And so it begins

[Phoenix_2812]

Finally, after all this time, I plucked up the courage to speak to my doctor about me having some gender issues. We had a short talk (and fairly abrupt, I might add) over the phone where she said I'd have to go in and see her to continue the discussion, so she made an appointment for next week (Wednesday). I'm so excited and scared right now!! I'm in the UK, so what should I expect? I know I've asked about transitioning in the UK before, but I'm only now taking the first step in that direction and have no idea what will happen at the appointment.

The good news is that I've spent a lot of time over the last coupe of years thinking about the things I will say to my doctor, so I'm not going to just sit there and blabber on about how I want to be a woman instead of a man. Even still, I'm not really sure how the discussion will go. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully by this time next week I'll have some idea as to what will happen over the next few weeks and months. As far as I'm concerned, change needs to happen and soon.

Thanks for reading!!

Chris

[Laura_7]

You could have a look here:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,181192.msg1603888.html#msg1603888

And I'd ask for bioidentical estrogen if in pill form... used sublingually (which is supposed to be easier on the liver and less causing clotting factors).


hugs

[Phoenix_2812]

Cool, thanks, Laura.

Chris

[Devlyn]

Chris, I'm really happy that you've taken this important step! I think momentum will be on your side from this day forward.

Hugs, Devlyn

[Mariah]

Congrats Chris on this huge step. The step your taking was the hardest for me to take so  I'm glad you were able to take. Good luck and Hugs
Mariah

[Phoenix_2812]

Thank you both for your kind words. I hope one day to be where you are now.

I was really nervous when I phoned the doctor's surgery to ask for my doctor to give me a call and even more nervous when she eventually did later in the afternoon. The next part is going to be even harder I think. The only things we've ever discussed has been unemployment, depression brought about by unemployment (not sure if it's all just because of unemployment though) and my father's cancer and his subsequent death. I'm rather worried about how things will go, based on what we've discussed up to this point. She will also be the first person I've ever spoken to in a face to face discussion about gender.

On a somewhat touching note, I was thinking about this appointment I have for next week last night and about how I felt when I last saw my father alive and I started having a few teary moments. That's never happened before. For the most part, I feel emotionless or just mildly sad when thinking about my father and his passing. So maybe it was a combination of the two separate things that brought me to tears. When I last spoke to my father before he passed away, he was laying in a hospital bed that had been moved into his mobile home (where he had lived for the last 7 years) and he was dosed to the gills with morphine, so he couldn't talk back. I remember feeling the way I do just before I start to cry, but what I felt last night went beyond the point to actual tears forming. They didn't roll, but they formed none-the-less. I'll need to let my doctor know that these feelings aren't just now surfacing because of my father dying of cancer: they've been there for as long as I can remember.

Chris

[Phoenix_2812]

So the day is finally here!! Will I get back unscathed or will I end up with more mental scars than before?! You'll all have to wait until later to find out.

Chris

[Jacqueline]

Congratulations on your courage to set up and go to that meeting. That is not an easy thing to do.

I hope it went well for you. It can cause a little anxiety but it usually feels better inside.

With loving thoughts,

Joanna

[Phoenix_2812]

Thanks, Joanna.

Well, I just got back from the doctor's surgery and I must say, it went pretty well. My doctor, a lovely woman, said that she's never dealt with people who wanted to transition, so she is going to do some looking around to see what she can do to help, as in, where to send me for further help and support. I was rather worried throughout our talk that I wasn't coming across much as a woman in need, which is probably the thing that's held me back the most (damn you, masculinity, damn you!!).

All in all, it was really good to finally speak to someone in person, even if they weren't all that clued up on the subject.

Now I can relax.

Chris

[stephaniec]

Bonne chance et felicitations