It feels like I'm complaining so much...
In terms of GIC waiting times, I considered myself patient enough to wait - Until i got the email saying they're only now seeing people who were referred in February 2016.
The last few days, I've seriously considered self-medicating, my mind just going 'screw the risks, this will only get worse otherwise'. That, combined with other thoughts that I won't mention here, it hit home hard that I seriously needed to start looking at paying for private treatment.
For a bit of background, I'm in full-time employment and I live with my parents (paying my share of the monthly bills), so I can afford to do this.
So, I started looking and keeping my mum in the loop, first looking at GenderCare. We both liked the idea it was like a private version of a GIC and that it had majority of good reviews, what put my mum off was that it was very much in London. Being in Hereford, it's a long drive (3+ hours) and would have to stay the night most likely, as well as both my dad and I really don't do well in huge cities with stress and sensory overload.
So then we started looking around, and I came across GenderGP, which is based in Abergavveny so is under an hour to drive, and the majority seems to be online anyway. Yes I've heard mixed reviews concerning them, and that it's more a bridging HRT service than anything else. But it could give me what my mind needs in order to wait for the GIC referral.
I've heard that both offer a shared care (of course if your GP agrees to it) kind of deal. With GenderGP, if they agree to shared care does that mean they take over the blood tests and hormone costs?
I'm also unsure if GenderGP would have an official diagnosis of gender dysphoria
