I was planning to write a longer post for this mega and then Silksong happened so... oops?
Short version is this week is my 9th tranniversary. I don't remember which day exactly so I like to say it was 9/11 so I'd never forget. What ultimately cracked my egg all those years ago was not the deep yearning when looking at women that I couldn't identify as envy or the increasingly intense and umm horny dreams where I had the power to instantly change my gender. No it was that fucking faceapp gender swap filter. I just kept staring at that pic like it was a mirror into an alternate universe where I was happier and suddenly everything clicked into place. The first few years were hit or miss with a lot of other life changes happening at the time that interfered with getting properly started so in some ways it's more like a 5 or 6 year tranniversary but whatever. 
It's weird to say I'm almost done but I really am so close to making all the changes I wanted. I'll never stop being trans, but I'm definitely moving from trans(itioning) femme to trans(itioned) femme and that's quite exciting. And maybe a little wistful looking back at the journey.
Have a good week everyone!
Join our public Matrix server!
https://rentry.co/tracha#tracha-rooms
As a reminder, please do not discuss current struggle sessions in the mega. We want this to be a little oasis for all of us and the best way to do that is not to feed into existing conflict on the site.
Also, be sure to properly give content warnings and put sensitive subjects behind proper spoiler tags. It's for the mental health of not just your comrades, but yourself as well.
Here is a screenshot of where to find the spoiler button.
its not the fear of a doctor not being an ally (though many such cases) but the fact that most doctors dont got a bloody clue what they are doing when it comes to trans healthcare period, or just dont care to know. also you really dont need a doctor to read two numbers from a lab and compare them to well known baselines.
i feel like calling getting prescription E "easy or straightforward" is just sugarcoating it, especially right now when its so unstable. the amount of hoops you potentially have to jump through is significant.
the US govt (yes this is a US centric post as stated, but it also applies to like... many places at the moment) is actively trying to collect everyones medical records, is actively trying to ban trans people from existence, and is actively throwing people in concentration camps. i dont see how recommending someone go risk that over at least researching diy is a good idea.
It's been said already, but going through doctors is a necessity for surgery. That's not to imply DIY is worse or anything, just the reality of the situation. The risk of medical history being used maliciously is an acceptable risk for someone in this situation.
Im definitely not saying people should be prescription only. I think grey market is good and is part of how we as a community stay resilient. I think its important to get people on HRT as quick as possible and, yeah, that usually means grey market. But DIY isnt an easy process and crypto isnt easy so there's reasons why people suggest going through a doctor still.
I know people have had shitty experiences with doctors. I have my own experiences, and I trust mine. I have a different set of experiences because my docs were through the gender clinic or through a trans healthcare thing specifically. I work with a bunch. I work with a bunch of dumb ass doctors and I work with a bunch of genius doctors that make me glad Im not doing their jobs.
Its not just 2 lab values, it depends on what youre taking. Monitoring E and T levels isnt difficult and you can do that on your own for sure.
At least when I started 1.5 years ago, it was super easy and straightforward (as someone with insurance, not a minor, and in a large state with informed constant) despite being in Texas. Figuring out the grey market seems much more difficult (and expensive). Of course the lack of reliability means that I'd want backups (either stockpiles or being ready to switch to DIY). Also Texas specifically has also shown it wants lists of trans people for some reasons and I'm sure it not for anything bad (/s), so maybe not going through official means makes a lot of sense.