Quote from: Mawd on July 17, 2007, 05:20:33 PM
weird, they must have just not liked you, I know a fair few people who went through them fine at that time.
I know they can be right pricks some time but they were not completely and utterly useless for everyone.
Yes, they didn't like me...
November 1984: Diagnosed as Gender Dysphoric. No help made available at that time. Went into deep depression. Started to affect my everyday life. Affected loss of job after 6 years.
September 2000: Sixteen years later after seeing my present GP for severe depression sent to local psychiatrist Dr Fieldsend. and officially diagnosed as Gender Dysphoric once again. Dr Fieldsend recommended hormone therapy and gender re-assignment surgery Present GP wanted to help.
My NHS GIC Charing Cross GID Clinic Timeline....
24th August 2001: Appointment made at Charing Cross Identity Clinic in London. I was worried about this decision, as I had heard many bad reports about Charing Cross GIC. Saw Psychiatrist Dr James Barrett. Inaccurate but descriptive letter sent to GP. I asked for hormone treatment but was denied.
26th November 2001: Saw second Psychiatrist Dr Donald Montgomery for an appointment. Asked for hormone treatment but denied. Critical and inaccurate letter sent to GP. In it Montgomery describes me as 'quite short and very thick set and very masculine and so is the pitch of my voice'. Tell that to people who know me! In reality I'm 5'7" and quite skinny with a very high voice and at no time have I looked masculine. It is possible my notes were mixed up with another patent. This mistake was later exposed by the Healthcare Commission as many patients end up with their notes being mixed up with others.
13th March 2002: Saw Psychiatrist Dr Montgomery for a second appointment. Again, I asked for hormone treatment but denied. Another critical letter sent to my GP.
9th September 2002: Saw Dr Montgomery for a second appointment. Asked for hormone treatment yet again but denied. Another critical letter sent to GP.
21st March 2003: Saw Psychologist Dr Penny Lenihan for forth appointment. She seemed very nice but totally inexperienced as to regards to gender matters. Dr Lenihan seemed to confuse Gender Dysphoria with cross dressing and transvestitism. I again asked for hormone treatment but was still denied. She was also critical of me for taking hormones and androcur illegally. These allegations of course were not true and I was not taking hormones illegally.
25th July 2003: : Saw Dr Barrett for third appointment. Asked for hormone treatment but again denied. So told him I had started on hormones anyway. But then he made totally unfounded and untrue slanderous statements which he had written in critical letter to my GP. He accused me of obtaining them from the internet and illegally and said they were not real hormones. All comments he made were slanderous and untrue. This was also later uncovered by the Healthcare Commission and Barrett denied the statement.
20th October 2003: Saw private consultant psychiatrist Dr Russell Reid. He wrote a very long and very professional and positive accurate detailed letter to my GP. He recommended hormones. My GP then set up the NHS prescription for me. Dr Russell Reid said I had to arrange my own annual blood and lipid tests at Amersham Hospital. Mr Reid was very thorough and understanding..
14th May 2003: Saw Dr Barrett for a forth appointment. Barrett tried to stop my GP prescribing androcur without explanation. My GP overruled Dr Barrett comments and was not impressed with his attitude. We discussed other treatment options and continue to do so. At this time I decided it was in my best interest to quit Charing Cross GIC. A friend told me to keep them on the back burner but I wasn't happy about it.
September 2003: Saw Charing Cross Speech therapist Christella Antoni . At last some kind of help from Charing Cross Hospital. Unfortunately I was preoccupied with my problems and dissatisfaction with the GIC which distracted from the few sessions I had. The Speech therapist was very kind and helpful and suggested an appointment with a local psychologist in my area. At this time I had already changed my details, driving licence, passport and bank details. I took my birth father's surname and changed my Christian name.
24th May 2004: Saw Dr Barrett for a forth appointment. Dr Barrett wrote a favorable but totally inaccurate letter to my GP. But still no treatment had been facilitated. Judging by the letter he sent to my GP he had no idea I had already changed my details.
25th October 2004: Saw local PCT Psychologist Dr Corinne Usher who got to the root of the problems. The first time someone wanted to help me after years in the wilderness. She didn't see my problems as psychological at all but more about lack of help with my physical gender situation.
24th November 2004: Tried to arrange an appointment with an endocrinologist. Pushing GP to write to two Endocrinologists at Hospitals in London, one being Charing Cross. My GP claimed she couldn't get the funding even though I was already a patent at Charing Cross GIC where the endocrinologist is located. Changed GP for a while.
December 2004: GP wrote to Endocrinologist Dr Meeran at Charing Cross Hospital.
13th January 2005: Wrote to Endocrinologist Dr Leighton Seal at St George's Hospital, London to access a referral to see him.
22nd April 2005: Had first appointment with Endocrinologist Dr Leighton Seal.
27TH May 2005: Saw Psychiatrist Dr Richard Green for the first time. We got on well and I believed he would be able to help me.
14th October 2005: Saw Dr Richard Green again.
27th February 2006: Saw Richard Green for the last time. He was the best person to see but he was retiring.
24th October 2006: Saw Psychologist Penny Lenihan. She seemed more obsessed with writing about my new hair extensions and skipped around the real reason of why I was there.
8th January 2007: Saw Stuart Lorimer for my last appointment. He admitted I had fulfilled all the clinics protocols of the 'real life test' yet they continued to refuse a referral without explanation.
Quote by Lorimer in a letter date 23rd February 2007: '
she presented as female in terms of clothing, mannerisms and general appearance. I was not surprised she is generally excepted without question as female. I would broadly agree that she has fulfilled the requirements for the 'real life experience' as laid out in this clinics protocol, and I suspect she would be eligible for genital surgery if she wishes this'.Because I mentioned that what I really needed was physical treatment such as gender re-assignment surgery and facial surgery I was thrown out of the clinic. I insisted I no longer need to see people in a psychiatric capacity and when treatment or surgery is mentioned they seemed to put up a brick wall against the patient and treatment.
May 2007: I made a request to the clinic at Charing Cross GIC to send me the details as to why they refused my referral for gender re-assignment surgery. They continued to not reply despite several recorded delivery letters to their clinic. I also later asked Dr Barrett in person and he refused to comment or answer my question.
I am now looking at my legal options and will be taking legal action against West London Mental Health (Charing Cross GIC).
More stories like mine can be found here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?nhsgidsp&251
