MTF Transgender Shaping Corrset, will it irritate my crohns and any general advice being Trans* with crohns would be most welcome

[WolfieL]

I have had diagnosed crohns for the last 8 year through every treatment I have not gone into remission. I started allowing my trans feeling to mannifest that have been with me my entire life. Everything is still inside me other than my GallBladder which was removed on a whim, and my appendix which was removed as it was destroyed. Will wearing a shaping corset be a bad idea. I am a long way off from this stage to be honest but I want to get everything in order, a plan to follow if you will.
I am trying to avoid any long term internal damage - irritating it, well as long as it doesn't do damage, I will take it off when I am starting to get irritation. All my intestines are sill inside me. On the subject on flexibility, I can do a lot of yoga with out internal irritation of my crohns at all.
Also are there any other things I should be aware of being a trans person with crohns, I want to go all the way meaning GRS or SRS, eventually.
If any more information is needed I am glad to answer, I am an MTF, or working on it not sure if you need to wait to use that label after hormones.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

First off welcome to our forum and our LGBT sub-forum. I'm sorry to hear that you haven't achieved remission yet. What medications are you taking for crohns?

You can absolutely identify as MTF and where you are in terms of transition shouldn't matter. In terms of your questions I looked up corsets and risks and it seems there are some but largely debunked in terms of major damage. See http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_tight_lacing_on_the_body this link on Wikipedia.

There have been a few posts by trans people here so definitely take a look through posts in this LGBT section. I recall a post about corsets as well. I will try to get some of our trans members to address more specifically on the medication interaction and corset front with crohns.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Here is that older post and crohns and transgender hormone therapy http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=22292

 

[Ki3]

Hi! I love my corsets haha, I was asked to try and help out as I have a stoma and still wear a corset, but I'm not sure what to say. I think try not to wear a steel boned corset, they don't shape you much, but they are safer (and cheaper) on your stomach. I'm afraid I am not sure about a shaping corset.. But I'm sure if I can wear a corset over a bit of my intestine outside my body, I'm sure you can wear one and not damage the intestines inside you haha! I'm sorry if this wasn't very helpful xx

 

[WolfieL]

I have been through every drug from the sulfates, up through remicade. - I am currently on Azathioprine 3 - 50 mg tablets once a day. The positive effects have been questionable however, I am not sure it's doing anything.
Predinison is the only one I know I can not tolerate what so ever. It makes my disphoria go crazy; the things that make me feel good about myself feel so distant, anger and depression follow.
I am on a number of other medications for pain and Nasau however I am unsure how relevant they are, um Morphine Sulfate ER 15 MG x2, Vicodian 5mg 4 day, Zanax 1 mg x4 day, Trans-derm Scop 1.5mg patch over 3 days, and promethizine when needed.

 

[WolfieL]

Ki3, I am sorry to hear that and you have my thanks and I hope the best for you <3. It helps a lot actually as now I know even worse case scenario I can wear something that makes me feel closer to my gender identity. It's also very positive to hear you say haha, after such a post, makes me feel better thank you . I am sorry you have to go both of these. I Hope you can achieve remission .

And thank you for the information nogutsnoglory it helps greatly.

I am Wolfie (not my actual name however I am hoping for it to be one day). It is nice to meet you all, sorry I didn't introduce myself first.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

My pleasure to help, there isn't too much info on being gay with IBD and even less on being trans. It's a shame because there are some obvious interactions and challenges.

Since you mention eventually wanting to pursue SRS, this snippet may be helpful. Apparently penile inversion for bottom surgery is preferred because one of the less common operations is counterindicated for crohns:

"Due to numerous potential complications most surgeons will recommend a colovaginoplasty only when there is no alternative. Persons with ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease may be contraindicated for colovaginoplasty because of complications inherent with the disease process which will affect the vagina's properties." http://wiki.susans.org/index.php/Colovaginoplasty

Are you out to your doctors about your gender identity and decision to transition? If you are maybe they can advise on drug interactions and the safety of corsets.

 

[Nyx]

noguts asked me to chime in on this discussion as I too am a corset wearing ostomate Prior to my stoma surgery I wore a corset without a problem for 8 hours at a time. Mind you, my Crohn's symptoms were always constipation rather than diarrhea so I don't know if that would make a difference or not. Since my surgery, I can still wear a corset, but not for as long (the longest I've worn one is about 4 hours). The only reason I can't wear it as long is because it squishes my stoma and it makes it hard for the gas and/or poop to come out...lol Otherwise, no problems whatsoever.

Hope this has been helpful somehow!

 

[Nyx]

I guess I should have mentioned that I was on Imuran and prednisone prior to my surgery and didn't have problems. I'm in remission now, so am not on any drugs.

 

[Ki3]

I forgot to say, I'm on azathioprine (imuran/same thing haha) and hopefully in remission since my surgery I'm kitty, like you wolfie, not my birth name, but I hope it will be soon <3

Hugs xx

 

[Ki3]

Hang on when you say shaping, do you mean to give you a nice shape or literally the binding ones you pull so tight they make your waist smaller? I'm no doctor but I don't think waist binding is the best idea with crohns or without . If you just meant a nice shapely corset for looking nice figured then I'm sure that's cool,but alas I said I think you should try the not steel boned first, then work your way up

Sorry I'm not the best advice giver

 

[Nyx]

You can still use the steel boned corsets, just don't tighten them so tight that you can't breathe. Personally, I'd get a good corset, wear it for an hour a day to start, and tighten it as you go. I've seen waist shaping sites, but I'd have to look them up as I haven't wanted to shape my own waist for some time....lol If you're interested, just google "waist training" or "corset training and you should get some sites with instructions on how to do it safely.

 

[WolfieL]

I have come out to all my doctors treating my major conditions there are a few issues however:

The issue is I live in a small area, most crohns patients are way older than me; I have yet to meet another transgender person, I know there is a FTM in my town thats a few younger than I, and the ones I have been told about are all also much older than I. And to my knowledge I am the first one with both conditions. Even in my main doctors who has treated people with either in the severest of cases.

To drive the point home I am my gender therapists third trans* patient and first MTF. And she really doesn't even know what direction I am going. She told me on my second visit to be more female, and my illness and ecofinicial issue weren't an excuse on my second issue without defining what more female was.

Plus I am not completely alone however, I have turned to boards such as this and susans place, and met so many kind people, and people on facebook. And it really really has made this come from wishing every night that I could wake up a girl, and actually work towards being one.

I have known I wanted to be a girl my entire life, so the coming out thing other than to my mom and brother was not hard for me. I am really open about what I want and who I am.

The general strategy that my doctor wants to employ is to send me to an endocrinologist who deals with people like me and then work out what we need to do this in the safest way possible. But that requires a letter...