So I have an appointment with a doctor, I found her through my therapist, and I'm just wondering what to expect. She told me not to eat before so I think she'll take blood too. She said something about getting to know me and a physical or something. Not sure what to expect. How long does the lab work usually take?
Well essentially, when I went to see my HRT doctor for the first time. He asked me about my transition and I told him my story. Then he had me get my blood drawn and I came back for another appointment where he went over how my blood looked and my T and E levels and then he prescribed a low dosage of spiro and E. He gave me instructions to keep the dosage low for the first month and go up the next 2 and we'd meet up again when 3 months had passed.
Stress free, great doc.
That sounds great and I'm surprised, that's exactly what I thought might happen. I hope it all goes well for me too. :D btw I saw your latest video jerica and your hair is growing out so nicely!!
Quote from: andthenwekisss on August 31, 2010, 12:09:35 PM
That sounds great and I'm surprised, that's exactly what I thought might happen. I hope it all goes well for me too. :D btw I saw your latest video jerica and your hair is growing out so nicely!!
Thanks girl! Yes I can't believe it. I just looked at myself in the mirror the other day and was like "wow" it's really getting there.
My first appointment with the endo, like Jerica's was a quick physical and evaluation of my transition
It was pretty nerve wracking only because i was so anxious to start HRT!
I was waiting for him to say something like "Sorry Your NOT Transgender and we will not be giving you HRT"
(I Would've Died)
and for me it was a little traumatizing as I've never had a physical and felt VERY Uncomfortable
With a old Dutch man putting his hands down my pants
Buuuuuutt! Aside from that It felt amazing to finally be getting onto my Journey!
The Process was really quick, or at least it felt that way.
Let us Know How It Goes!!!
I see my endo for the 3rd time in october and I'm pretty excited for that too :)
Quote from: Jerica on August 31, 2010, 12:19:15 PM
Thanks girl! Yes I can't believe it. I just looked at myself in the mirror the other day and was like "wow" it's really getting there.
It is! Mine too even though it's still short :(
Quote from: JocelynFreiky on August 31, 2010, 12:50:47 PM
My first appointment with the endo, like Jerica's was a quick physical and evaluation of my transition
It was pretty nerve wracking only because i was so anxious to start HRT!
I was waiting for him to say something like "Sorry Your NOT Transgender and we will not be giving you HRT"
(I Would've Died)
and for me it was a little traumatizing as I've never had a physical and felt VERY Uncomfortable
With a old Dutch man putting his hands down my pants
Buuuuuutt! Aside from that It felt amazing to finally be getting onto my Journey!
The Process was really quick, or at least it felt that way.
Let us Know How It Goes!!!
I see my endo for the 3rd time in october and I'm pretty excited for that too :)
omg they have to touch me down there? I was so worried about that and hoping it wouldn't have to happen. No one's ever touched me there or even seen me there! lol not since I was a baby :S
But it'll be worth it I guess.
A question I also have is, how often do you have to go get a new prescription for hormones?
[quote author=andthenwekisss
omg they have to touch me down there? I was so worried about that and hoping it wouldn't have to happen. No one's ever touched me there or even seen me there! lol not since I was a baby
A question I also have is, how often do you have to go get a new prescription for hormones?
[/quote]
One thing that amused me through the years of my transition was that no doctor wanted to take any interest in my male genitals - they didn't want to get infected with TSism! But as you are young and sexy you may get special attention.. :D
Over here in UK our pescriptions can be rolled over and repeated indefinitely for lots of things but just rrecently they are trying to wean folk off dependency of drugs with marginal results so we are finding we have to get a new one every month but my Spiro one is still repeated by a phone call.
Quote from: lilacwoman on August 31, 2010, 02:42:54 PM
[quote author=andthenwekisss
omg they have to touch me down there? I was so worried about that and hoping it wouldn't have to happen. No one's ever touched me there or even seen me there! lol not since I was a baby
A question I also have is, how often do you have to go get a new prescription for hormones?
One thing that amused me through the years of my transition was that no doctor wanted to take any interest in my male genitals - they didn't want to get infected with TSism! But as you are young and sexy you may get special attention.. :D
Over here in UK our pescriptions can be rolled over and repeated indefinitely for lots of things but just rrecently they are trying to wean folk off dependency of drugs with marginal results so we are finding we have to get a new one every month but my Spiro one is still repeated by a phone call.
I don't want special attention!!! :( But thank you!! :P
Quote from: andthenwekisss on August 31, 2010, 02:00:40 PM
It is! Mine too even though it's still short :(
omg they have to touch me down there? I was so worried about that and hoping it wouldn't have to happen. No one's ever touched me there or even seen me there! lol not since I was a baby :S
But it'll be worth it I guess.
A question I also have is, how often do you have to go get a new prescription for hormones?
I'm Afraid So :(
I was in the same boat your are
But Endocrinologist are Aware of the discomfort it brings TS Women
It is definitely worth it, love
Just Remind yourself that is all for the gain of
ESTROGEN!I have a monthly prescription now, but at the beginning of my HRT they prescribed me a 3 month supply for about 6 months
Also I was insured by Blue Care Network (I dont really know insurance differences or Insurance lingo)
up untill june and I paid 10 dollars for prescription.
Without insurance i paid roughly 60 dollars Which still isn't too terrible, but it is when you have no income :(
Thank God I Go back on Insurance in September :D
Quote from: JocelynFreiky on August 31, 2010, 02:50:38 PM
I'm Afraid So :(
I was in the same boat your are
But Endocrinologist are Aware of the discomfort it brings TS Women
It is definitely worth it, love
Just Remind yourself that is all for the gain of ESTROGEN!
I have a monthly prescription now, but at the beginning of my HRT they prescribed me a 3 month supply for about 6 months
Also I was insured by Blue Care Network (I dont really know insurance differences or Insurance lingo)
up untill june and I paid 10 dollars for prescription.
Without insurance i paid roughly 60 dollars Which still isn't too terrible, but it is when you have no income :(
Thank God I Go back on Insurance in September :D
I know it's worth it just fml! Ahh Do you have to go back to a doctor to get a new prescription each month?
Quote from: andthenwekisss on August 31, 2010, 02:57:24 PM
I know it's worth it just fml! Ahh Do you have to go back to a doctor to get a new prescription each month?
Sometimes
The way its done for me (and for most people)
is the doctor writes, say a year supply (for insurance reasons)
and then after a year usually you just call or email your doctor and ask for an extension and it is done
easy as that
usually your supply will end around the time your next appointment with your Doctor occurs
and usually they will up you, or change dosages so it is ended done with that purpose
Keep in mind that you may want to document when you take your meds
With maybe an alarm clock, or a ticker, or jotting on a calender
especially if your forgetful
you don't want to accidentally take an extra pill or forget to take it
I cant even tall you how many times thats happened to me and my prescription ran out too soon because i took more than i was supposed to that month :(
That doesn't sound good! I'll probably put it in my cell phone calender. How often would I take the shots? Do you know? I kinda wanna get shots rather than pills.
Quote from: andthenwekisss on August 31, 2010, 03:06:47 PM
That doesn't sound good! I'll probably put it in my cell phone calender. How often would I take the shots? Do you know? I kinda wanna get shots rather than pills.
hmm I'm not to sure so dont quote me about the injections
but i think its once every two weeks, Mayhaps?
I've heard that the injections are more convenient and give a wee bit faster results
But I think the rate at which you transition is based on person not method
I wanted to do injections but I dont think i would be able to handle self administered injections! :-X
Even though you can have your General doctor do it for you once bi-weekly, i imagine self administration would definitely be more convenient
I think I'd be able to handle injections. I'm worried about pills messing with my liver causing me to gain weight!! Plus idk just seems better. Haha. They might hurt but idk lol. Either way I just want hormonessssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Girlfran You Will get Them Don't You Worry :)
And these 29 days will FLY By
In the mean time
EDUCATE YOURSELF UNTIL YOUR BRAIN HURTS
about hormones.
It's good to know everything there is to know about what you are putting into your body
Knowledge is Power.
The only time that my GP ever asked to see my genitals or touch them before I changed was to ensure that I did not have a hernia.
I was never asked by my GP, endocrinologist or even my surgeon when I changed, if they wanted to see my genitals. So I would be curious as to why they would want to see yours. I suppose they want to check to see that nothing is physically wrong. So I would suggest that you ask why they want to see your genitals, if that is what they want to do. If they do ask you that particular question then you can decide whether it is appropriate for them to see your genitals.
My prescription for my hormones lasts one fortnight and I have a prescription that allows for 6 repeats, which means, my hormones last 3 months before I have to go back and see my GP to get my prescription renewed. Every 6 months I have blood works done to check that everything is ok. But then again, how people get their prescriptions filled and take their hormones depends on where you live and doctors that take care of you.
If both of you Andthenwekiss and Jerica have very long hair, you both will be beautiful young ladies. But then again I'm biased towards long hair! :)
Sorry I never answered your questions. Yes you can be a little nervous on your first visit or you can be the confident young lady that I know you are. The blood works will establish your existing T and E levels and other factors that the doctor wants to test and from those blood tests your dosages will be established. Blood works usually take a couple of days to do. The physical will generally be to see how healthy you are.
Take care and let us know how you go with your appointment. Your experience will be very much appreciated by the other girls on Susan's.
Kind regards
Sarah B
Jocelyn inreall hope time flies!! I hate waiting but I'm goad it's nit a huge wait. :/ I'm just impatientttt
And Sarah thanks! I will definitely update you all once I go!!!
Quote from: Sarah B on August 31, 2010, 03:36:16 PM
The only time that my GP ever asked to see my genitals or touch them before I changed was to ensure that I did not have a hernia.
I was never asked by my GP, endocrinologist or even my surgeon when I changed, if they wanted to see my genitals. So I would be curious as to why they would want to see yours. I suppose they want to check to see that nothing is physically wrong. So I would suggest that you ask why they want to see your genitals, if that is what they want to do. If they do ask you that particular question then you can decide whether it is appropriate for them to see your genitals.
My prescription for my hormones lasts one fortnight and I have a prescription that allows for 6 repeats, which means, my hormones last 3 months before I have to go back and see my GP to get my prescription renewed. Every 6 months I have blood works done to check that everything is ok.
If both of you Andthenwekiss and Jerica have very long hair, you both will be beautiful young ladies. But then again I'm biased towards long hair! :)
Take care and let us know how you go with your appointment. Your experience will be very much appreciated by the other girls on Susan's.
Kind regards
Sarah B
Well the reasoning my endo had was just standard Physical testing
and to study my testicular volume and size pre-HRT and during HRT
i also think that because testicles being a huge factory of testosterone and having a lot to do with endocrinology (and I never having a physical before)
Physical examination was very necessary
It took 3 visits till my Endo approved me for the meds. Of course this was in the late 90s.People were jaded then. ::)
Hmm they didn't have to touch me "down there". My HRT doc hasnt even seen me down there actually.
My family doc knows though and he's supportive. I'm having a physical with him soon, that will be interesting...I'm sure the computer system will try to say I need a papsmear again hahaha
Hopefully it all goes well and I don't end up too traumatized haha. Seems everyone else is fine. :P
But this has me feeling even more trans, because I don't think I'd be that uncomfortable with the idea of like a breast examination or seeing a gynecologist etc. But idk I guess I'm more embarrassed about what I have than I thought lol.
My endo did inspect the plumbing down there... and even measured it with a metal ruler to see if it fell within the "normal size range". Penile and testicular development (or lack thereof) is a fast and easy way to see if there are any hormonal issues upfront one way or the other. So don't be surprise if they want to poke around down there... just ask him to run his hands under some warm water first ;).
The blood only takes 2-3 days to be tested by the lab. Some docs test for total T level, other total + free, and some other tests as well. The main test they will always run is a liver function test, to make sure your liver is in top running condition.
Oh, it also helps if your doc has a good sense of humor. :laugh:
Omg now you're scaring me! =0
Quote from: andthenwekisss on August 31, 2010, 07:03:12 PM
Omg now you're scaring me! =0
Nothing to be scared of. It's just a means to an ends. It'll be over quick, don't sweat it.
;)
It's all worth it in the end so I don't care how scared I get! :D
I am sooo not looking forward to being touched "below" at all. :(
Though weirdly I think after bottom surgery I would'nt care too much.
Kinda like YES I HAVE A PENIS! I WANT THE WORLD TO WITNESS MY MANDHOOD thing. :laugh:
That's how I kinda feel haha
Thank goodness nobody did any poking anywhere when I went, I seriously am not that pragmatic to just think of it as a means to an end and move on, I think I'm excessively fragile :-\
They just ordered a blood tests and that was it.
If your doctor has had trans patients before maybe they won't ask.
If asked and you're not comfortable try a polite "I'd rather not".
But imagine yourself walking out with your prescription in your hand feeling already changed :D
Honestly I wouldn't worry too much about it. They think of the penis as just some body part like a finger or a nose. I know it's hard to be comfortable with it (I hate with a passion for people to even recognize it's there) but the doc is probably just checking for things like abnormal growth or something that may need to be treated first. Or maybe even checking size (I think that was suggested earlier in this thread) to see if it is possible that you may have an intersex condition or something.
Hopefully the doc wont be so thorough, though :)
You guys are amazing!! I already feel better about going haha. I'm more worried about having to wait forever for the next appointment or something. =\
actually if the GP or endo does do an exam of your male bits you might find yourself watching and wondering what the heck that bit of skin is doing there and doesn't it look out of place.
haha that's pretty much how I fee about it now. :P