Subject sums it up. I'm just wondering what the time frame is like on wait times for GCS from people like McGinn or Bluebond-Langner? (I'm leaning more heavily towards it every day, and so want to be prepared if it can take a few years.)
Anecdotally I've heard 3 years or so for some of the biggest names. I know some people who've gotten in sooner with some of the doctors currently doing mtf procedures at Brownstein and Crane. Even more specifically, I'll have waited 2 years by the time I get in with Dr Satterwhite. ;)
4 years for Dr. Bowers. I have heard 1 year for an appointment for Dr. McGinn and 4 months for the surgery.
I would go to Dr. McGinn's web site and look at the criteria. For GCS they are looking for: compliant with HRT, full time for at least 1 year, change of name at work and work ID ( I change my work ID while waiting for my legal name change), making your HRT doctors schedules, demonstrating a persistent female identity, maintaining therapy appointments, not purging (throwing out your female clothing) and a description of your dysphoria and a recommendation from your therapist. To have GCS you will need 2 letters form a LSW masters degree or higher.
In order to see Dr. McGinn for an appointment for GCS you will need a letter with the elements she defines on her web site.
There are other doctors with different criteria.
So I made sure I was compliant (was doing it anyway) and was able to have it documented by my therapist. My second letter came from my PCP and a LSW there. They are a LGBT (heavy on T) primary care with 23,000 patients.
I contacted Toby Meltzer's office (http://www.tmeltzer.com/) in late September 2017 and arranged an evaluation with Dr. Ley (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,230213.msg2045592.html#msg2045592) in early November. I'd had laser down there more than a year prior, and electrolysis in that area every other week for almost a year. (More than necessary but I am picky - and I cleared more than just the surgical area). Dr. Ley determined I was surgically ready - so I scheduled the first available spot on her schedule and had GCS 2-1/2 months later (mid January). Dr. Ley had worked along side Dr. Meltzer for two years before starting her own practice at the same clinic, so I was comfortable with my decision. Based on results so far I am super happy. Full depth and zero complications.
If you haven't started permanent hair removal in the surgical area a long wait list is less of an issue because you need time for hair removal. Some surgeons are ok without hair removal (they scrape hair follicles during surgery) but I was able to have fewer minutes under anesthesia by getting rid of all hair in advance, and I wanted to minimize the risk of hair.
I went to brownstein & Crane, originally intended to have my surgery with Thomas Satterwhite, in I think May '16 they gave me a consult appointment for October with an estimated early spring '17 procedure date. By October however, he was booking into August which was after my COBRA insurance was to end. Fortunately Heidi Wittenberg had just started with them and after some miscommunications I got a date in April '17 which was about optimal for my work schedule.
Booking the consult with Dr. B-L was four months out from the time of booking. Consult date was January 23, 2018. After the consult it took a couple weeks of playing phone tag to follow up with them to get the surgery date. My daughter now has a surgery date of February 7, 2019! So a little over a year.
Quote from: Mamariku on February 09, 2018, 01:09:02 PM
Booking the consult with Dr. B-L was four months out from the time of booking. Consult date was January 23, 2018. After the consult it took a couple weeks of playing phone tag to follow up with them to get the surgery date. My daughter now has a surgery date of February 7, 2019! So a little over a year.
Wow, huge congratulations to her! I love all the wonderful moms who show up on this site!! :) I looked at your other posts a moment ago, I appreciate the detail you went in on the big one!