Today, my girlfriend and I went to my therapist and I was finally diagnosed, given my referral to an endocrinologist, and she is going to be typing up my Carry Letter. :)
My first initial appointment with my endo is July 11th. I know it's blood work/exams etc, but can anyone tell me what these all consist of? How long afterthe initial appointment did you have to wait to start your T? General questions I suppose.Etc. I feel like I 've been reborn and I haven't even started T yet! It was a big step, and I'm already printing out my papers for my name change via court. I feel so happy and excited. I've waited a long time for this and today was a new beginning for me. Again, any information would help. I know by different states and such it might be a little different but, just a general idea of what takes place/ time frame, etc. would be amazing.
I live in Wisconsin like I think I've said a million times lol, but any advice from anyone ANYWHERE is gladly gladly taken to heart.
:) <3
Hey Alexander, congratulations on getting your letter and making your appointment. It is an incredibly exciting time, is it not? I just had my second injection this past Monday. Will be having my third this coming Monday and am already psyched for it. :laugh:
My initial visit did consist of blood work which is basically a means to verify and confirm your health prior to starting your testosterone. Also keep in mind that once you have started your T, you will have more blood work drawn at different intervals in order to check that your enzymes, cholesterol, red blood cells, etc are all okay. Remember that T effects everything.
Here is a link to a site that I found very helpful when it came to general info: http://www.ftmguide.org/tandhealth.html (http://www.ftmguide.org/tandhealth.html)
I had my initial appointment, had all blood drawn and got the okay in terms of coming up with healthy levels. The doctor then called in my T script to my pharmacy. I picked it up and went to my second appointment. Where I spoke to him once more and we discussed the big milestone and then the nurse came in to teach me how to inject myself. I thought that was actually pretty cool, she actually explained everything and then proceeded to talk me through it. Ultimately allowing me to inject myself from the get go. :)
I didn't think to ask for a carry letter, but once i had a letter from a therapist I just had to get CBC and liver panels and got my first shot the week after.
My first apt with the dr consisted of her telling me the side effects and what hormones will do. Then she wrote a script for me. My T doctor is in the same medical system as my primary care physician so I had recent labs that she could look at. However, she did do the same thing for my son when he went in and he hadn't had recent labs.
I don't have a carry letter. I am not sure what I would need it for. My doctor wrote my letter to change my driver's license when I got my name changed. So my license says I am a male. I have a male name. My work knows and is supportive. I have been on T for five months and got all that done around the third month.
Thanks for all your input everyone. It really helps. It's a big step and I'm glad I've finally made it to this one. I have plenty more to go!
My carry letter is pretty much the same (in which its for the DMV) to change the change my sex on my DL.
Well, I actually got super lucky regarding hormones. At least when I finally got them, I've spent a year trying.
I went in for an appointment with a therapist for the first time and got my letter right away. I had been seeing someone in my university city for two months prior but had to move for the summer. A friend of mine recommended this therapist. I had been on T illegally before, so got my letter right away. That same day she was able to get me an appointment with a doctor and get a prescription written. And I got it filled and took my first shot that evening. So for me, I had everything done in one day. This was in Alabama, though I'm back in Tennessee now. I took my 5th shot last Thursday, but I'm taking them weekly rather than biweekly.
But I've heard longer from other people. I don't know if my situation is common, but I think that the time may very greatly.