The Rumors Are Not True... Elvis and I LIVE!

Hey there! Long time no see! :) You may have wondered why I’ve become silent for so long… or maybe you don’t give a shit ;) … but you’re gonna hear about my life anyways!

First of all, there’s Nik. Nik moving in with me (he’s lived with me since August) has drastically changed my amount of free time to blog. Not that I’m complaining, as I’m very proud of him. He turns 16 on June 10th. Wait, that can’t be…29 - 16=….NEVERMIND.

 ahem

He’s adjusted pretty well, all things considered. We’ve got one year of school down, three to go!!! He’s about the most out teenager I’ve ever known, and he does it with (seemingly) little shame or guilt. He and his boyfriend went to the Homecoming dance,  he’s fairly popular in school, and he’s not had any issues with being intimidated at school (that I’m aware of). He’s talking about going to school to become a Radiologic Technologist, like I am (and my mom before me). It pleases me to see this. He’s very aware of the level of security that his grandma and I have had because of our career choice and I think that has influenced his decision. So ya, he seems to be happy and heading in the right direction.

The second reason is that I’m developing my podcast, “The Fat Tranny Circus.” Ya, ya, I know that you guys voted overwhelming for “Every Nook and Tranny,” (I’ve decided to use that as the title of my autobiography) but after some consulting with fellow podcasters/broadcasters, I settled on the FTC. It encapsulates everything I want in a name. It’s funny, it’s catchy, and It’ll stop people in their tracks and say “what the hell is that?”

 I’m going to start the FTC design this weekend. The awesomeness that is Shae, has already designed my logo. She did an AWESOME job!

Now I just need to build a template to use in wordpress using this great logo. I’ve already recruited two news correspondents for the show, Jerri Stance and Roadkill Rhonda. Their contributions to the show will surely make for some interesting segments. I have a vague concept for the show, which I’m going to work on more this weekend. In conjunction with The FTC, I’ve decided to rebuild TransSister Radio. I’m not at liberty to discuss the particulars, but I’m working on the site now. I’m going to try and finish the structure of the site this weekend. I’m setting a goal for July 1st as a launch date for The FTC and August 1st for TransSister Radio.

Another cause of bloglessness is my health. In August I had a sleep study that confirmed I have sleep apnea. My doctor switched my narcolepsy medicine so that my sleep patterns would even out and that has helped regulate my sleep. I’m being fitted for CPAP as we speak and I’m due for another sleep study soon.

Between last August and now, I’ve gained close to 60 pounds. Last May I stopped doing Atkins and my weight slowly crept up until August. After Nik and I moved in October my eating and exercise habits changed drastically. I eat out more often, I walk less, and I ride my bike less. This weight gain and lack of physical activity has taken its toll on my health. My cholesterol is sky high and I get short of breath easily. The only bright side is that my breasts are bigger ;). I also found out I’m anemic, and I have a heart condition. Yes, a heart condition. According to my echocardiagram I have an enlarged left atrium (the left upper chamber of the heart) and the cardiologist suggested I be tested next year for any change in size. I’m not sure how this will effect my life, or the seriousness of it. I plan on talking with my primary care physician more about it next week. As far as my weight goes, I’ve been put on a year long medically supervised weight loss program.

The doctor that is overseeing my plan is Dr. Eve Olson of the St Francis Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Center. I’ve worked with Dr. Olson in the past (as a male) but she hadn’t seen me since my transition. On my first visit she said, “I know you but I’m not sure from where.” I said, “well, I used to be thinner and I used to live as a man.” I know she was a bit stunned, but she took it all in stride. She even joked with me about my job covering my SRS surgery. She set me set up with weekly visits with a dietitian and an exercise planner. For the first time in my life I feel like I’m not dieting. I feel like I’m eating healthy, nutritious meals that will help me lessen my health problems.

Another side effect of the weight gain has been that I’ve become somewhat of a hermit. I put off going out with friends and dread public outings. I am embarrassed at how much weight I’ve gained. Oddly enough, it hasn’t really affected my passing ability. I very rarely have anyone referring to me with male pronouns. Most of the people that do use male pronouns are people that knew me before transition. I would say at least 98 percent of those that don’t know my history, use female gender pronouns. Most of my feelings have to do with the shame of being this fat, not gender issues or fears.

Lastly, I’ve been sucked into the world of Second Life. If you want to see me in SL, email me and I’ll send you SL name. Second Life is a way for me to explore aspects of my personality that I couldn’t explore “in real life” (IRL). I’ve met many new people from around the world and friended a few more. It’s a little bit chat room, a bit theatre, and a bit video game. I’m definitely hooked.

All in all, there have been many changes in my life that have caused me to not be able to blog. Once I have my diet and exercise regimen settled, I am going to sit down and figure out how I can post regularly to all three of my blogs. I miss writing so much. I hope that you see many more thoughts, opinions, and ideas from me for a long time to come…

at least that’s the plan.

I love ya, Marti Abernathey