- [x] Blahaj Lemmy transition
- [ ] medical transition
- [ ] social transition
- [ ] legal transition
Jokes aside though, while I'm struggling to find therapists for an official diagnosis (which I need for hrt to happen) I unexpectedly got an appointment with an endocrinologist already.
While that won't get me anywhere in the foreseeable future, it's still nice to have this first talk, and get all the important things out of the way ahead of time.
So, what are some important infos I should give them?
- Medical history: Past illnesses and diagnoses, known allergies, medication I take
- My personal goals, what I wish to achieve
- How does my current day to day life look in terms of physical fitness and mental health
And what are some important questions I should ask them?
- Potential risks and side effects
- Does any of the info I gave them conflict with hrt
- What changes can I expect, and how quickly
- How often should I have follow-up appointments for which purpose, either twith them or with my GP
- Where do I go to freeze some of my genderfluid, in case I want to have biological children one day
- How would a change in calorie intake affect the changes hrt introduces (primarily in terms of fat gain)
- Are there any lifestyle changes I should make to ensure everything will go as smoothly as possible
- What support resources are available for further questions that may go beyond endocrinology expertise
Do any of you lovely ladies have anything to add?
I want to make the most out of this first appointment even if it won't make the whole process go forward by much.
At least everything will be taken care of by the time I'm officially allowed to take E.
I don't know what the process will be like for you at all, but I went in as a complete and utter idiot and came out absolutely enlightened because everything was explained to me without me needing to prepare or prompt at all.
For a first appointment, just knowing what your goals are is likely enough, it took me an initial consult followed by a second appointment to talk about options before a third appointment where everything was set and all the necessary tests could begin. Fourth appointment I walked out with my prescription.
I honestly think you've got all the main questions covered, if your endo is providing referrals to things they might also be able to offer a referral to a voice coach like mine did (but mine was all through an informed consent GP so it might be different).
Best of luck, I really wish you didn't need that accursed diagnosis, I'm sorry you have to go through proving you exist.
I did come across an info brochure that said that some doctors in Germany do actually prescribe hormones based on an informed consent process.
But further research was not at all insightful, so I'm still unsure whether this is an actual possibility for me or not
Oh, if it's a possibility then it's definitely worth pursuing!
I'll shoot the endo a quick email, I guess. Though their page explicitely states that they want an official psychological diagnosis.
Oh well, can't hurt to ask
Perhaps they can point you to someone who does do informed consent, given how invasive and awful I've heard getting a dysphoria diagnosis can be, I'd really recommend you make an informed consent clinic your first preference.
When I walked in I literally just said "yeah I'm NB, I want these things" and my GP just said okay here's how we get you there. I've had experiences (with an entirely unrelated medical condition) where I've not been believed and had to advocate to receive the care I needed, having a GP who was fully in my corner was not just better, it was a legitimately lovely experience.
This is so amazing to know of, I'm making a note of this for the future!
I've used that site before, it hasn't occured to me to look for informed consent over there.
Thanks for the reminder!
I've also asked at a local consultation office that already helped me out by giving me a list of therapists a while ago.
They seem informed and knowledgeable, so we'll see what they say