Trying to start HRT: therapist and endocronologist are a bit confused?

[Shawn Sunshine]

Ok well my lcsw therapist was at the point where she promised me she would write a letter for me to start hrt after I saw my endo for the 2nd time and my endo said I was ready after she did blood tests. However here it is January and still nothing. She sent a consent form to dicuss treatment. Mind you this is not a Gender Issues therapist as there is none in Hunt County that take my insurance but she has been good so far till now. She now realized after all this time what the doctor apparently needs. The endo said I need an actual diagnosis from a Pyschologist using the dmsv 5 I think. So now my therapist is supposed to get in touch with the only doctor I saw that is a Pyshcologist and MD who saw me for 3 months. I thought a lcsw could still write a letter for you to have hrt. So how do I resolve this? Do I have to still see another Pyschologist?

The other thing is my therapist while good is kinda wishy washy. She barelydid anything for me in December or November. So I am wondering how I can help this situation. I have personally been wanting to start hrt since October as I finally stopped being scared of the idea.

[Shawn Sunshine]

now the doctor I saw in the bay area before said outloud she believes I have GID, but I am not sure she wrote it down as such as a diagnosis. So just how much longer am I going to have to wait? Because I thought surely a lcsw by themselves could write something for approval.

[JLT1]

Hi Shawn!!!

Glad to hear from you again.

I got messed around when I wanted to start HRT.  This one said this and the other one said that and they just delayed me for about three months.  Finally, I got them together. Sometimes I think they are just testing a person to see if they really want to start HRT.  I don't know.

The best I can come up with is just to keep jumping through the hoops....  I did see that there are some on-line therapists who will recommend HRT after one phone call with them.  You will have to run them down.  They would also do SRS second therapist recommendations so that might be an easier search.

Wishing you well,

Hugs,

Jen

[Katie]

I am going to take a guess that your appearing to these people as a man. let me try a different approach here. I in my head feel and know I am a zebra. I walk around telling people I am a zebra. How many people are going to agree with me I am a zebra? If you answer none your correct.

So the secret is to put your money where your mouth is and shot up in front of these people as the woman you tell them you are. Thats when people will start taking you seriously. When I got my first perscription for hormones I went to the doctor with no letters (crap I never went to a therapist). I simply showed up as the woman I am and said I need these. I even knew the dosages because they are for the most part standardized.

So if your a woman then be one and the world will take you seriously.

[Jamie D]

Shawn, put your "game plan" down in writing and share it with your therapist and endo.  Ask for input.

This is your road map to achieve becoming your authentic self.  If they see that, and buy in, then you will have a better experience.  Be proactive.

And Katie, when Shawn lived in the Bay Area, they presented as female.  Their situation is different now in Texas.

[Shawn Sunshine]

well my therapist is taking me seriously, this is small town texas folks, you just don't get things at warp speed here. I cant present as female or even as adrogynyous here and I am not ready to do that at all here. I simply want to start changing things internally especially my emotions and moods and thoughts,which to me is the more important aspect of hrt. But again remember I am in between male and female and I don't know if fully transforming is what I want but I have to transform to some degree no matter what.


My therapist is nice but she has never done this before in this particular area, however things are starting to progress since the holidays are over. I text her every 2 days reminding her I need to start hrt asap. Her main concern is that I am emotionally unbalanced from the way my mother has been treating me and she wants me to address that. But as far as I know hopefully next week I will be able to know more. She said she would write a letter on top of or in addition to the diagnosis Dr. Carr gave me.