Going to the Doctors for the first time you come out

[Julie]

Hi, I am new here, my name is Julie and to be honest I have had girly feelings since childhood, at the moment I have booked an appointment with my Doctor to go through the SRS and I am wondering do you see him as a woman in a skirt and blouse or does it not matter on first introduction as yet I am not living as as woman.

[tracy]

... ... ummm, go as yourself. theres bigger issues afoot then what your going to wear to your shrinks

[prettydressedinpink]

just go as yourself and wear what you feel happy wearing

[Julie]

Thanks for the info, I just was not sure what to expect really, but always i wear female undies so if a closer inpection by the Doctor would have confirmed my intentions anyway.

[Julie]

What exactly happens once you have seen the Doctor, can you tell me the whole transition procedure please.

[nexyjo]

What exactly happens once you have seen the Doctor, can you tell me the whole transition procedure please.

that can vary to a great degree depending on what country you reside in, and what doctor you see. generally speaking, one would start therapy, during which time the therapist would make some kind of judgment about the level of gender issues, and at some point write a referral to start hormones. that can take 3 months or more. at some later point, the patient would begin living full time as a woman. typically, a surgeon would want to see the patient living full time for at least a year before considering srs. of course, during this time, the patient would be heavily unloading their wallet.

[Julie]

Many thanks for the info, I live in the UK so would the procedure you said above be the same and how long does it take from intial interview to actually receiving SRS please.

[supreme_pizza]

Thanks for the info, I just was not sure what to expect really, but always i wear female undies so if a closer inpection by the Doctor would have confirmed my intentions anyway.

I never wear anything, never have. Oops TMI Shit There goes my turrets again.
Meh... anyway just relax. All you really need to do is show up. Then when you finally get prescripts you stick a damn pill under your tongue for the rest of your life. Then you can't sneeze, or chew gum or suddenly decide to have something to drink. UGH! This is the easy part, smile, relax and enjoy it. Actually to me talking to the Dr. for the first time was the hardest. I had only started to come out to people at that time so she was maybe the 5th person I told. C'ya! Have a great weekend!

[zoetrope]

Give me details of the type of doctor you're going to see (GP, or are you further along on the referral path) and the part of the UK you live in (postcode lottery....) and I might be able to rough up a guesstimate based on smooth sailing and calm seas.

Although, seriously, if you're on the first stage, which is approaching your GP, especially considering your worry about what you should wear, you really shouldn't be sweating it about surgery yet. You've likely got a whole ton of fun ahead of you first.

[nexyjo]

Many thanks for the info, I live in the UK so would the procedure you said above be the same and how long does it take from intial interview to actually receiving SRS please.

can't help you there, hopefully one of the u.k. members here can provide some insight. i believe it depends on the individual, but somewhere around 2 - 3 years if everything goes smoothly. though i've heard enough horror stories to suggest it usually takes longer.

in my case, here in the u.s., with a cooperative therapist, it took a little over 2 years, from my first visit in february of 2000, to may 13, 2002 when i had srs. and lots of money.

[Julie]

[quote="zoetrope"]Give me details of the type of doctor you're going to see (GP, or are you further along on the referral path) and the part of the UK you live in (postcode lottery....) and I might be able to rough up a guesstimate based on smooth sailing and calm seas.

The Doctor I am seeing is a GP and the postcode is CW1, if you can do me a guessiimate it would be appreciated.

[zoetrope]

Well, assuming everything goes smoothly and you have no problems with PCT funding issues or gatekeeping psychs.

Your GP will refer you to a local community psychiatrist. The wait for this appoinment will likely be between one and three months.

At this appointment you'll get a mental health assessment. If everything is nice and toasty then they will either refer you for a second opinion to another local psych (giving another couple of months wait) or directly to a gender identity clinic (aim for London, Charring Cross, because I believe they have low waiting lists).

When you get your referral to CX GIC you'll have to wait about eight to nine months for your initial appointment.

At your initial appointment you'll get another assessment. Then you'll have six months waiting time until your second appointment.

Inbetween these two appointments I'm assuming you'll go full-time, if not before. Meaning changing your name and living 'as a woman', whatever that means.

If you've done the above inbetween your first and second consultation at the GIC then, all being well, you'll likely get started on HRT on your second appointment.

Now, from the point you go full-time you'll be expected to wait for two years and basically see how you go. This is the Real Life Test, which is a term I hate with a passion. But anyway.....

After this two years has elapsed you'll need a final two psychiatrist reports from the GIC recommending you for surgery. These two appointments will have either three or four months between them. Then you get referred for surgery.

About two months later you'll see one of the surgeons, who will explain the surgery to you and put you on the waiting list.

Assuming your PCT coughs up the cash then you'll get the surgery between three to six months after being placed on the waiting list.

So, ~does some maths~, you're looking at about four years until you get surgery.




But, seriously, you haven't even seen your GP yet and you're stressing about what you should wear. You've got a lot to go through yet, and surgery is only one part of it. A huge, slightly traumatic, part, sure, but it's not the most important thing. You're about to go through an incredibly life-changing journey, and there are a lot of things that you'll need to deal with. Take it one day at a time, and don't stress about the surgery just yet.

[♥Muffin♥]

Wow I've read before that the UK and US have more hoops than Australia but I didn't realise it was that huge!!
From the first time I saw and mentioned it to a GP to starting hormones was a mere four months, and our RLT or amount of time you need to be on HRT before SRS is only twelve months. It's the saving of money that is the hardest.
Oh first time I went to a GP about it I was already looking androgynous, fem jeans have always fit better (I'll thank my first GF for that!) and just a nice top (any kind even something unisex looking) is enough, whatever you feel comfortable and you in. Good luck! ^_^

[aliciadarling]

Hi Muffin:

Is public funding available in Australia?

If someone wants to get SRS paid for by the NHS in the UK then they have to follow the waiting times set out in their guidelines. If someone went private then its a different set of rules. In the latter case 12 months is a pretty standard wait to qualify for SRS.

3 months wait to get on HRT is also pretty common, and the ones who get on after one visit are probably fortunate, but it isn't always that easy for everyone else. Some have trouble finding doctors who will even talk to them and some of them make up their own rules.

[Peta]

Can't you just buy the HRT over the counter. We can over here in Thailand. Also about 33000 Baht for boobs and I saw 88000 Baht for surgery down below (can't remember the name sorry). Taking 54 Bahts to the pound it might be worth a holiday in Thailand.

Want more information the back pages of the Bangkok post have all the details.

They do so many over here that they are well experienced in this field. So many people are transgendering here it's untrue.

[aliciadarling]

Can't you just buy the HRT over the counter. We can over here in Thailand. Also about 33000 Baht for boobs and I saw 88000 Baht for surgery down below (can't remember the name sorry). Taking 54 Bahts to the pound it might be worth a holiday in Thailand.

Want more information the back pages of the Bangkok post have all the details.

They do so many over here that they are well experienced in this field. So many people are transgendering here it's untrue.

Hi Peta:

Could you buy it over the counter in Manchester?

In much of the world you need to see a therapist first and once they approve then you see a doctor
and get a prescription.

For anything like SRS you need letters from two shrinks.

[almost2innocent]

You can't get HRT over the counter anywhere else I know, apart from a country like Thailand.

They give you the absolute minimum here in the UK, which might have very little effect from what I can gather. That's why I'm going back over to Thailand for treatment, and I'm going to speak to doctors regarding FFS/SRS.

Can't you just buy the HRT over the counter. We can over here in Thailand. Also about 33000 Baht for boobs and I saw 88000 Baht for surgery down below (can't remember the name sorry). Taking 54 Bahts to the pound it might be worth a holiday in Thailand.

[Peta]

Almost2innocent If there is any help I can get for you here in Thailand please ask. I might not be here for very long, but I have contacts and I also have a lot of ladyboy friends going through tranitison using drugs. Chemists are very helpful in this area.

Many ladyboys want full transition to a woman but cannot afford it, so many do tricks for this. This is the only thing in their mind going from male to female.

If I can help I will.