*deep, calming breath* On the plus side, the steps at that link were very clear and easy to follow.
Important note: Definitely do Method Two. Method One will make the chat feature invisible, but it may pop up again; Method Two will make it go away entirely.
taking the threshold of adulthood as 18, you are likely to spend at least52 years as a fully grown adult
at the age of 30 you have lived less than one quarter of your adult life (12/52 years)
‘middle age’ is typically considered to be between 45-65
it is extremely common to switch careers, start new relationships, emigrate, go to college for the first or second time, or make other life-changing decisions in middle age
it’s wild that I even have to spell it out, but older adults (60+) still have social lives and hobbies and interests.
you can still date when you get old. you can still fuck. you can still learn new skills, be fashionable, be competitive. you can still gossip, you can still travel, you can still read. you can still transition. you can still come out.
young doesn’t mean peaked. you’re inexperienced in your 20s! you’re still learning and practicing! you’re developing social skills and muscle memory that will last decades!
there are a million things to do in the world, and they don’t vanish overnight because an imaginary number gets too big
I’ll be 69 this summer. One of the joys in my life is still going to comic/fantasy/sci-fi conventions. People look at me and they see a plump, Ohio grandmother and assume I’m only here as an escort for my grandkids. Last year I had a Nightwing cosplayer start to man-splain to me about the character. I held up a hand to stop him, saying that I’ve been following the adventures of Dick Grayson since before his mother was born. The look on that young man’s face was one that I will savor for years.
There is a vast difference between growing up and growing old. You’ll be an adult for most of your life. Take this old Bat-Gran’s advice and always remember that there is no age limit on fun. Collect that Godzilla plushie, the Batman figure and keep playing the games you like. If you can keep that spark of joy alive then, no matter your age when you leave this world, you will have had a life well lived.
I’ve been dreading making this post but here it goes
I am a 33 year old trans woman currently in a very tight financial situation
at the end of December, I broke 3 of my ribs in an accident as had to stay home from work to recover and just barely recently returned to work
however, due to a lack of sick leave to cover 2 months (time spent recovering and dealing with work not wanting me back until I was at 100% capability), my next paycheck will be lower than average, and since I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck, this is really bad news
especially since the bill for both my hospital visit and an increase of my car insurance payment decided to happen all at once
my savings are dreadfully low and this isn’t even taking the regular bills for this month into mind
I know it’s a very hard time for a lot of people, which is why I feel guilty writing this, but if any help at all can be spared I will DEEPLY appreciate it so much; PLEASE ONLY HELP IF YOU ARE ALRIGHT FINANCIALLY
Just a heads-up that if you’re in the US and you never want to be pregnant, sterilization surgeries are currently 100% covered by insurance policies that are compliant to the Affordable Care Act. They are considered preventative care. Bilateral salpingectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes) is essentially 100% effective at preventing pregnancy, and it otherwise doesn’t mess with your hormones. It also reduces rates of ovarian cancer by around 80%. This surgery is usually done laparoscopically and the recovery isn’t too difficult. I had my surgery on a Thursday and went back to my desk job on Monday.
Bilateral salpingectomy doesn’t affect periods, but I also had an endometrial ablation around a decade ago and it got rid of my periods. It can be done at at the same time as bilateral salpingectomy. People have mixed experiences with this, so do your research and talk to a doctor about it, but it may get rid of your period or at least make them much lighter/more tolerable.
If you’re interested in sterilization, I would recommend having it done sooner rather than later, as I imagine conservatives are going to go after the Affordable Care Act as soon as they can (I have read that it’s funded through the end of this year, but take that with a grain of salt), and sterilization may become a target in and of itself as well.
There’s tons more detailed information at r/Sterilization, including a list of doctors who will sterilize people without children/younger people. I highly recommend reading up more there! Just wanted to give a PSA that sterilization is something you can do, it’s currently free*, it’s not too intense of a recovery process, and it’s extremely effective. I’m elated I got it done and I want to empower other people to get it done if it’ll give you peace of mind.
*Be careful and do your research first of course, insurance companies love trying to screw people out of their money, but it should be completely free if you’re using providers that are in-network. Be sure to read about insurance coding, as it can affect what is/isn’t covered. Also endometrial ablation might not be covered, so read up on that if you want to go that route as well.
30+, she/her. Long-time Pokémon fan/collector. Loves many anime and manga series. Regularly goes to anime cons. Huge fan of composer Yoko Kanno. Keeper of many pets. Writer. Artist. Obsessive.
