Hrt help; please, i need advice

[Maiya]

so i'm in edmonton ab canada; and - ..... well
i dont want to wait 9 months so someone else can judge who i am, in waiting for therapy; which will take yet another year (ILL BE LIKE 21 BY THE TIME I START HRT AND I DONT WANT THAT)
so some narcissistic man in a chair can diagnose me transgender anyway,
if i was to go to america or something, what are the chances of finding a good doctor that would give me a perscription so i can go on with my life,
also i have no problem with the therapy, it's just that i'm DYING to start hrt, and the wait time makes me not even want to start
is there any alternative?

i'm seriously ready to self med lacking any other options, as hormones get less effective with age, my puberty is almost over
someone help me!

(thought i should probably mention i tried the patch once out of curiosity, through a trans friend who i happened to meet by chance,
i felt ... if i can put it in words "my emotions came back" and i felt seriously calm, then a few weeks later, i felt "cut off" from my emotions "again",
and i can't wait to go back on them, i'll kill myself first)

if theres a good endo i can give a grand to write a letter for me (i'm willing to go so far as to spend 1000$ i saved up to bribe set endo) (also im willing to travel to america), please throw him my way, so i can get a bloodtest/go on hormones (because i don't feel like me anymore if that makes any sense at all)
i can understand therapy AFTER hrt, instead of having 30-40% male brain, and getting comfortable pretending to be a woman, in a man's body/mind/and spirit) in a year long process to prove to somebody else that i am, in face transgendered (ooh what a shocker)
if i cant self med, i'll die -.- i mean that literally - ill just end it; i cant wait any longer to go back on hormones

[Annah]

America is the same way. You need to follow through with therapy with a licensed counselor and if they sense you are ready then you will be given the letters to be given HRC.

Believe it or not there are reasons why there are WPATH standards in place. One of the most important reasons are for doctors to cover their assets. If anything bad happens during the course of WPATH (like suicide or clots), doctors cannot be held liable because they sat down with you and explained the benefits and risks involved.

WPATH is a highly controversial subject. For me, I am neutral on the subject. However, I followed through the WPATH and got through it just fine and it did not take long. Besides there are a lot of disadvantages to self medication: like high costs, no way to monitor if certain medications are effective, and death (if you do not follow the dosage requirements or do not listen to prescribed warnings).

So it's your call how you are going to proceed.

[Joeyboo~ :3]

it's just that i'm DYING to start hrt, and the wait time makes me not even want to start

I was the same way, I got extremely lucky and found an endo who saw my desperation and gave me a prescription to start.
Maybe you can try and find one that way, but what Annah said is exactly the reason why therapy is required.

You could try self medication, just be careful pleez :X
I hope you don't do anything drastic because you don't get on HRT right away.
I was told the same thing by everyone else, but I didn't listen, it was either getting on HRT or contemplating dumb things like suicide or hurting myself in someway.
Which would have made things a lot harder.

[eli77]

I assume you are trying to go through one of the gatekeepers at the gender clinic? There's no point, SRS was de-listed in Alberta so you might as well go to any trans health specialist, many of whom do not have waiting lists nearly that long.

I suggest contacting one of the various trans support organizations in Edmonton and getting the name of a decent gender therapist. They'll know how to get you on HRT at a reasonable pace.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlbertaTransPeerSupportNetwork/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reflectionsedmonton/
http://pridecentreofedmonton.org/programs  (the group is TTIQ, scroll down to Tuesday)
Edmonton Transgender Support Line Tel:(780) 488-3234

Good luck!

[eli77]

I really don't think she's talking about the SoC... she's talking about the absurd waiting list to see Dr. Warneke at the Gender Identity Clinic at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton.

[Cen]

The wiki has a list of some clinics that follow an "informed consent" model.

https://www.susans.org/wiki/Informed_consent#Organizations_using_an_informed_consent_protocol

[debias]

Does anyone have any trans specialist information for Calgary?

[dky]

Hi, I know nothing about getting hrt in Canada. But I hear you are very desperate and in pain. I'm sorry it is so hard. Please contact a crisis or suicide helpline or office instead of hurting or killing yourself. You can get hormones, clearly it is a matter of figuring out how, the informed consent option seems like a decent possibility. You will be able to live as yourself in this way. I hope it isn't a long wait, but it seems it can happen. You won't feel this bad all the time. Please contact a crisis helpline to address how bad you are feeling, once you are a bit better, thinking clearly about your options will be much easier and you can find a reasonable path to get what you need. Sending compassion your way.

[sarreb]

The wiki has a list of some clinics that follow an "informed consent" model.

This is the route I went, and it can really help someone in your position!