[Richelle81]

Cross-posted from my thread, for everyone's benefit:

UPDATE: I've been on very low-dose suppository PM (PM mixed with coconut oil and put in my butt). The dosage is very low, but I did that for two reasons:

1. To control the potential risk of another DVT (blood clot)
2. Taking into consideration that the absorption of PM via rectum should be much higher than oral, as there's no pesky liver to get in the way. This means you're kinder to your body and you don't have to buy as much PM.

A mere 500mg per day, about 5 days per week was enough to start growing my breasts, produce aches, fat distribution and (importantly) lead to a blood clot which could have killed me. The suppositories contained 167 mg each and I've been taking them about 6 days a week.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I'm talking about my blood tests here and my personal concern about clots and how to avoid them. I'll be referring to test results below and what I FEEL is an acceptable level of risk but I'm NOT suggesting that anyone reading this consider this to be any sort of risk mitigation. Do your own research, get medical advice, get tested, whatever...but DON'T consider this a green light to proceed if you feel you're at risk.

At the time it was determined that I had a blood clot, my D-Dimer level was tested at around 2.5 mg/L. Values above .50 are considered an indication of a significant risk of DVT and PE (pulmonary embolism). The acceptable max value goes up slightly with age (age/100) with an 80 year old having a cut-off of 0.80 mg/L.

After therapy (drugs) to reduce clotting, my values went to <0.20, which basically means there's not really a significant amount of D-dimer present. Values stayed low in subsequent tests, which means the therapy (and my abstinence from oral PM) was effective at "fixing" the issue that lead to my blood clot.

After about 9 months of successful tests...and after my last "official" test, I resumed the PM, but via suppository instead of oral. The question was whether or not suppository PM would raise my D-dimer number as oral had. I spent the past couple of months "taking" this low-dose amount of PM via suppository, then paid privately to have a D-dimer test on my own, the idea being that I didn't want to alarm my doc and get into a whole new course of expensive meds, when I figure I'd know exactly what caused the clot in the first place.

The latest test results: <0.20
This is encouraging. It tells me what I'd already suspected: that in my case, oral PM leads to increased liver values, which led to a blood clot (and probably would again). It's pretty well understood that HRT therapy via patches (transdermal) significantly reduces the incidence of clots and I'd read the same about suppositories. Read about first-pass liver metabolism here:

https://imcwc.com/html5-blank/hormone-re...ood-clots/

Next steps:
Well, for now, I'm going to up my suppository PM concentration and see how my body responds, with less fear about a clot. But I'm going to get another D-dimer test in a couple/few months.

This also encourages me to consider something I'd already been thinking about, but with less fear of complications and with the massive benefits of medical supervision and regular blood tests: proper HRT via patches or injections (GASP). I've read about the process and contacted Plume (thanks, Abbey!!!) and I *might* be headed down that long, scary road. For me, I think it would be low-dose HRT, with long-term/permanent stealth/boy mode being the likely course. But who knows? The thing is, I don't really understand my own mind right now. Why do I want a female body? Is it just a fetish? I don't know. The possibility of counseling is on the table. And the likelihood of telling my partner is getting higher by the day, simply because I can't proceed without telling her the truth. But the general vibe in the trans community is "try it for a few months and see how you feel. You can always stop." In other words, get some patches and try HRT on the down low and see is my brain and body changes agree with me and make me feel more "aligned" or less so. Scary.

I'm planning to make my own rectal suppositories. I found some real "torpedo-shape" molds. However, I'm in Europe, and either there will be costs and hassle related to import, or have to pay over-price to some German sellers. Therefore I plan to try with conical shape ones, molded on "Silikomart SF131/C Silicone Classic Collection Mold Shapes, Mini Cones". The volume of those is about 2.5ml, and the maximum diameter 18mm (0.7"), so those would likely enter pretty easy.

Now, the right amount of P.M. to use: I have powder claimed to be "10:1 concentrate". Therefore I'm not quite sure how to compare that with the powder extracted from capsules. Presumable it is comparable, so I thought to make the mix so that each "cone" has 200mg powder. I hope it shouldn't be 20mg

An update: I made today forty "rectal cones", each about 2.5 ml, containing about 200 mg of PM concentrate and 200mg Reishi powder each. The rest is 50% Shea Butter, and 50% Coconut Oil. I used Shea butter because it has slightly higher melting point than Coconut Oil, thus hoping that the result doesn't melt under storage and handling so easily. Both fats should still totally melt in body temperature, releasing the stuff. Just now the "prototypes" are under cooling. I'll report how the result will be!

I am expeiremented now with the coconut oil tonight to see if it will get hard after heating it up and putting it in the freezer.