Given that the NHS (UK public health system) has effectively no gender service due to the waiting lists exceeding seven years for a first appointment (NHS published data) I have long known that the only way I could start medical transition this decade will be to go private.
I have looked at some options online and there seem to be a few providers that I could go to.
Today I stumbled upon an interview with a doctor connected with one of them, I won’t name them or their establishment. Although they sounded very nice and very supportive of the trans community and helping us to get treatment without the excessive wait, I did not form a positive impression of them. They were not specialists in gender, or psychology or psychiatry or endocrinology but just a generalist who seemed to get into the business almost by accident after helping one patient. Listening to them talk about their business did not give me a sense of reassurance that they would be right for me.
Which then begs the question, who can I trust in this space? They all have informative websites and claim to have experience and do the best for patients but how do I know whether they’re any good?
Or is there even such a thing as a true gender specialist? Is the “diagnosis” of gender dysphoria a nonsense anyway because only the individual can know how they feel and what can any doctor do to prove or disprove their feeling? It’s not like there is a scan or a blood test they can do.
Does it matter? I am not vulnerable and I know what I want and the implications of the decision. All I need from a private clinic is a legal prescription for safe medication and a referral for surgery in due course. If they ask lots of thorough questions or just accept my word for it, is one better than another?
Nevertheless, I have still found this unsettling and my thoughts have gone to their default setting of: here’s a setback/concern therefore transitioning is impossible/too risky and I must forget about this whole ridiculous idea.
A couple of thoughts...
ReplyDeleteI don't think it matters TOO much which medical specialty you work with as long as they monitor your blood levels and can interpret the results. A psychiatrist is probably not going to be skilled in that area. For a short while I was working with an online informed consent service (Plume) that's available in the US. They do the required bloodwork and seemed competent. I went with them because the wait to see an endo was too long. There may be something similar available in the UK?
Yeah, a diagnosis of GD is a bit nebulous. You know how you feel. You're trans and no diagnosis is going to change that. The only benefit I've seen is that insurance in the US requires that diagnosis before they'll cover meds or therapy or (sometimes) surgeries.
I hope you have a better 2024. Don't give up!