OK, my adventure; my first appointment.
About 12 months after a referral from my GP I made my way to the Gender Clinic in Glasgow. I checked maps to ensure I would know exactly where to go. The thought of being late and put to the back of the queue? Eeeeeek no! Anyway when I got there the streets looked nothing like the map and the clock was ticking so I phoned the clinic. (Hate phones by the way).
"I have an appointment at the clinic with a doctor today but I can't find the clinic. I'm standing just outside an Indian restaurant."
"What was the name."
"Eh, Mr Singhs."
"No the name of the doctor ya daftie not the restaurant."
I was easy to spot at reception. The one with the bright red face. Soon after I got called in by someone to the smallest room I have ever seen. It was like the cabin in the Marx Brothers film, Monkey soup. Anyway as I was sitting down I alluded to my difficulty finding the place. He asked me, "OK what's your story?" at which point I started to tell him about getting lost, couldn't find a parking space or the clinic........." when he interrupted and said, "Why are you here? What is your story?" Red face number two.
This took me by surprise a bit because what I envisaged was being asked a series of searching revealing questions to which I would give responses. That wasn't it at all. I basically had just to talk and talk and talk as he wrote down notes. It was really quite demanding being given absolutely no pointers at all. What do I mention? Age, thoughts, fantasies: do I just narrate my life story? That is eventually what I elected to do. Just to make things just a bit weirder, whenever I met his gaze he rolled his eyes up so I could only see the whites !
When I was finished he said, "Right I'll get back to you in three months." He saw the look on my face and said, "You people are always so impatient." (Not in a malicious way) and, "OK then, two months." I'll not detail the next meeting but in reception before I went in I thought about the "white eye" thing and thought, "Every time he does it I should just scream!" This made me laugh uncontrollably; and needless to say he invited me in just seconds later.
I will actually be interested in other folks first encounter and I'm glad you have started this thread.
