So I had a letter pop through my door this morning, one I'd been waiting a while for. I have my referral to West London to sort out the birth defect*, the way things being done by here meaning I have started the countdown to surgery. Obviously deliriously happy at the moment.
As the timescales on the NHS seem to be more-or-less random, in the interests of adding a little extra data to the pool: I went to see my GP in June 2012, Community Health Psychiatrist October 2012, first appointment with the local gender specialist February 2013, full-time June 2013, HRT from August 2013, start of referral for GCS December 2014, surgery ????.
By NHS standards that's racing through the process. It's only shocking quite how long some of those intervals are when I write them down like that.
Rosie
* this is the authors opinion only and is in no way intended to indicate there should be any homogeneity to trans peoples experiences.
Big hug! You know what they say, big things come in small packages. Never more true than today! Thanks for sharing the happiness!
Hugs, Devlyn
Cheers love, thanks for that.
Which, shockingly enough, is not meant with any sarcasm whatsoever. Thanks Devlyn.
Rosie
That's wonderful news Rosie :-*
L Katy
Thank you Katy.
I have been doing a bit more digging to try and work out a rough date for when I can expect to be seen at Charing Cross. I am guessing that they had got fed up of being asked the question as they have put up a page giving the figures. You can find it here: http://www.imperial.nhs.uk/services/gendersurgery/faqs/index.htm.
So, assuming nothing changes very much in the intervening period I am at the back of a 65 week queue. Being British, I am good at queuing and 65 weeks doesn't sound too horrendous. Roll on April 2016!
Rosie
Countdowns are good! Are you going to put up a ticker?
Hugs, Devlyn