Hi all. Short as I can make it version: Started my own experimenting and hormone therapy almost 21 months ago, I'm semi-retired from 40 years of design engineering and R&D, so I did LOTS of homework and watched things carefully during this transition. Results have been very good, mentally and physically, but I wanted to try estradiol and get under some regular care now that I see how happy I am with what I've accomplished on my own. I went to a private clinic, liked the people and let them do initial bloodwork (on my dime). Also went to the VA after some urging and assurances that they were working with TG people. Well it has become apparent that they both are saying they have concern because some bloodwork seems off. I have copies of the test results and it is apparent that, in spite of my going to great lengths to explain where I was in transition and how I got there, all the test results and clinical planning they have done has been based on the assumption that I am a cis male instead of a well into transition trans female! I have looked at every tagged test entry and when you take the number and compare it to a cis female range it falls right in. One of the doctors kept looking at my old physical from the VA, this spring, and made assumptions as though I was cis male. Then says "we'll get you to the level of a POST menopause female". What!? Why the heck would I want that? Just 'cause my birth certificate is 66 years old doesn't mean crap, my body and mind are 20 years younger. I have worked very hard to ensure that. So they have hade me stop all hormones cold turkey, one says for 5 weeks, the other for at least 9 weeks and then they want to test again and want me to do all kinds of testing for problems that don't exist. I have never been anything other than at the extreme end of the bell curve and now I'm a bit over two weeks into my abstinence and I feel like hell and see my 21 months of careful, hard work slowly eroding and no guarantee of when I'll get my E. How do get these people to see ME and realize who I am and stop trying to use the standard playbook and flow chart with me? If something doesn't get up to speed soon, I'm going back to what I know and MAYBE I'll look for someone else. I didn't go there for hugs or social justice or the right pronouns (although they are nice once in a while :-)), I came here for E! Damn, I'm feeling like what must be PM, menopausal, p'd off some of my returning male side. Mostly venting, but getting frustrated at the lack of real understanding in the system. And these people think they know about TG people.
