Quote from: Donica on September 03, 2018, 12:03:14 PM
Dear Michelle! I hope my questions are not too soon after your FFS as I know you are in recovery and need your rest. If I may ask? Am I going to have to file a grievance with Kaiser SoCal to get an appointment for my FFS? I have already requested FFS through my therapist well over a month ago and haven't herd anything yet? He has told me that FFS and many other transgender medically necessary procedures are now covered under Kaiser Senior Advantage Plus. Also, I'm in the middle of facial hair removal (Only 5 hours in) and was wondering what you did? Or did you already complete facial hair removal before getting your FFS?
Wishing you a speedy and successful recovery Michelle!
Hugs,
Donica.
Donica, there is a closed Facebook group I recommend called: "Transgender Care Via Kaiser - Proud To Be Transgender (P2BT)" started by Kaylie Love. If you are a Facebook user, this is a must-join group for Kaiser MtF patients. Many have been down this exact path with Kaiser SoCal.
Your therapist should have filed a recommendation for FFS. You will almost certainly have to contact Member Services yourself to get this moved along, emphasizing that it is medically necessary care (which your therapist should have certified in the recomendation) and "timely access to care" which means it is Not OK to park this on a administrators desk for a few years in the hopes of a loss mitigation due to patient becoming uncovered (you leave Kaiser, die, or age out).
A grievance is filed through the Member Services website. For our issues emphasizing the medically necessary nature of the care and need for timeliness are the big points. I repeatedly emphasized my public speaking and training activies, and the loss of business due to my obviously being trans, and the consequent impact on my life.
I had about 220 hours of hair removal via electrolysis done prior to surgery. No electrolysis was done in the month before surgery to mitigate the risk of a skin infection that would have cancelled the surgery. I used an electric clipper once several days before surgery to get rid of the worst, and avoided shaving, as any nicks, cuts, or sore spots would have cancelled the surgery. (The surgeon goes over this in the preop instruction sheets.)
I did about 4 hours of electrolysis a week in the year before surgery, dropping to 2 hours/week early this year as I ran low on hair, and to one hour a week in July. I will restart in late September, and based on an evaluation them we will come up with a new schedule.