Rendered my chatty Dr speechless

[KatelynBG]

So I had a 6 months check up with my PC Dr today. On my weigh in, it showed that I've officially lost 100 lbs based on their measurements. So my doc starts asking me questions like, "How did you do it?" Me: "Easy enough when you have the proper motivation." Him: "Well it's very unusual for someone to sustain this much weight loss over that long of a period of time. What is your motivatation?" Me: ::Gulp:: "Do you want my stock answer for everyone or the real reason that only my therapist knows about?" Him: I want the real reason. Me: "Well you probably don't hear this all the time, but.... I'm transgender."

Him: big pause... "So......" big pause.... So you're married to a woman and you have a child, is the child yours? Me: Yeah, all mine. Him: So you produced your child with your own sperm? Me: "Yes doc, I'm sure you'll see our last testicular exam in your notes if you look hard enough." At this point I can see him reaching back in his memory probably from some transgender sensitivity training he had one. Him: So do you see yourself segueing into living as a female? (Sidenote: The word segue is my new term for transition, lol). Me: Yes sometime early next year.

At this point he asks if I've talked to my wife (it's complicated) and he asked me if I was like Bruce Jenner (ugh). He asked me if my weight issues originally were related to my gender identity (yes I ate my feelings and hated my body anyway so why not eat delicious food along the way). We talked about each of us running track in college at some point.

It was.... awkward but not all that off putting. I realize I caught him off guard and was not seeking medical advice related to my trans identity so I didn't mind. He's an Internal medicine doctors so he may be able to prescribe my hormones layer on but he didn't say one way or the other and neither did I ask. He noted that this information would not be put into my medical records until I was ready to do so.

[KatelynBG]

Also, my autocorrect on my phone likes to change words for no reason, so if there's a word that doesn't quite seem right, I promise you that it's not me.

[kittenpower]

Also, my autocorrect on my phone likes to change words for no reason, so if there's a word that doesn't quite seem right, I promise you that it's not me.

Siri is my personal assistant, and Dick is my auto correct director. 

It's great that you came out to your Doctor. Best wishes

[suzifrommd]

Katelyn, you're more patient than I am. I told my doctor I was transgender. He didn't believe me and wanted me to go to therapist. I never went back. My current doctor is a gay guy with dozens of trans patients.

[KatelynBG]

Yeah the only part I didn't like was him mentioning "Bruce" Jenner, though that led into a conversation about how we both ran track in college. Other than that it was more general curiosity into how my dysphoria has played into my past health. I like this doctor, he has a lot of goodwill to burn through before I would drop him, though the system he works for is atrocious. Also my therapist is heavily involved in the Maine Trans Collaborative, where health professionals meet monthly to discuss trans health care, so she'd be happy to give me a refer all to a good doctor if I request it.

[Ashey]

Haha, going to my endo is always weird. Even though I know for a fact he has at least two other trans patients, he still isn't very experienced so this is all new to him too. I bring up that I've shrunk since transitioning and he just looks puzzled saying it's not a thing. He's asked me twice now if I've had my junk swapped out yet because my t-levels were so low. 'Nuh doc, I guess.. maybe.. the pills are just doing their thing?' Lol. He's also been a bit amazed at my breast growth. He hand-checked my right tit last visit.. that was a bit awkward. He pulled on his glove and asked if he could check, so after having a moment of confusion and hesitation I pulled it out over my collar and he seemed impressed with my progress. Lil creepy, I know.. but I'm going to just try to assume it was all clinical and detached.. And then of course, he never really knows what to prescribe me, so I have to guide him on that and he can make recommendations from there knowing my blood test results. It all seems to be a big experiment, but I suppose it's at least going well. Still, even though doctors can be tricky and awkward to work with, and may not always know what they're doing, it does help if you can find one that is tolerant and professional. My endo also changed the gender marker in my profile to female, even though it wasn't really necessary. He just looked me up and down and said 'I think we can change this to female now'. I thought that was nice of him.

I haven't really had experience with other doctors since transitioning though.. That whole 'Bruce Jenner' thing sounds way lame. I don't think I would have put up with that. But at least he sounds reasonably tolerant and professional otherwise. Hopefully you can work with him in the future when you're ready for the 'mones!

[RachelsMantra]

He's also been a bit amazed at my breast growth. He hand-checked my right tit last visit.. that was a bit awkward. He pulled on his glove and asked if he could check, so after having a moment of confusion and hesitation I pulled it out over my collar and he seemed impressed with my progress. Lil creepy, I know.. but I'm going to just try to assume it was all clinical and detached..

Yeah that would definitely creep me out a little bit if my male doctor wanted to check my breast progress and feel them. Would a female doctor do that? How common is that? Seems unnecessary to me - I can just report if I've had good growth or not.

[jenifer356]

Congrats on the weight loss Katelyn - I am literally and figuratively in the same boat - Knew there was "something" wrong with me ever since I was a kid - Developed some gynocomastia in my teens and started hating my body - This led to varying stages of depression over the years and the love of food - Being fat with moobs was less socially awkward than just having them - Couple of years ago I hit a real low point with both the depression (borderline suicidal) and the weight (300 lbs) - basically trying to eat myself to death - Therapist I was seeing apparently was pretty good as within 4 sessions she had surmised that I could be transgender - spent a couple more sessions discussing it and how it might relate to past experiences and we decided to try it - now 20 months into HRT I am down 100 lbs and hoping to work on 20-30 more - keep up the good work Katelyn

be well
jenifer

[Dee Marshall]

Also, my autocorrect on my phone likes to change words for no reason, so if there's a word that doesn't quite seem right, I promise you that it's not me.

That's OK. Most of us speak Autocorrect.

[Tommi]

I told my doctor at my latest physical for the first time.  I've been seeing her for about 6 years now, so she was pretty shocked to hear it.  She handled it well though, I think.  She, like your doctor, didn't put it into the official medical records, until I was ready to do so.  She also told me she'd likely forget it, so I shouldn't feel embarrassed to run into her in the local stores.  I told her I wasn't worried about it, although I got emotional and cried while telling her.

Just wasn't an easy hurdle... although I felt much better after sharing.  Hard to actually say out loud something you've hidden for 41 years...

[Ashey]

Yeah that would definitely creep me out a little bit if my male doctor wanted to check my breast progress and feel them. Would a female doctor do that? How common is that? Seems unnecessary to me - I can just report if I've had good growth or not.

It would make sense if he was checking for lumps, abnormal growth, maybe feeling for breast tissue. Hoping it was just something like that. I want to be able to trust a professional like that and not let my fear of men make me too suspicious or even a misandrist. Still, I wonder why he only checked one side.. :/