Hiya,
Rosies, on the whole, are fairly level-headed if somewhat fierce bunnies. Ungiven to ranting and moderately (though inexpertly) inclined to giving helpful words to those in need and at this particular juncture would appreciate the opportunity to have a bit of a grumble, with overtones of "tell me ain't as bad as wot they say it is".
Today I went to see the very glamorous Dr. Jamil (SE Wales's pre-eminent, nay only, gender specialist) who told me that she is quite happy to make the referral for the surgery to sort out then birth defect. Which is all fine and tidy like except:
* The letter for the referral will need to wait until her secretary gets back in the new year,
* After the letter the WSSC need to approve funding,
* Best hope of the funding actually hitting the system is 6 months,
* After that I'll fall (more or less literally) into the NHS's Lunndain Gorllewin surgery waiting list, which means,
* 2-3 (redacted due to extreme swearing) years spent spinning wheels.
Whilst I appreciate that the NHS can seem like a Garden of Delights to those with a fully privatised healthcare system it is still a right thingummy-nonsense irritant to those of us living under the spell of the ham-faced shed-head and his troupe of uncaring flah-flutters.
The mainly dischuffed,
Rosie
While I am sorry for the blizzard of hoops you jump and delays you encounter you do have that precious light at the end of the tunnel that some of us are still fighting to see. Greener grass for some bunnies?
Though a serious post I appreciate your entertaining style ;)
Thanks Tessa,
and anyone who is stuck in that fully privatised healthcare system does have my fullest sympathies but dammit! It's a blasted long tunnel!
Rosie
Pros, doesn't cost you big $$$. Cons, takes freaking forever. Sounds like tha Australian system, except as far as I know they don't do SRS on it at all.
Really, if it takes that long they should recommend you for it the second you walk through the door, that way when you're ready for it after the requisite HRT and RLE then it wouldn't be a wait at all.
Hmmm.
To rehash an old saying..
"Due to budget cuts and application for funding the light at the end of the tunnel has been temporarily dimmed...." >:(
NHS :icon_lemon:
I shall commence growling in sympathy for you.
Nikki
Sounds like you get wot you pay for, which isn't much, eh.
Ohhhh the NHS is a wonderful thing!!!!....Hmmmm, hang on, I'm on the NHS! Any appointments? nope. Any hormones? nope. Any chance of getting any sooner than 9 months? nope.
True though, it is free......eventually :)
Tamara, Chrissy, the NHS is a long way from free. It costs me around £500 a month, which I think translates to somewhere around $16,000,000, though my calculations may be inaccurate. Ms. Grace I am not sure if I misunderstood you or not but the NHS will cover surgery, that is the referral I am about to get. The hormones have been provided already and we do get rather a good anti-androgen (Gosrelin).
I shall do the usual British things of writing to my MP (who has replied already), complaining inwardly and quietly joining the queue whilst gently seething.
Rosie
QuoteIt costs me around £500 a month, which I think translates to somewhere around $16,000,000, though my calculations may be inaccurate.
Did you mean $16,000? Wot kind of math is this? At roughly $2/£, £500 would = $1,000. At $1.60/£, £500 would be about $800. Either way at £6,000 per year you could save between £18,000 and £24,000 in 3 - 4 years and then just pay cash without all the hoops and gatekeeping.
How on earth is it costing you £500 a month?
It wasn't hyperbole, just an admittedly quite poor attempt at humour. The deliberately exaggerated fudging of the exchange rate calculations that is. The £500 a month is due to me being fortunate enough to have to pay tax* and being doubly fortunate enough that that is the amount of National Insurance I pay. Which (allegedly at least) is used to fund the NHS.
Anyhow, grumbling over. I have written to a couple of politicians which at least lets me feel as though I am doing something useful.
Rosie
*As some wag said sometime: the only thing worse than having to pay taxes is not having to pay taxes.