Hey everyone!
So this is just a short update from my excitement. A few days ago my first ever article was published through FTM Magazine. I am not sure if I am allowed to share it or not, as it was a bit political in nature. More a rallying call though, less pointing of fingers type thing. That really made my day, and I am still excited about it. I am hoping to get more articles published by them, but only time will tell.
I am currently working on a novel with a gay FTM trans man as the main character. ^.^ I am going to self publish it on Amazon once it is all done, and hope to have it help me get my top surgery.
Speaking of top surgery... I found several doctors that take my insurance. None are in my state. The closest one is maybe New Mexico. I am in the Northern tip of Louisiana. There is another in Kansas, and one in Georgia. So I will be researching all of them and deciding who to go with from there.
I still feel like there is so much to do, and I really don't know how to do most any of it. Like with HRT, I have no idea how to get started past getting my letter. I guess I should call the trans friendly endo I have been told about and find out if she needs a referral from a family doctor first and if she takes my insurance. I am really scared that she isn't going to take my insurance and then I will be stuck with finding an endo and probably dealing with discrimination.
Anyway that's my update. If anyone wants the link, you can PM me. :) Or if I am allowed to post it here, I will happily share it.
Hope that everyone is keeping their heads up!
Congrats on your article, it sounds like you are really proud of that accomplishment. I hope you are able to get more articles published.
Congrats on the article! I'd definitely love to read it (and could then tell you if the link is shareable here or not :) )
Re: Top surgeons - Transbucket has loads of top surgery results, as do Tumblr and YouTube. You can also try searching for names on the top surgery board or making a post about the surgeons you're considering to see if anyone will drop in with feedback.
Re: what to do w/ HRT - Likely depends more on your insurance than on her policies. Some insurances require a referral from a family doctor in order to see a specialist, while others will allow you to go directly to a specialist as long as they are in network. So your first question should be whether or not she is in network with your insurance, and then figuring out what you need to do in terms of a referral. HMOs typically require a referral, while PPOs do not if that helps. If she is out of network, you would need a referral from an in network regular doctor. You may also have some luck getting her considered to be in network with a single case agreement if she is the only doctor in your area that has experience with transgender HRT. It's easy to do with surgeons. I could see it being more difficult for just HRT, but it may be worth it if you are worried about finding a doctor that won't be a total jerk.
Did you look into Planned Parenthoods in your area? Some locations do HRT at low cost with no referrals needed.
For HRT - I asked my therapist if she had any recommendations. She pointed me to one of the best doctors I've ever seen. Maybe your therapist may know some T friendly doctors.
Awesome to hear about the writing success! Congrats -- hopefully they'll let you share the link :)
+1 to the planned parenthood idea. I just got the thumbs up from my therapist to start HRT, and I'll be going to a nearby PP to get started. Sounds like a pretty complete service. There's a description and list of locations under the "What health services can Planned Parenthood give me if I'm transgender?" question here:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation-gender/trans-identities
I think that list is incomplete, too. There are a couple locations near me that offer HRT and aren't listed, so it might still be worth a call.
I have so much respect and love for planned parenthood for taking this initiative!
I've sent the link along to FTMax (happily), so after he has read it, if I can share it here I will. :)
FTMax, thank you for the suggestions for top surgeons, a good place to start looking. I am going to try and call the endo I have been referred to, but my anxiety keeps flaring up at the idea of calling her. I am going to hopefully get through that on Monday.
Sadly there is no Planned Parenthood in my city or in any of the cities nearby. I think the closest one was several hours away. So PP isn't an option for me. I keep feeling really overwhelmed with everything.
My therapist is great, but she doesn't really have much experience with trans I think. She wasn't able to direct me to an endo or doctors herself. She got me in contact with the president of the local Louisiana Trans Advocates chapter and I got information from her on the endo. Just have to do the calling now. Won't be another several months, but I know I would be less anxious if I knew what all needed to happen before I could set up my appointment to start T.