It's taken 20 years, but shark week is about to become a thing of the past for me.  I'm scheduled to get fixed on Friday.   I cannot wait.

Only thing is,  I will have a dysphoria-induced panic attack (I did at the initial checkup and I can't imagine the surgery will be any different), which is a pain in the ass for the anaesthetist.   Any suggestions on suppressing that?

You can request an anti-anxiety med for before you go in. Sometimes it even helps.

Mosaic dude, good for you; I hope everything work out great for you.  How close to natural menopause are you?  I am young and hoping for a total hysto when I have the money and can find a surgeon, also I don't want any on these parts in me to need annual maintenance and possibly cause major problems later.  I have heard that ablation doesn't end all monthly bleed in some cases hope you are not one of these.  Good luck to you and keep us updated on how you are doing.

Thanks guys!  I'll ask for anti-anxiety meds maybe.  They know I'm trans, so I can tell them I'm having a dysphoric episode, no problems there.

mm:  to answer your question, I'm 28.  Natural menopause is not going to be heading my way for a very long time.   The public health isn't funding this op because I'm trans, but because I'd need it even if I was a woman.   I don't have standard issue girl parts, and they don't function very well.  My age is part of the reason they won't sign off on a hysto.  It's also that the doc reckons she can shut down the uterus without the need for removing it.  I know she may be wrong,  but I hope not.  The other reason they won't take my unnecessary organs out is that I have no kids and I'm young (but don't produce any eggs anyway, go figure).  Oh well, on the bright side, if the biopsy comes back cancerous they will do a hysto, they tell me.  It's not just an ablation they'll be doing,  it's a quite extensive examination of my insidey parts.

They won't take out everything even though you don't produce eggs?  Man, that's a little nutty!  It would make so much more sense to just be safe and cut the lot out when someone doesn't even want the parts.  Gotta love the medical system sometimes, eh?  :-/

Maybe the UK, or Scotland is different (?) but for every surgery I had back home (and there were tons), I never saw an operating room when going for surgery!  I find it odd that people have to experience that side of things in N. America (based on what I've heard from people who've had surgery over here) and can totally understand it causing anxiety or dysphoria if you have to see in there.  Would be nice if they did it how I was used to back home, just knock you out in a ward like area and wheel you into the OR once you're knocked out!  However, I'm sure they'll give you something to ease the anxiety.

Best of luck though!  Hope everything works out well for you! 

Thanks Jack_M.  Yeah, bureaucrat logic isn't the same as regular logic.  I don't know if you ever see the inside of the operating room here in New Zealand,  but I guess I'll find out.   What's freaking me out is the idea that someone's going to see what's inside my trousers.  Not only am I ashamed of the ol' birth defect, but thinking about it forces me to contemplate the problem in my own mind.

Oh I totally understand.  I would have the same reaction as a teenager going for surgery and knowing that they'd see my chest when placing the heart monitor pads.  So add in downstairs stuff and yeah, I definitely feel you.  But I'm sure explaining all that to them will result in some happy juice to take your mind at least a little off it all .