Hi all,
I've been reading through the forums quietly for a few weeks now, but this is my first time posting. It's been really helpful seeing others talk about dealing with some of the same kind of struggles that I've dealt with - it's made me feel less alone with all of this and given me some hope for my own future. So for everyone that's posted on the forums, thanks - just being able to read these helped me and hopefully others, even when we might not have anything to add or have the courage to post ourselves.
Anyway, my main issue - I live in the Seattle area (east side) and feel like I'm getting sent in circles trying to make any progress on dealing with gender identity issues, maybe starting HRT (MTF), and finding a primary care provider. Hoping someone might have some advice or can maybe recommend doctors, therapists, etc.
I've been seeing a regular therapist for a few years and the last few months of therapy for me have gotten more and more focused on the fact that I spend a lot of time not being comfortable living as a guy or having a male body (I've had those feelings off and on at least since I was 10 but they keep getting worse and finally reached the point that I can't just ignore them anymore.)
My therapist doesn't specialize in gender identity issues, but I discussed the possibility of HRT with her and she seemed supportive of at least exploring it and suggested I try discussing it with my regular doctor. I've not seen my doctor in about 5 years and never felt very comfortable with him to begin with, but I tried making a call to the office to see if they even deal with such things and they suggested I try a therapist... I tried looking for other primary care doctors in the area that work with trans patients and made a few calls but no one that I tried so far is currently accepting new patients.
In case it matters in terms of finding ideal providers, if I start HRT, I'd really prefer low dose for now - I don't feel like I'm ready for full transition right now but I'm hoping maybe getting started on low does (or even just taking steps towards that) might quiet things down for a few months so I can figure out where to go from here without so much noise.
Hoping to find:
* A therapist with more experience in gender identity issues (I like my current therapist, but I think she's struggling with how to help me on some of these things going forward)
* A primary care doctor that is at bare minimum polite and respectful towards people regardless of gender identity and ideally has some experience with trans patients and can help with any issues or side effects of HRT should I go down that road. (Doctors already make me uneasy for various reasons, and I've had doctors in the past make rude remarks about the length of my hair or having shaved legs, or tell me to "man up" or quit acting like such a girl :-( - not the attitude I want to be deal with from someone that's supposed to be helping me take care of my health.)
Any other advice on where to go from here is good too.
