So, I was at the Gender Clinic in Edmonton (yay, trans mecca, here anyway). And my doc as already approved GRS (SRS -- they use GRS here, Gender Reassignment Surgery).
The only thing I need now is my 2nd letter.
I'm seeing my home psychiatrist (Dr. A) on Thursday and I'm hoping that she's going to write that letter. Previously I asked her and although she agreed that I fully qualify for GRS, but she kept dancing around the issue with actually writing the letter (I'm not sure why -- to my face she says it's great and that I fully qualify and deserve GRS, but then seems to be afraid to actually put that on paper).
So, I'm hoping that she'll give me the 2nd letter and I believe the gender clinic is going to write her about it -- I told my Edmonton psychiatrist (Dr. W) at the clinic about my psychiatrist beating the bush, which he wasn't happy about it. Dr. W is the psychiatrist that every trans person sees in Edmonton is also head psychiatrist board. Well, I should say that almost, there's one other doctor who only sees a handful of people.
In Alberta, you need either one of two doctors signatures to be approved for GRS, Dr. W or Dr. B, both in Edmonton. Dr. B is retired, so only sees limited people, so Dr. W is the person every trans person needs to see in hopes to get GRS through the province of Alberta. So, when Dr. W says "I approve you for GRS" that's the most important letter of all. The 2nd letter is also needed, but it needs to be a psychiatrist as well, kind of like a second witness.
The good news is that if my home doc, Doc. A, won't write it for some reason, Dr. W will send me to Dr. C at the Gender Clinic and he'll write my 2nd letter. So, either way, the 2nd letter is coming sooner or later. Like I said, when Dr. W says yes, it's a big thing and he makes sure that I get the second letter as soon as possible.
So, then, after Dr. W gets the send letter, he fills out a ton of paperwork along with his letter and another psychatrists letter. That stuff is send to Alberta Health Care and is processed, which can take up to a few months.
Once that is all done, I get my approval for GRS in Montreal. Everyone in Alberta gets send to Montreal, unless on the very rare occasion we are sent to Meltzer (you need to have a serious medical issue). The reason it's done this way is because there's some deal with Montreal and Alberta Health to cover GRS as a covered surgery under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan. It's pretty good, it's the only one that covers GRS fully in Canada, including the flight there and back. It's a sweet deal, but it takes a long waiting time and getting past the Gatekeepers. The gov. sucks off money every paycheque for health care, it's nice to get such a wonderful return. >
So, anyway, I'm excited. Once everything goes through, I can call Montreal and then I'll be on the waiting list there. Estimated GRS time is anywhere from April to July 2008. Sooner is possible, but probably not as possible, and later would suck, but it is also possible, the time I get in really depends on how fast the paperwork gets done and the wait list in Montreal. Then again, I don't know -- I could be sent in Feb, the dead winter of Montreal... I'll freeze my ass off, but I'll be smiling all the way. LOL
So, anyway, I'm pretty excited right now -- things are finally going through and the only thing left is to get that 2nd letter (something pretty much guaranteed that I'll get one way or another), and waiting. I think the waiting is going to be the hard part... knowing that, yes, finally I got through all of the stuff, I've lived full time for a year, and all I have to do is wait just a few months longer, and GRS time.
--natalie
