Hey sisters, I've taken the first step (to somewhere) I've made my first Gender Related Dr appointment and its in two weeks. I'm really nervous and unsure too. I'm not sure where it will lead or where it will end. I just knew that I had to do something about the waves of dysphoria that kept hitting me. Any advice, particularly from UK girls but all would be welcome.

Hope it goes well, sorry I can't give anything specific about the UK but there are quite a few UK members here. I'll change the title of your post to catch their attention and hopefully they will respond.

Brilliant! Thank you so much!

The road ahead is going to be a long one, think of it as lots of small steps, but it is achievable.  The GP's may not have come across Gender Dysphonia before, so research what you believe you need. There are numerous posts from other UK members on this site about the  steps, and if needed I can go over what is needed at each step. 

Expect some very personal questions, I found it easier each time until the answers almost became a mantra.  But if your looking at a  website I think you have already been asking and answering the hard questions already.

The key to a successful transition  is taking control of it yourself.   Don't expect others to push for referrals, etc.  I pushed at every stage to speed things up in the NHS, and to get where I wanted to be.  The GP's/ Specialists will sometimes be slow.  Enquire with the people involved a few steps ahead.  So if you're at the GP stage, start enquiring at clinics to find out if you can get direct assessment referrals from your GP, and miss the local mental health service.

Mostly I wish you the best.  It's definitely the hardest decision you will have to make.  For me it was also the best

Hi Heather, congrats on taking your first steps. I'm from the UK but I'm not really sure what advice to give though, sorry.  I had my appointment at the end of July and I was very nervous too. I was advised by the trans* group that I attend to take the information that they had given me, just general info for the doctor to look through in case they weren't familiar with transgender dysphoria. The first doctor I saw wasn't particularly helpful and pretty much dismissed what I was saying straight away, that got me down to be honest but when I left I set up a second appointment for the following week which went much better. I took the same information to this appointment as well but she didn't need it, we talked for a little while about my dysphoria,  my past and what I could expect in the future, she refered me for my psych appointment which I had back in September and now I've been refered to the Nottingham GIC.

I guess that's the only advice to give you. Take along some general information with you just in case you need it and if you're unfortunate enough to have a doctor who isn't helpful for whatever reason, try not to let it get you down. Make an appointment with somebody else, you'll find someone who'll help you. I hope it goes well.

Thanks for all the kind words and advice. What info should I take along? It's so nice to have people who have done it and know what to expect.

Well for your gp this guide from the NHS website, just so they know/

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Transhealth/Documents/gender-dysphoria-guide-for-gps-and-other-health-care-staff.pdf

Hey Heather I'm in the UK too and just started out. So far I've only been to my GP.  It's only a tiny village but they already have a couple transgender patients so she wasn't at all fazed.  I knew I could be directly referred to the GIC without having to go through the usual mental health team so I told the doc that's what I wanted.  She took a few details then said she would refer me direct.

I think what I've learned so far from research is to know what you want and to understand the NHS path because you can't rely on the health professionals you come across to know.

Here is a link to a pdf I found really useful
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbytenoise.co.uk%2Foh-for-->-bleeped-<-s-sake%2Fmascara-and-hope.pdf&ei=7YiDVO_OFsn_UILaguAJ&usg=AFQjCNGgUpVG4qVMcGHr6KHCMYQh83DRsg&sig2=_PLCAT1xElIMWqLaH6LhnA

Good luck and please feel free to IM me if you need or want a chat Hugs

Hi Heather, I'm another UK'er too. Good luck with your first appointment!

Hi there i am too from the uk . I went to my gp about a month and a half ago that was the first step they rang me back yesterday and made me another appointment they didn't say too much down the phone but they did say it was about what we had talked about and they wanted to talk to me about a direct refural appointment at the GIC and I think they said Leeds .my appointment is on Friday and I'll keep you all posted . I wish you luck

Chrissie Rose xx

OK - since there are a lot of UK "starts" here..... I do not usually bother too much with this place (susans) because it often gets me down, nonetheless I keep an eye on it and post from time to time.

In the UK you have two choices:

- Go private, pay for everything like they do in the US and (more or less) transition to suit yourself

- Use the NHS. Free to use, but you play by their rule book.

People from outside the UK will tell you how backwards and antiquated and cruel the UK system is. Ignore them. They do not use it and have no clue what they are on about. Some people from the UK will tell you how it should be run and their opinions may even be reasonable, but you have to deal with how the NHS is and not how it should be.

I have been through the whole UK process. I know what I am talking about so here is the unvarnished truth for anyone aged 18+ doing MTF

Most (not all) Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and GPs will refer you to a local psychiatrist. This is to ensure that you have no other conditions that might look like Gender Dysphoria (GD) but actually  be something else like schizophrenia, BDD, etc. This is usually quite quick - a matter  of weeks - and they will recommend that you are forwarded to a specialist Gender Identity Clinic (GIC).

To get to a GIC will take months and, at present, the average seems to be 12 months. You can do research and decide which GIC you want and pick the one with the shortest list. Most English CCGs will let you choose, I am not sure about the Scottish ones and the Welsh ones will send you to Charing Cross in London no matter what you want.

At GICs the process differs depending on the GIC, but the chances of getting hormones on the first visit is nil. For example, Leeds usually offer hormones at the third or fourth visit and these visits are every four weeks, but Charing usually offers hormones at the second visit but the first and second visits are six months apart.

After you are established on hormones for some time (6 to 12 months) you will have two assessments for surgery if you want it. You will then go on a surgeons list to be assessed by the surgeon and given a date for surgery. At present this is a long wait because of a balls-up in London last year.

In short, expect the NHS process to take 2 to 5 years which is no bad thing because you have a lot to do.

1) Manage everything. Do not let the NHS bureaucrats do it. Get a big folder and file every letter, every appointment and every document to do with your transition.

2) Know what you want and ASK for it. This is different from DEMANDING it.

3) Start facial hair removal. This takes YEARS so start early.

4) If you are CERTAIN about transitioning then you can start early. You do not need anyone's permission to transition and as soon as you speak to a GP then you are protected by UK law from discrimination as a trans person. You can even change your name and medical records if you wish to and if you do you will have been deemed as starting your "Real Life Experience" (RLE). If you have this started before you attend the GICs it can really speed things up.

Anyway, that is an outline of what you can expect over the next weeks and months.

You will not get surgery on the NHS at the moment until you have been full time for two years. That may change in the future if the protocols change.

The surgery side at the moment is a mess with long waiting times for the surgery consultation and the surgery itself. However there may be an improvement in the new year if the rumours about Dr Bellringer being given a new contract are true. That would give the NHS three surgeons.

Choose which GIC you get referred to very carefully. Charing Cross and Leeds seem to have the longest waiting times. Nottingham do not seem too bad.

As others have said do not wait for the NHS to do anything. They will not do very much for you unless you are moving things along yourself. You need to think about changing your name and going full time. If you can show that you have a plan and are making progress then you will get a better reaction from them.

I was referred by my GP to a local psychiatrist over two years ago. I had my second assessment at CHX in early November. By then there was nothing left for them to do as I went full time in Jan 2013 and I have my surgery booked for Feb 2015. I would have lost two precious years of my life if I had waited for the NHS. I think the treatment by the NHS for transsexuals is appalling. Any other group and there would be a major outcry.

I'm based in London, UK. I self-medicate because I wasn't prepared to justify myself to NHS GPs & psychiatrists. I'm definitely NOT recommending you do likewise! It's better to go through the NHS if you can endure the lengthy, intrusive process. I'm not trying to discourage you - I just think it's important for folk to be aware that the normally excellent NHS offers a fairly poor service for trans folk, in comparison to other more enlightened countries! Having said that, my GP is happy to do the necessary blood tests for me - she just won't prescribe hormones. Fairly sure you need to be approved by a Gender Identity Clinic for HRT. Good luck on your journey!

Quote from: emma5410 on December 06, 2014, 06:49:16 PM
However there may be an improvement in the new year if the rumours about Mr Bellringer being given a new contract are true. That would give the NHS three surgeons.

This is very likely. I had GRS with him 2 weeks ago privately, but I had hoped it would have been able to be paid for by the NHS. They where waiting for final commissioning meetings to confirm the contract; he himself is very optimistic about it happening soon.  I had also talked to the commissioning officer for the NHS, and she had said that it was awaiting this special commissioning meeting that is happening  this month.