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Me and My ‘Mones
Me and My ’Mones
Like many of us I started out terrified of outing myself to anyone including doctors but keen to get myself a more feminine body so did the amateur thing of buying stuff on the internet, “borrowing” my wife’s HRT, exercise and massage etc etc. It was all very hit and miss and on again off again spread over years. I managed some minor loss of body hair and slight boob growth. Then towards the end of 2012 I decided to go legit and seek professional advice. I’ve read the experience of many of our sisters struggling to get through medical bureaucracy (particularly in the UK). My experience was very different and I thought I’d share, not to boast but in case there are lessons for others. The gatekeepers fell over themselves to open doors for me.
At the beginning of December 2012 I decided to start with counseling assistance. I chose the Gender Centre in Sydney which began as a cooperative venture to support trans people but is now supported by State Government funding. It has an open door, no charge approach to people who have transitioned, are transitioning or are wondering if they are or are not trans. It took me a month to get in to see the counselor because he was busy with existing clients and family priorities over Christmas got in my way.
I had my first counseling session on 3 Jan 2013- really a getting to know you.
At my second session on 18 Feb (dressed en femme) I told the counselor that my long-term aim was transition. He said when I was ready he’d give me the contact details for a sympathetic GP. I’d mentioned that I live in a small village and was nervous about coming out to my existing GP as I knew the office staff socially.
At the end of Feb I came out to my oncologist. No drama there and he said that if I did go on anti-androgens or estrogen it would not be a problem from his point of view. It wouldn’t hurt the chances of my prostate cancer coming back and might even help. It wouldn’t harm his monitoring tests either which surprised me.
At my third counselor visit (en femme again) I asked for the GP’s contact details and on 10 April had my first appointment with the GP at a practice oriented towards GLBT people. I’d been told to ask for one of the doctors with experience in gender issues and was given their team leader. I mentioned I was having counseling at the Gender Centre and came away with a script for anti-androgens and a referral to a Psychiatrist experienced in the subject. The GP said that if I’d been younger he would have asked for the Psych report first but he cut slack for older patients who he assumed had done a lot of thinking about what they wanted over the years and tended to be in a hurry once they had decided. He also seemed impressed that my oncologist was cool about it all and that I was a client of the Gender Centre. He will check with the oncologist himself of course.
I saw the Psychiatrist, who knows the GP and counselor well, on 3 May and came away with a report back to the GP clearing me for ongoing hormone treatment. I saw the GP a second time on 15 May and am now on estrogen as well.
How easy was that?
I know the Australian health system is more flexible than some other countries and that my age helped but I think the key to my success was picking the right entry point and sticking with referrals to people who are experienced in the field.
I’ve named the GP and Psychiatrist in the Support and Help Section: Need help from a professional topic. -
2 Replies
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I think most of your good luck was due to your age your doctor even said so, you may have found it easy but plenty don’t, I young have friends who where lied to by there doctors.
people don’t have access to the gender centre in other places, so if you want to empress me do with this some where in the county, I started in the county and I did not have the money to go to Sydney and I was even working at the time, so I was forced to see county doctors, even in Canberra things don’t go that well and once we have decided at any age we want to transition we yesterday not next year not the year after or how they feel about “never” they to not want the responsibility of wrecking someone’s life as they see it, however what they don’t get is they actually helping this person have a better life.
anyway congratulation and good luck, happy hormones.
Ashley
PS I could keep going on this rant but I better stop, one last thing, if every trans person was able to see the people at the gender centre everyone would find transition as easy as yours.
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I didn’t post to impress people Ashley. I thought it might help. I actually live on the NSW South Coast and getting to the Gender Centre involves a 3-4hr train trip or 2.5 hrs by car which I do just once a month. I think it’s worth it. Of course my age helps there. A pensioner day concession is only $2.50 return!
