NHS or Private...

[JaimeJJ]

Well, as I have said in an earlier post my dad has said he will give me around £24,000 to go towards my transition and "to do whatever it takes to make me happy and to fix this" 

Now I am in the prediciment of do I wait the lengthy time frames the NHS offer or do I do it all privately?

I am already seeing Dr Curtis who has started me on HRT and I am due to have my first appointment at CX in May.  I know that if I went private, the SRS usually costs around £10,000 but I am wondering, would I be stupid to waste that kind of money to get the operation done sooner or is it worth paying for if the money is there?

Does the average MTF spend a lot more money on correcting their body in other ways? Would I need to?

I know I would like a nose job and a boob job some day, which combined would probably cost around £8,000 but I just don't know what to do.  I'm thinking of sticking both out, carrying on seeing my private doctor and getting whatever I can from the NHS in the meantime until I come to a decision of my SRS... what would you guys do?

[spacial]

I can understand your delema. You have the prospect of quick intervention at significant cost, or waiting for the NHS.

In your position, since the cash is available, I would carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages. I would think about how I could develop, as a person, while waiting. I would think about how I could deal with those around me. I would think about reducing the finincial burdon on my father. He's offered, but by any standard, that is a huge sacrifice for him.

Equally, I would think about getting this thing sorted as soon as I can. I would think about how I could start to build a proper life for myself, my career, dealing with other problems, while I'm still young.

But most of all, I would be thinking of how I can ever thank such a wonderful dad for standing by me in this way. He's doing what all good parents do, being there for his kids. And your dad is a good parent.

If you don't accept his offer, will that make him feel pushed out?

Can you perhaps get your SRS funded by him? The rest you can gradually get in time. Though looking at your photo, you don't really need anything done to that face. (Except, perhaps learning how to fend off the boys!!)

[alexia elliot]

Obviously you are questioning both ways, which is a good start. It is a personal decision no one should make for you, your age has a lot to do with it as well. If you are young enough within late teens to early twenties you are ok to wait and let hormones do the magic and magic they will do. SRS can be successfully performed at any time so rushing it isn't particularly necessary for the result. Your testosterone production shall be diminished to near null so masculinization will be halted. You look very young and very pretty so hrt should put you on the path to womanhood in no time. Save the money for now, and if possible get the governmental program to take care of what you need only when you your self know that you will achieve better result or care then use your private rout paying out of pocket. Love babe!

[rejennyrated]

If you can get SRS for free with a little waiting then why not? Youre only 21. Personally Id be more concerned with the competence of the NHS surgeon than price.

I'm sorry but I find that comment to be both ill founded and mildly offensive.

I have no wish to fall out with you but you Americans can be incredibly ill informed about our medical systems here.

For your information the exact SAME surgeons do exactly the SAME procedures on both set of patients.

Here in the UK we have two excellent surgeons who are both capable of world class results.

Because I am now over 25 years postop I recently had a little update procedure. I went privately, but I CHOSE to go into an NHS hospital, as paying customer, to have the work done because the facilities there are FAR FAR FAR better than anything in the noddy private hospitals.

The only thing that private medicine buys in the UK is increased speed, because the doctors involved all run both Private lists (who do get priority) and NHS lists - who have to wait a bit.

Forget the right wing propaganda pumped out by your lying American media and politicians. It literally IS LIES pure and simple. ENDOF! Our NHS hospitals are as good as anything that you have and I have direct experience of both.

Having said that I personally would go private simply because old or young I don't want to waste up to 5 years of my life on a waiting list.

The ONLY valid criticism of the NHS is that it is slow.

[Carlita]

Jenny's point about the NHS surgeons being the same as the private ones is very well made ... and it's also true that (God forbid) if anything were ever to go wrong, you would be MUCH safer in a big NHS hospital than a private one without proper emergency facilities ... in fact, the private people would just shove you in an ambulance and send you off to the nearest NHS outfit ...

BUT ... the chances of anything going wrong are very small, so here are three other thoughts I have ...

1. The other big advantage of private medicine is that since you, the patient, are a paying customer you do have a bit more control over the whole procedure. Your room will also be a lot nicer than an NHS general surgical ward.

2. Do you have to have the surgery in the UK? The money means you can go abroad if you want ... and a lot of the best surgeons are in the US, Canada or Thailand. Of course, there are then travel and hotel costs to consider, as well as the whole question of flying a long way before and after surgery.

3. Don't feel that you have to be economical with your father's money. That's not to say you should just spend it for the sake of spending. But, speaking as a dad, I am 100% certain that he would only make the offer if he wanted it to be accepted. His primary concern is your happiness and wellbeing. He would rather spend £24,000 and have a happy, healthy daughter, than spend £12,000 and end up with you being unhappy or unfulfilled.

And as others have remarked, he is a good man and a great father ... you are a very, very lucky girl.

[tekla]

It's slow - that's not a minor problem when it comes to medical care.

And FTR, NH is held up here as a way not to go, people who prefer national health care prefer the French, Swiss and German model far more.

[Gabby]

No. There are enough horror stories of bad rhinoplasties performed on the NHS by aesthetically incompetent surgeons who are only there to get paid or help with peoples HEALTH, go to LookYourBestUK.com and see for yourself. SRS is obviously much easier than rhinoplasty, but It still pays to do enough research on the individual surgeon before going through with it.

I am in the UK, the NHS is good, but not for cosmetic surgery.

Ok I have a few problems with what you're saying.  Firstly SRS is not cosmetic surgery and that is what the OP is asking about having done,  secondly the very same surgeons perform the very same operations for the NHS as they do privately, and with SRS the pool of surgeons who can perform this procedure is going to be very small.

What you say about rhinoplasty on the NHS for purely cosmetic reasons there's a problem with the person asking for such.

[JaimeJJ]

I'm sorry but I find that comment to be both ill founded and mildly offensive.

I have no wish to fall out with you but you Americans can be incredibly ill informed about our medical systems here.

For your information the exact SAME surgeons do exactly the SAME procedures on both set of patients.

Here in the UK we have two excellent surgeons who are both capable of world class results.

Because I am now over 25 years postop I recently had a little update procedure. I went privately, but I CHOSE to go into an NHS hospital, as paying customer, to have the work done because the facilities there are FAR FAR FAR better than anything in the noddy private hospitals.

The only thing that private medicine buys in the UK is increased speed, because the doctors involved all run both Private lists (who do get priority) and NHS lists - who have to wait a bit.

Forget the right wing propaganda pumped out by your lying American media and politicians. It literally IS LIES pure and simple. ENDOF! Our NHS hospitals are as good as anything that you have and I have direct experience of both.

Having said that I personally would go private simply because old or young I don't want to waste up to 5 years of my life on a waiting list.

The ONLY valid criticism of the NHS is that it is slow.

If I were to pay for SRS, given that the UK surgeons are the same private or NHS, I think I would go abroad to maybe Thailand or somewhere because I have heard that the end results are so much better, is that right?

[spacial]

Jamie. I won't get into an argument about the NHS. I think it's brilliant but am happy that non-UK people don't.

Choosing the surgeon is different matter. We have members here who've used Thai surgeons and been very satisfied. As I recall, the only problem being when some complication arises. (Post op complications are common and happen everywhere in the world). By then, you're back home and need to have these sorted locally.

It really is a matter of research. If you need some links to various surgeons. I and others here can provide these.

But since you can, potentially, use the UK based surgeons, then I would think these would be a first choice. But you know your circumstances. I do hope you will continue to keep us all up to speed with what's happening.

(I'm really happy for you).

[Gabby]

If a decent private surgeon works for the NHS then you could pick the cheapest option (unless you want the luxury of private hospitals), but he might be obliged to approach your cosmetic change conservativly rather than give you exactly what you want. In contrast to with other surgeries, the fact that there are so few NHS surgeons performing SRS significantly simplifies your research.

It's a hugely important procedure you're right about researching what is going to be done, I could go into detail what I want done.

SRS is comparable to rhinoplasty as both can be just as cosmetic and/or just as psychologically impairing as each other. Neither of them are "life or death" in terms of how your body biologically functions (except rhinoplasty to correct breathing).

SRS is not cosmetic surgery, treating it as such is where problems are going to arise.   Seems like a hangover from when women were treated as passive sex objects.

Yes rhinoplasty can be just as necessary for valid psychological reasons.

[Skyanne]

There are two really good surgeons available privately in the UK, I know at least one of them is available via the NHS as well.

Dunno if that's much help, personally I'm going privately the whole way because I didn't want to have to jump through invented hoops to protect a limited mental health budget. Some people do have great experiences with the NHS though, so don't rule it out if you're willing to play their game and wait a couple of years!

[MillieB]

I'm in a very similar situation to yourself and have just gone from Dr C to CHX (NHS) and I've got to admit that I find the hoops a bit of a challenge!

That said, after a fair amount of research I think that I would trust Phil Thomas as much as any of the Thai surgeons, the whole aftercare thing does come into play too because if there are complications or you need revisions, I don't think that the NHS are too keen to help if you have not had your initial surgery through them and in these times of diminishing funding that could prove a real sticking point.

For the record, I love the NHS in general and feel good that I live in a country that treats all people with a genuine medical need regardless of wealth and status.

[Skyanne]

Phil Thomas actually works out of the same hospital where my Endo does, and although he might be biased, he highly recommends him. ^^

[tekla]

although he might be biased,

Everyone is biased in some manner, it's a question of whether you trust that bias or not.

[Gabby]

Unfair bias means advocating for personal reasons something inferior when you know something better is almost or just as easily available.

How this piece of philosophical reasoning relates to Phil Thomas I have no clue, I doubt the Endo is unfairly biased let me put it that way prima facie.

[Princess Rachel]

having read the post in full I'd say think on it a while and let the hormones do their work, either way I doubt any competent surgeon would proceed with any feminising surgery until you've spent a while on the girl juice.  Once your body is more feminised you can see what needs doing easier, perhaps you can scrimp a few thousand off a private operation and spend the rest on something else?  My NHS PCT (which probaly won't last much longer if the Millionaire Club has it's way) lets me dip into private treatments if I want to while remaining on their lists, thus I was able to get laser hair reduction treatment much sooner as that was one of my most immediate worries, yet I'm still on their waiting list for funding to get my back done on the NHS because that's a financial cost I could never meet myself.

[Gabby]

Rachel, I thought body hair disappears over time completely by being on HRT?

To the OP:  Very few people have unlimited funds to do all the things to achieve everything they'd wish for, there might be something down the road that needs that money, I'm thinking the convience of having a female voice pitch as one example, or even career, home or some other kind of development.

For me I'm spending only what is necessary as I'm confident in UK SrS surgeons at this moment in time.

[Padma]

We've got something like 7 different types of hair on our bodies - and they all respond differently to things. I think some of it gets finer or or stops when you go on HRT, and some doesn't so much. It certainly doesn't all go away without help, unless you're still pubescent when you start on the HRT, and it hasn't properly arrived yet.

Weird factoid: pubic hair has a different cross-section in men and in women - one is oval, the other is star-shaped. I can't remember which is which.

[Gabby]

We've got something like 7 different types of hair on our bodies - and they all respond differently to things. I think some of it gets finer or or stops when you go on HRT, and some doesn't so much. It certainly doesn't all go away without help, unless you're still pubescent when you start on the HRT, and it hasn't properly arrived yet.

Yoxi I'm talking body hair, not eyebrow, nostril, ear, armpit or pubes lol.

Standard body hair is supposed to significantly reduce through HRT over a period of time.

Weird factoid: pubic hair has a different cross-section in men and in women - one is oval, the other is star-shaped. I can't remember which is which.

It is interesting