education supposed to be this painful? :P

I realized I've talked a lot about pain but I haven't said anything about the results of electrolsyis.

Well it's too early to tell, but it seems to be going well. Hair Follicles grow in cycles. They grow for a time, pushing a hair out of the skin. Eventually they stop and go dormant for a while, and then they start again. So any follicles that may seem dead may just be dormant. Even so, there are a few small patches where nothing has regrown after two weeks. That's hopeful but not definitive.

What is definitive is that all regrowth has been slow and the hairs are coming out thinner. This indicates weakened follicles, which ought to stop growing at all with a few more zaps. How many more zaps? we'll see. Hopefully one, two or three seem more likely.

I'll know more and be able to guesstimate (what a useful word) the likley lenght of the full course of treatment once I get 20 full hours in. So far I've had about 5 hours all told.

Y hvcr

Quote: aladyat42

Y hvcr

Hiccup?
Why delete this?

Quote: aladyat42

Dear Nareed
This will have to be short Heading out door Amazed Wiz has such a great forum I took early retirement at age 42. Became instant couch potato. Criticize wife's lack of organizing and housekeeping skills in general. Accepted her dare to trade place ads as that fateful day arrived the stakes had esculated due to my refusal to back dowm. ( short man complex am only 5'3 ) after 3 days of falling in high heels laundry overflowing burnt meals etc I wanted to scream. But determined to finish out the agreed to week. Then my sister gfound out OMG
Long story short. I am now a full time stay at home housewife. my email is aladyat422yahoo.com If reply will secong recent pix have been Chatty Cathy 7 years now.
Will post on forums tomorrow hopefully Have to go. Judy honking horn in driveway.

Quote: terapined

Hiccup?
Why delete this?

tera,

Why are you spamming the board with pastes of a member's (recently) deleted posts from 3 years ago? Please stop. Thanks.

Were any rules broken by this quote or was a diligent member just looking out for the forum? I'm glad the post was quoted, otherwise how would we know the quoted member apparently discovered the fountain of youth? Not following? His post says he was 42 in 2011 and his profile says he's 34. I expect that will be amended. Also, who offers to send photos to strangers in their very first post? Some may see that as spam.

What is spam? It's liberal use here may make one think that it's the go to word when someone doesn't like something. Don't like it? It's spam. Disagree? It must be spam. I looked up spam on no less than a dozen sites and nothing comes remotely close to what we have here. Can someone in authority give us a clear and concise definition of spam? If that's not possible then how about the WOV definition?

Quote: 1BB

I'm glad the post was quoted, otherwise how would we know the quoted member apparently discovered the fountain of youth? Not following? His post

I am as well since I wondered out loud what would cause someone to surface after such a long time, but confused, maybe by the syntax.

i have a same things