Hey guys, I need some advice. It's a long story, but I'll try and explain as best as possible.
When I first started HRT I lived in one of the major Alaskan cities, and it was shortly before I came to Osaka, Japan. It was always a weird situation, but the doctor I had was willing to treat me provided I come back to the states once a year and get routine blood tests abroad and send the results to her. It's expensive to fly in or out of Alaska and from Japan it's at least $2,000. I was willing though, to feel normal. How screwed up is that? I'm willing to pay a crazy amount to just not hate myself.
Anyway, I only partially held up my end of the bargain. I've been trying to find a doctor here, but I can't. No matter who I contacted, they wouldn't do bloodwork without knowing what it was for or without treating me or without sending the results to a Japanese doctor. I get that, but I haven't been able to find anyone who will do my bloodwork or who treats trans people here. If I could find a doctor, I wouldn't have needed her services and if I could find a clinic to refer me to the major hospital this would all be moot. Hell, if I could find someone who will just take my blood and run some tests, but nope. So I haven't been able to hold up that part of the deal.
My doctor is also closing practice to move to a different part of the state. I contacted the office to ask if she knew of another doctor in town who I could call and have my medical records sent to and to see if she had got the bloodwork from the doctor in Florida from my pre-surgery clearance. In the past, I was told by the office that would be good enough to get me at least one last refill while I found something here. Now I have been told that she can't help me, which stings like hell but I can't be too upset. At least she worked with me for two and a half years, you know? On top of that, she "doesn't know of a doctor who treats transgendered patients, good luck finding a practitioner but I suggest coming back to America". Welp, screw you too. I'm here because that's where the work is. But it's just a matter of walking away from legal contracts, asking my husband to give up a good job that he is legally committed to or paying two rents in two countries? Why didn't I think of that?
My Japanese isn't good enough to deal with medical stuff here so I'm restricted to English speaking places, and even though I know I haven't exhausted them all, I can't find them. The ones I can find are either in Tokyo, which is too damn far from Osaka and I would get so lost leaving this area, or they are baptist/Christian hospitals. To add to it, I don't need therapy and even if they wanted to me to go back to square one, I don't speak the language well enough.
I desperately don't want to lose my hormones, but I don't see an alternative. At least not while I live here unless I get insanely lucky, exhaust every option which would mean my husband would be calling places trying to explain for me, or we tell a lot of people about me. I honestly don't know what to do and I feel like crying. I finally got my surgery and this happens. All I can think is "of course it would, why not? Life is ->-bleeped-<- wall to wall, so why did I think it was going to change?"
I'm not asking for sympathy. I ended up in this situation and I guess had it been important to me I would have just paid the money to fly back into Alaska every six months or I would I have stayed there while Joe worked here. I don't even really know what I'm asking for. It's been so hot here and in combination with not being able to sleep on my side because of too surgery I'm really, really tired and I've been awake since 3:50am.
I doubt anyone here knows where I can go or who I can see here, and that's fine. I live here and I don't freaking know, even after two years. I am going to keep looking, but I am losing two weeks of concentrated effort because my brother-in-law decided to visit for two weeks without even consulting us about his travel dates. Lovely. But I do want to ask, does anyone have any advice with suddenly stoping HRT? I don't know what to expect, and I'm worried about the physical and emotional fallout.
Is there any way you could track down a support group locally, either trans-specific or general LGBT? Might be a good place to ask around.
I was without it for about two months recently. (Fortunately, it was straightened out.) I didn't notice much of a difference. My physical changes stopped, but nothing reversed. I did feel somewhat uneasy, depression worsened somewhat, and I was grouchier. The first few weeks were the worst part. It didn't get worse than that. Everyone is different, but I would have been able to go longer without suffering much. If I didn't pass as cisgender 100% of the time, I would've felt much worse on a strictly emotional level.
Have you thought about looking around youtube or tumblr to find japanese ftms that speak some english to drop you the name of who they see?
I'd go the university and look for a medical student that knows some English that can help you find a doctor.
If you look at the back of the WPATH Standards of Care, on of the International Advisory Group is an FTM in Japan. A quick google search show's he's an also an activist. Perhaps if you contacted him you could locate some help.
I'm brainstorming like mad. Wasn't there another trans person living in Japan who responded to one of your posts just a few weeks ago? You should look up your old posts and see if you can get some references.
I also did some digging. It seems that two hospitals in Japan have been doing transsexual surgeries: Saitama Medical School and Okayama University Hospital. I don't know where they are or whether you can get English-speaking doctors, but someone there might be able to help you out.
Do you have a therapist's letter? I don't know whether it would be useful in Japan, but it's better than nothing.
I understand that Japan has some kind of national health care. If this is the case and you are covered, then you should be able to inquire about what steps to take. Should. I know that the reality is often quite different from the ideal.
I wish I could be more helpful...
I asked a friend from Osaka for some info, she recommended these places:
osaka medical college hospital has a gender clinic:
http://hospital.osaka-med.ac.jp/
list of places (not sure if updated):
http://gidftm.com/entry11.html
Hope you can find a place. At worst, Tokyo is much closer than Alaska. :) Let me know if you need language help.
Viktor, I think you're the guy I was thinking of. Thanks for joining in.
I have not the slightest shred of useful advice to add about most of your situation, but I can tell you what happens to me when I don't take my shots. I get tired and start having mood swings within a couple weeks, and if I go much longer than that I start spotting a little. Anything over a month I start bleeding for real, with typical pms symptoms. Adjusting hasn't been that hard for me in the past, with the main problem mainly being that it just doesn't feel right to not be on testosterone. The pause in physical transition is obviously also a problem in itself.
I wish I knew some way to help. Good luck getting through this.
Quote from: Arch on August 16, 2014, 03:05:48 AM
Viktor, I think you're the guy I was thinking of. Thanks for joining in.
Yeah, I think you were thinking of me too. :) Np.
Quote from: viktor_tokyo on August 16, 2014, 02:10:01 AM
I asked a friend from Osaka for some info, she recommended these places:
osaka medical college hospital has a gender clinic:
http://hospital.osaka-med.ac.jp/
list of places (not sure if updated):
http://gidftm.com/entry11.html
Hope you can find a place. At worst, Tokyo is much closer than Alaska. :) Let me know if you need language help.
Have you also tried calling these hospitals listed on the US embassy site?
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-osakakobedoctors.html
I'm not sure about Osaka, but most major hospitals in Tokyo have english "speaking" staff and have a 精神科（Seishinka/dpt of psychiatry), and I would assume they deal with 性同一性障害/GID (Sei-Douitsu-Sei-Shougai/trans stuff).
hmm.. I guess I'm not understanding something, but if you've been traveling internationally to see your doctor in Alaska.. why does it matter that he moved to a different part of the state?
Its not like he has retired. You're traveling from Japan to Alaska anyway... why not just take yourself that much further to wherever he's moved to?
Obviously finding someone in japan is superior anyway... Good luck on that!
Quote from: GnomeKid on August 16, 2014, 09:57:07 AM
hmm.. I guess I'm not understanding something, but if you've been traveling internationally to see your doctor in Alaska.. why does it matter that he moved to a different part of the state?
Its not like he has retired. You're traveling from Japan to Alaska anyway... why not just take yourself that much further to wherever he's moved to?
I believe the issue is that he doesn't want to spend a couple thou to go back to Alaska, no matter what doctor he sees. It looks like he was getting refills without going back to the States.
THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH.
Viktor: I tied the embassy list, but I hadn't been able to find much by way of internal Medicine. Of course, I just learned that its Naikka. It's how it's classified in the states (at least alaska) so I was looking under that assumption. I stumbled across the GID Center of Japan and the Osaka medical college hospital is mentioned. I believe it says I need a referral for treatment letter, but I can probably go to the local clinic. It's fairly large and that was what a Japanese friend suggested I do. I'm really glad it's in Takatsuki-shi, since I am fairly familiar with the area. Thank you so much. If you come to Osaka, I'll take you out! I could have kissed you when I was reading the site.
Gnomekid: I was getting around having to spend $4,000+ a year to fly back home (no counting actual doctors fees and hotels) by getting bloodwork done here, but I had not actually had to utilize the local clinics. Due to timing and luck I had to make a few trips back to the states at around every six months for the last two years, so it hasn't been a problem. But now after surgery I've emptied out a lot of funds and we have a few other large bills coming up.
The other problem is that while my doc hasn't retired she has been hired by a Native Alaskan corporation to treat folks out in the villages on the Aleutian Islands. By doing this she can only see Native Alaskan patients. We have entire hospitals that only treat that population on Alaska. I'm positive she made the move for money.
Declan and Felix: thank you both for sharing your experiences. I get really worried when I think about how I would be affected by the sudden shift or cessation.
Alexthecat: the closest university is also where my husband works. He's gunning for a potential promotion (assuming we can figure out my medical stuff since he doesn't want me to stop) and its already been difficult enough for him as a gay man with a partner. He's saved face by my being foreign, but we don't want the gossip to get around. Even if he didnt work there I don't think this one has an LGBT group for students or community. It's what I miss most about my old school.
AnonyMs: I tried to contact him, but I believe he is either booked solid or his information had changed. My Japanese is a little funny too, so it's possible he didnt understand me. My listening rocks, but the second I have to try and talk to write my brain breaks. Hopefully the studying I'm doing will help.
Arch: man, I with the national healthcare applied to me! I'm actually not covered under anything, a sacrifice we had to make so that I could work on a spousal visa. Even without that the medical care is cheap. I paid about $160 I fix five teeth. I honestly can't complain and I can pay out of pocket since its much cheaper. Saitama and Okayama are both pretty far away, but closer than tokyo. I will travel if I have to. $50 in train fares is much better than $2,000.
Awesome, hope things work out! Japan always makes things sound really complicated with all the paperwork and rules and all that, but in the end it really is
just paperwork, they only care about the process and everything always goes through super easily and without any setbacks.
Quote from: Ayden on August 16, 2014, 09:52:38 PM
If you come to Osaka,
Definitely. ;D
Perhaps a last resort, but if you have to travel Thailand might be a lot cheaper and easier than going to the USA. I shouldn't think you'd have too much trouble getting whatever you want there.
Quote from: viktor_tokyo on August 16, 2014, 11:05:00 PM
Awesome, hope things work out! Japan always makes things sound really complicated with all the paperwork and rules and all that, but in the end it really is just paperwork, they only care about the process and everything always goes through super easily and without any setbacks.
Don't I know it! I had to fill out about twenty pages just to get my teeth fixed! I think it was harder to get a hold of places thanks to Obon, but next week (well, tomorrow really) everything opens back up. Hope you a good Obon!
AnonyMs: getting around Asia from Osaka (Big cities in Japan really) is super cheap. If I had to, I would.