im new here and i sure could use some help/advice

[Senna0811]

hi there, im brand new to pretty much all of this. i came out to my parents and brother 3 weeks ago. we decided that going to see my psychologist and talking to her would be the best place to start (which i have started doing.) everyone has been really supportive and understanding, my psychologist says she has worked with trans patients before and is even willing to write a letter of recommendation for HRT. the only problem is she doesn't have any contacts for me meaning i would need to find an endo on my own. i have been looking all over the internet for doctors but i cant really find anyone, and even if i did i wouldnt know what to do once i did. i live in Houston, TX and was wondering if anyone could help me out, especially if you have been around the block before. i could use any help available, and thank you for taking the time to read this. i look forward to your responses.

[Dena]

Welcome to Susan's Place. This post might be a little out of date but it's worth a try. LGBT centers often can provide information about local treatment so you might try contacting the one near you. Just Google "houston texas LGBT" and you should have a pretty good starting point.

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[Wanda Jane]

I use my regular doctor. She has worked with a LOT of trans patients. I found her through my local support group. I'm in San Antonio and go to SAGA, San Antonio Gender Association. I've gotten a lot of good advice and help there. It is a really good place to start. I'm sure there are more groups in Houston. You might start with HRC, they will know of local groups. Most of them, like SAGA, don't exactly advertise. I found SAGA through word of mouth at a LAMBDA AA meeting. Welcome and good luck. Wanda.

[AshleyP]

i have been looking all over the internet for doctors but i cant really find anyone, and even if i did i wouldnt know what to do once i did. i live in Houston, TX and was wondering if anyone could help me out, especially if you have been around the block before. i could use any help available, and thank you for taking the time to read this.

I mentioned this to someone here the other day, so forgive my repetition. Check Renee Baker's, a therapist in Dallas, website. She lists several Houston doctors along with a good resource list for the region. Renee is an all around good person, too.

As Wanda mentioned, you should also approach your PCP and tell them of your intent. You'll probably need to do that at some point anyway. If you provide your PCP with some information/guidelines (the Veteran's Administration has a well formatted guide) he/she may be willing to provide that care. Mine did.

All the best,
--AshleyP

[Senna0811]

thank you for all the replies, just wondering what do you mean by information/guidelines?

[AshleyP]

thank you for all the replies, just wondering what do you mean by information/guidelines?

The VA has a guideline for doctors on their website that describes all aspects of treatment for transgender patients including background, pre-screening, monitoring, risks, treatment options and goals. It's about 20 pages and is intended to be instructional for doctors that are to be treating such patients. The Endocrinologist association has one, too. I'm sure there are others, but I found the VA's to be concise, comprehensive and well formatted for printing. I also wanted something that was authoritative, not just something printed off of a LBGT support website, if you know what I mean.

All the best,
--AshleyP