I have my first appointment with CAMH for SRS November 18th!
Pretty excited about that!
After all I was on their wait list for this for 1.5 years...seems like an eternity ago.
Not sure exactly what to expect but hopefully it will go well and that's all I guess. :)
This is great news. 1.5 years was quite a wait and I am glad that you can now see progress.
Safe travels
Aisla
Thanks! Yeah SRS is funded by OHIP here were I live and so CAMH is who I have to deal with. That's why the wait is so long.
It seems surreal, still likely 10 months or so before surgery yet but still am a happy camper, feels like some progress is being made :)
Sorry, had to turn to Google for a sec. I am still learning :). I think OHIP and CAMH means that you are in Ontario and heading into Winter which means that you have chosen a great place to live. 10 months will fly by.
Safe travels
Aisla
I know a few who went threw the process and they said to pro active in getting the services you need to get your letters for the GCS
It is a long process for sure.
Keep us updated.
Quote from: Aisla on October 21, 2014, 03:37:32 PM
Sorry, had to turn to Google for a sec. I am still learning :). I think OHIP and CAMH means that you are in Ontario and heading into Winter which means that you have chosen a great place to live. 10 months will fly by.
Safe travels
Aisla
Hehe yeah I was born and raised in Ontario, lived here all my life. :) Hate the cold so not looking forward to winter though! Hopefully the winter will fly by at least. :D
Quote from: mrs izzy on October 21, 2014, 05:34:08 PM
I know a few who went threw the process and they said to pro active in getting the services you need to get your letters for the GCS
It is a long process for sure.
Keep us updated.
Oh nice! They can message me if they want, I still have a lot to learn about the whole process so I'd welcome their input.
I already have my letters though, thank gawd. I have 4 of them lol.
Congratulations and stay warm.
Congrats!
I'm exited for you and having something to look forward to during the winter months is always nice.
Please keep up updated as things progress, anything you can share is helpful.
My referral is in the queue, hopefully I'll get appointment in a year or so :)
Quote from: HelloKitty on October 21, 2014, 08:40:49 AM
I have my first appointment with CAMH for SRS November 18th!
Pretty excited about that!
After all I was on their wait list for this for 1.5 years...seems like an eternity ago.
Not sure exactly what to expect but hopefully it will go well and that's all I guess. :)
Cynthia Michelle: Thanks! :)
Antonia: Yesh I'll certainly update here as things happen. I suppose my next update will be after I return from Toronto. :)
If you feel like grabbing a coffee or a glass of wine PM me, I live and work in Toronto so :)
Quote from: HelloKitty on October 21, 2014, 08:33:45 PM
Cynthia Michelle: Thanks! :)
Antonia: Yesh I'll certainly update here as things happen. I suppose my next update will be after I return from Toronto. :)
Quote from: HelloKitty on October 21, 2014, 08:40:49 AM
I have my first appointment with CAMH for SRS November 18th!
Pretty excited about that!
After all I was on their wait list for this for 1.5 years...seems like an eternity ago.
Not sure exactly what to expect but hopefully it will go well and that's all I guess. :)
Hi HelloKitty,
I'm from Ontario too. How did you get on the waiting list for CAMH. Did you have to go through your family doctor?
Thanks,
Paige :)
HelloKitty, Congrats, you are on the move. Where in Ontario do you live? I have met my first Torontonian on Susan's. I was born in Toronto & live in a western suburb. Antonia & I met a few weeks ago. When you are in TO again, perhaps we could all meet up.
Paige, where about do you reside?
Take care.
Jamie
Quote from: Jamiep on October 21, 2014, 10:47:31 PM
Paige, where about do you reside?
Hi Jamie,
I live in York Region, don't really want to get more specific than that. Good to hear there's fellow girls from Ontario on Susan's.
Paige :)
Paige, I understand. I usually do say if it is too personal to divulge, I get it. Forgot to do that, sorry. Never an address. You are in the GTA like me. Nice to know if a person is within the area you live, if there is an interest in meeting up some time.
Jamie.
Quote from: Jamiep on October 22, 2014, 01:42:36 PM
Paige, I understand. I usually do say if it is too personal to divulge, I get it. Forgot to do that, sorry. Never an address. You are in the GTA like me. Nice to know if a person is within the area you live, if there is an interest in meeting up some time.
Jamie.
Hi Jamie,
Since the forums seems to be crawled by Google, I try to be a little careful with what I put into my posts. I feel a little guilty about my secrecy, some days I wish the world knew and I could just get on with it, but then I start thinking about all the people I know and imagining how they would react. God I really hate dysphoria some times.
Anyway, it would interesting to meet with you some time for a coffee or something. It would be nice to talk to someone else going through these struggles.
Take care,
Paige :)
Ah, thanks for responding hun. OMG, yes, the secrecy. Most of my immediate family knows & friends. Relatives on the east coast, no, but I don't get there often enough to matter. My wife has a cousin that accidentally found out. Her brother & his wife don't know, nor their kids & relatives. My wife doesn't want to tell them, having to live a lie to them drives me nuts. Beyond the LGBTQIA village in Toronto, my wife doesn't want to go out with me as Jamie in our area.
We could pm for a meeting (that takes location out of here).
Be safe.
Jamie
Quote from: Paige on October 22, 2014, 01:27:01 PM
Hi Jamie,
I live in York Region, don't really want to get more specific than that. Good to hear there's fellow girls from Ontario on Susan's.
Paige :)
One more here Paige, from Middlesex county ;)
-ellie
Congrats HK!
So Montreal in the summer I guess, eh? Super :)
Good news, sis. All of the woolly bears I've been seeing have a wide middle stripe this year! Mild winter coming :D
-ellie <3
Antonia: Sure! I'm coming to Toronto from Simcoe and I'm taking a cab (thank gawd I don't have to pay for that!).
I think I could manage a coffee or something before or after my appointment...I have to be there for 10:30.
Paige: I had my doctor send in a referral to them for me, it's the only way to get on the list. Once that's done CAMH will mail you a questionnaire and you fill it out and send it to them. Once they receive it you are officially on the list.
Jamiep: Thanks Jamie! I live in Simcoe, it's a town about 120 miles southwest of Toronto. Also sure I like the idea of meeting you too! If you two are down, I'm down! :D Maybe we could figure out the details closer to my date via pm?
EllieM: Thank you! Hopefully things will go smoothly and if so, probably summer '15 yup. My guess is August but we'll see, Brassard takes a 3 week Holiday over the summer. Not sure which month though.
Also I heard it's suppose to be a long cold winter. I hate the cold so I hope you're right about it being mild!
I've got a very flexible work schedule so before or after both work for me, as you say we can figure out the details as we get closer and know what our calendars look like :)
If anyone in this area thinks they are alone they are way off, by now I've met somewhere around 100 trans people in the GTA and surrounding areas and regularly meet them at the Bouncing Bomb in Oakville, Xpressions gatherings and quite often we'll just plan something on FB and meet downtown.
That's awesome! I pm'd you :3
@HelloKitty, count me down, done. Responded to your pm. I go to Long Point once or twice a year but go via Hamilton. Once I went via the 401, then south, so know where Simcoe is. That would be cool if Antonia, you & I meet! I haven't had any friends go to CAMH. From your post I gather CAMH doesn't do the SRS, so I take it they will refer you to Surgeon that specializes in the operation.
Take care
Jamie
Quote from: Jamiep on October 22, 2014, 11:14:26 PM
@HelloKitty, count me down, done. Responded to your pm. I go to Long Point once or twice a year but go via Hamilton. Once I went via the 401, then south, so know where Simcoe is. That would be cool if Antonia, you & I meet! I haven't had any friends go to CAMH. From your post I gather CAMH doesn't do the SRS, so I take it they will refer you to Surgeon that specializes in the operation.
Take care
Jamie
Yesh we should all meet up for sure! When the time gets closer we will figure out where and what time. :)
Yup it's the Gender Identity Cinic (run by CAMH) I'm going to. They assess readiness for surgery and do the approvals. Working through them is the only way to obtain the funding via OHIP. Once assessed and approved, they will recommend to Ontario Ministry of Health to fund me for surgery. They always approve at this point. So then I discuss which Surgeon (Suporn doesn't accept funding from OHIP because he wants the money upfront...OHIP supplies a deposit for booking only and will not pay for any of the surgery itself until completed. Suporn won't operate that way). It will be Brassard I will choose. Then they will submit funds to Brassard and I will book, or they will not sure how that works.
Fun stuff eh? Lol
Hi, thanks for the explanation. I wondered how that worked out as I didn't think CAMH had the facility to do operations there.
Jamie
Quote from: Jamiep on October 23, 2014, 11:11:12 AM
Hi, thanks for the explanation. I wondered how that worked out as I didn't think CAMH had the facility to do operations there.
Jamie
You're welcome :)
Is the avatar a pic of you?
Jamie
Quote from: Jamiep on October 25, 2014, 12:46:25 AM
Is the avatar a pic of you?
Jamie
Mmhmm sure is :)
I always make a slightly funny face into the camera lol. Idk y
Quote from: HelloKitty on October 25, 2014, 06:43:39 AM
Mmhmm sure is :)
I always make a slightly funny face into the camera lol. Idk y
super pic! tres cute :)
Kitty, you look goooooggggiiioous!
Quote from: HelloKitty on October 22, 2014, 03:49:29 PM
Paige: I had my doctor send in a referral to them for me, it's the only way to get on the list. Once that's done CAMH will mail you a questionnaire and you fill it out and send it to them. Once they receive it you are officially on the list.
I wonder how it compares to the questionaire I got from the Clark (now CAMH) in the late 80s? Back then I was too scared and never sent it in.
Thanks HelloKitty so much for the information.
Paige :)
Quote from: Jamiep on October 25, 2014, 04:30:33 PM
Kitty, you look goooooggggiiioous!
Thanks! *_*
Paige: I'm not sure if it's the same one or not, but it was only a couple pages long. It asked for me to write about my life growing up and my experience of being transgender and stuff. I never sent it in along with my questionnaire.
You're welcome for the info! :)
I honestly only know the basics of it all though and will likely learn much more on my CAMH date and coming months.
I am going to let people here know exactly what this assessment is like. What I learn, I'm sharing. :)
Some people I met in real life, not on Susans, were totally unhelpful, useless actually. I'm not mean but I asked them how things were at their assessment like what sort of questions were asked of them and such. They were very tight lipped! They just wouldn't give me info or help me in any way and I found that pathetic.
So I can't wait to tell what I will know because I like to help and if anyone finds the info useful than that will be awesome. :3
Quote from: HelloKitty on October 26, 2014, 08:41:39 AM
I am going to let people here know exactly what this assessment is like. What I learn, I'm sharing. :)
...
So I can't wait to tell what I will know because I like to help and if anyone finds the info useful than that will be awesome. :3
thanks Kitty! I know there are more than a few "otherly equipped" girls here who appreciate that a lot!
Looking forward to hearing more, and I hope your journey is blessed with fair winds and following seas :)
<3
-ellie
Quote from: HelloKitty on October 26, 2014, 08:41:39 AM
I am going to let people here know exactly what this assessment is like. What I learn, I'm sharing. :)
Some people I met in real life, not on Susans, were totally unhelpful, useless actually. I'm not mean but I asked them how things were at their assessment like what sort of questions were asked of them and such. They were very tight lipped! They just wouldn't give me info or help me in any way and I found that pathetic.
So I can't wait to tell what I will know because I like to help and if anyone finds the info useful than that will be awesome. :3
That will be very useful. Thanks so much Kitty.
Paige :)