Hi everyone I'm Janet. I've been lurking here for about 6 months and finally decided to say hi.
I'm 59 and just started HRT yesterday.
About 6 months ago I found out about informed consent from reading the forums here at Susan's. After thinking about it for what seemed like forever I finally made an appointment at the Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago.
My first appointment was 2 weeks ago. I met with the doctor, he explained the hrt program, the effects and risks involved and took blood for the lab tests.
Yesterday was my 2nd appointment. We reviewed the test results, I'm in great health, and talked some more about the effects and a little bit about my transitioning plans. He started me on Spiro and Estradiol. I was able to get the prescription filled right at the health center and went home with my meds.
Everyone at Howard Brown was very professional and non-judgmental. It was a pleasant experience going there.
One thing I was surprised about. I asked the doctor if he had much experience with patients my age wanting to transition. He said he had many older patients and it was fairly common. I guess many of us live with this for a long time before deciding to do something about it. But then again if I had known about informed consent 15 or 20 years ago I think I would have started back then.
Oh well... my journey begins. Thanks for listening.
Janet