So got in contact with the Doctor about getting pre-assessment checks started, while I do have to now contact my GP again and get them to properly refer me to the Community Mental Health team also had a good chat about the process when I get seen by them.
I was also told that usually you see two psychologists at Sandyford when referred but because in Tayside we get seen by psychologist and a psychiatrists before going to the clinic, then should only need to have one psychologist to see once I get to the clinic, which would at least save on the travel expenses.

Hi Erin

Congrats on going full time -- so glad to hear that things are going well for you!  And yes, everything you say is pretty much what my experience has been.  I was told by the psychologist that I would only have to see one psychologist at the GIC.  Your GP letter and proof of name change is fine for getting your passport changed also. 

Wishing you all the best with it. ^^

Cat

Thanks Cat,

Talked to my boss this morning and he says that other people in the office have been told and they all seemed fine with it. Also my mum's colleague, who didn't know about me, had said that her partner who works in the same company and said they'd all been told about someone transitioning and that his opinion was that no-one seemed to have any issues with it, so that all seems good.

That is definitely a plus. and great to hear.  I'm at uni right now, so my situation is a little different, but it's been the same in that everyone so far has either been fantastically supportive or, at the very least, has had no problem with it.  Hopefully that will continue this semester. 

Hey all!

Glad to see the girls still keeping things interesting, Welcome to the full time club Eris!...I'm afraid we are all out of cookies. >.>

So last week was insane!

First off, I had my first ever Voice Therapy session at Ninewells hospital in Dundee. I was really worried going in, since all the leaflets etc that I was sent out in advance didn't actually mention transgender issues at all...just lots of stuff about recovering from smoke inhalation/throat surgery etc...as a result I was somewhat apprehensive about going in, as I felt that once more I would have to spend the whole first session just explaining the basics and trying to get the therapist on side.

But oh god did I strike gold with my voice therapist! She is a lovely woman (names withheld and all that) who has been workign with trans people for over 10 years, and know EXACTLY what she is doing

I was expecting just a bit of "this is how to speak a tad more feminine", a couple short session and some homework and that would be it. I am over the moon to tell you that this therapist is amazing!

The first appointment was an hour long, the first 30mins of which was just a casual conversation so she could gauge the state of my voice and what I could work on etc. We got on like a house on fire, and by the end of the chat she was very impressed with what work I had done to my voice to far (just basic youtube stuff etc).

We spoke about what I would like my voice to sound like, picking a celebrity to emulate as such, personally I love Amy MacDonald, and always thought she had a lovely voice that I could possibly reach. Thankfully she agreed. ^^#

Apparently though her services do not just stop at you correcting your voice a bit, oh no, she spoke about how we would work on body language, mannerisms, conversation pace, speed and even topics all with the goal of reaching my maximum passing potential.

By the end of the session my head was spinning in the most delightful way. I wanted to give her a hug! I refrained for now...but there will be plenty of opportunities for that later, as I will now be seeing her once a week for the next 6-10 weeks. I can't wait for our next sessions so I can get down to business.

So yeah! For those who are in Tayside and thinking about getting some voice therapy on the NHS, go for it! I can't recommend it enough.


I also had an appointment at Sandyford this week (marking my second time in the gender identity clinic). I expected a fairly standard continuation of going through the motions etc. Lots of talking about childhood, evaluations, discussion about the future etc etc etc. but it turned out that it was far more straight forward than that.

I basically sat down, updated my Dr on the recent happenings in my life...and was then promptly informed that they were very happy with my progress, that I clearly knew what I want, and that they were more than willing to help me in whatever way they can.

So yeah...Signed up for the NHS finally taking over and funding my HRT (which should start next week), laser hair removal, blood tests...and a general "go-ahead" for my surgery in Thailand!

So after 17months on the waiting list, it took only 2 appointments, approximately 1h45min, for them to sign me off as "Approved Transgender Person: Give access to all the things"

It was VERY shocking the speed at which I made it through that place. I will now only need to go back once every 3-6 months for some blood tests...the rest is up to me!

I now only need to get my 2 letters of recommendation from psychologists for my SRS in Thailand and I will be ready to book my surgery day!

...

It's been a fun week xD

YAAY, what a delightful post, Danniella... SO PLEASED FOR YOU!!!  I just got home and this has really cheered me up after the day I've had, too (no need to worry, no big deal, just meh).  So glad you've managed to get all your NHS stuff sorted out! 

I also got super excited reading about your voice experience.  My voice is bugging me so much at the moment.  It'll be a while before I can get a referral for that myself (June will be my first appt at Sandyford if all goes to plan, May if the extra funding they have speeds things up any, or so I was told), but it's reassuring to know that the therapist here is so good! 

I keep putting off trying to find someone to emulate, but I should get on that asap I guess.

Anyway, congrats!  You doing laser at Ninewells too?

Cookies are definitely on you this week. >.>

:3

Hey Danniella good to hear things are good and nice to know the voice stuff is better than expected.

Well had first day at work full time today and everything was fine and we actually just got straight back into work, though got a new photo id badge and got a new email alias sorted out.

Finally got rid of all male my clothing tonight off to a charity shop minus some items that i've kept for gardening/housework use. Now need to really start getting more clothes now, which is sorta good and bad(money mostly, though i will get paid tomorrow).

I've got my name change documents getting processed now, which will start the 20 odd places that i'll need to get in contact with to get things sorted out.

All the best everyone!

Clothing, ugh... I still have that old stuff lying around in binbags in a cupboard somewhere... I really need to ditch it.

Glad to hear everything at work went well for you!

Hope the name change stuff goes smoothly, too.  I got seriously impatient with some of the sluggish responses (and the lack of acknowledgment or notification from certain quarters, and the insistence from some companies that they would 'keep a copy on file but destroy the original' even though I expressly instructed them not to keep any record and that they had no legal basis for doing so >.>), but that was just me being me.  I should really have expected that.  The most annoying thing now is that the only things I have left to change (online gaming things mainly), I sort of feel like I shouldn't have to send these places intimate details of my life in order to have my name and gender marker changed on their systems, so I keep putting it off.  All of the meaningful stuff is sorted, though. ^^

Quote from: Cat on January 20, 2015, 07:25:02 AMThe most annoying thing now is that the only things I have left to change (online gaming things mainly), I sort of feel like I shouldn't have to send these places intimate details of my life in order to have my name and gender marker changed on their systems, so I keep putting it off.  All of the meaningful stuff is sorted, though. ^^

I know right!? I wanted to change my World of Warcraft account and it's like I was trying to apply for a job in the secret service! D:

Yup, ditto with the one I've done so far. I've been wanting to change my PSN details but... Sony + data security = hmmmm. 

Well that's the first week over with and everything was 'normal'. Everyone just treats me as normal and all using the new name without any real slip ups.
I do feel really good about just being able to get on with work as before, so slightly anti-climatic in a way of fearing what folk will do/say etc which probably everyone feels before starting.

Though one thing my boss mentioned he was going to say in my performance review was about that I need to come out of my shell more and interact more with the team, but he has said he already saw a difference in my behavior in being more talkative to others. I have sort of noticed this myself, though this wasn't any conscious effort on my part, its just a case of just feeling better about myself that really seems to me that with all the other changes to come and challenges to face, the fact I feel good and others see me as being more happier than before i think says a lot of how much I was keeping held back in daily life.

I will admit to being slightly daunted with using the women's bathroom but hopefully that feeling should fade after a while.

Quote from: ErinKM on January 24, 2015, 02:15:10 PM
Well that's the first week over with and everything was 'normal'. Everyone just treats me as normal and all using the new name without any real slip ups.
I do feel really good about just being able to get on with work as before, so slightly anti-climatic in a way of fearing what folk will do/say etc which probably everyone feels before starting.

Though one thing my boss mentioned he was going to say in my performance review was about that I need to come out of my shell more and interact more with the team, but he has said he already saw a difference in my behavior in being more talkative to others. I have sort of noticed this myself, though this wasn't any conscious effort on my part, its just a case of just feeling better about myself that really seems to me that with all the other changes to come and challenges to face, the fact I feel good and others see me as being more happier than before i think says a lot of how much I was keeping held back in daily life.

I will admit to being slightly daunted with using the women's bathroom but hopefully that feeling should fade after a while.

Glad to hear things are going well! That first week is all about the anti-climactic feeling i'm afraid...but in a good way! ^^

Hopefully the shock of social change can be as anti-climactic and drama free as possible, that way you can focus on yourself and coming out of your shell more/being true to you, rather than worrying for your job or anything.

(and don't worry about women's bathrooms either, I found them to be the most pleasingly anti-climactic event ever! xD )

Hey all! Thought those of you who are in Tayside/Dundee would like to know that anew group has surfaced recently.

They are called "Trans Drundee" and I can personally vouch for their awesomeness. They are new, allin the getting to know you stages of forming the group, but I went to a workshop a few nights ago that had 40+ people there, all Trnas, Intersex, Nonbinary and a healthy dose of allies. Afterwards around 12 of us went for pizza and some drinks, didn't finish until past midnight and some truly great times were had

They are planning on running further events, such as trans clothes swaps, charity pub quizzes and movie nights etc. With the direction and enthusiasm I feel from the group, I think it could be the foundation of a great new support network in Dundee.

Their Facebook page is : https://www.facebook.com/groups/1446765165613427/ so feel free to join and I'm sure I'll see you at one of the events

Hi,
Can I just say thank you for all your posts, I'm near Dundee and I self referred myself to Sandyford last August , was told a 13 month waiting list but at no time did they mention any trouble with this being from Tayside .  I'm married with 3 kids, a software engineer and now at age of 43 my female side has caught up with me, I tried so hard to hide it that for a long time I had, career, marriage and children can be very distracting but now every day I just feel wrong, it comes in waves some days worse than others but Argghh It makes me want to scream my head off !!! I'm currently seeing a counsellor and trying to work out where to go from here. Any advice appreciated

Thanks
Amy
x

P.S. How can I get a pic up on my profile?

I went through the Scottish system. I was seen by a gender guy who said he'd see me again in two months. After that another gender guy saw me two months later and said come back in a month. I did and he said he was going to prescribe hrt and three weeks later my first dose was in my awaiting system. For every appointment I had a touch of make up, my limited hair doing its best, earrings, woman's top and trousers. They were not expecting Maggie Thatcher nor a cheer leader and accepted that it is kind of difficult getting by before the drugs have had their chance to girlify you.

Hiya Amyriver X

I've only just received a call from Sandyford asking for me to come in for an initial interview, more than a year after I initially contacted them (and after I asked to be removed from their list. Oddly enough they even knew the female name I've been using as their files were linked with Chalmer's street). Chalmer's street managed to see me initially in five months and I'd recommend giving them a call because of this, it did take about a year to get HRT out of them though.

Anyway, glad for another to join the fun here, more Scots girls than ever, although a surprising amount from the Tayside area :p

And you can set a profile pic after 15 posts babes X

Thanks Sandra, I'm not sure whether I need to see my GP or not, it's so not easy doing this while married for 15 years with 3 kids . I so wished I knew more about myself when I was younger  but I didn't have internet , always felt something wasn't quite right, I just didn't gel with boys, got on better with girls but then started getting teased and decided to try and man up and then found computers and programming so that kept me distracted .
Im lucky my wife understands my need to dress but its so not about the dressing any more, I do get a sense of peace and calm when I'm amy and it used to last a good while when I had to appear back in man mode but now it doesn't. I've tried more androgonous dressing but that doesn't work for me either I still just feel wrong. I have a good counsellor Im seeing , via online Skype and its a bit scary.

So back to Sandyford and being from Tayside .  I so didn't want to go to my GP , I just want someone to diagnose me and tell me if I have GD and I'm not mad or imagining it or something else. I saw from Sandyford I could self refer and was told on phone 13 months last August , I should really phone back to see if still on list but I did get a letter to an open day thing but I couldn't make it.

Then I saw your posts about being from Tayside and that's got me a bit upset . I sort of know my GP from playing golf, lol so I was hoping to bypass that side until I got a diagnosis from Sandyford.

So apart from 3 boys under 12 and the guilt I feel for feeling like I so wish I'd been born female and feeling this all the time, my Dad was never around for them I'm 43 (how did that happen so quick), I like to drink wine, lots of it to dull the pain, though on lent at moment so I can't , why did I promise to give up wine oh foolish me I like hillwalking, skiing, golf, horses,  wargames Warhammer type and fixing up my old house.

I think I need to give myself a slap and tell myself to cheer up, I so don't want to go to docs and get anti-depressants.
Any advice appreciated.

Hi Amy,

I've just started the process in tayside myself and the last I can say is that at least you get to see a psychologist quite quick, the one I ended up getting referred to seemed to know a decent amount though wasn't a gender specialist but after seeing her a few times she agreed that I  want suffering from any mental health issues. Difference is that I have already gone full-time and dealt with coming out to everyone which was easy on my circumstances but I think talking about it with a professional was helpful,especially since I phoned sandy ford in September last year and have a long wait myself before I get seen.

Also slight aside,  seems there are few software engineers in this thread not sure if that is indicative of anything, just interesting to see.

I certainly sympathise  as I have a two year old myself - it must have been so difficult for you, I couldnt last past his first birthday without breaking down and going to my gp because it all felt so wrong. I think being referred by a gp may have also helped things speed up rather than self referring. You've started the journey though, it can only get better from here X

I have also noticed an interest in software and a few Warhammer girls here too, might be something to do with being able to escape socially and lose yourself in a task where gender makes no difference. I know when I'm painting a model or creating assets I'm lost in the task alone and the outside world can be shut off. Just a guess though

The longest wait for me was the first appointment at Sandyford. That took a year but there was no need to apply via a GP. After the first appointment though things did go at a reasonable pace. From first appointment to first prescription was approximately 8 months. The guilt thing? Yeh that's the hardest. Telling my 15 stone 6' 4' tattood son was probable the most difficult. Took a few drinks and several cigarettes (I don't smoke by the way). As it happens I should have known better than to fear the worst. My wife has been wonderful but the guilt just sits whirring away constantly in the back of my mind.

My first experience at Sandyford was just a tad embarrassing. I left in plenty time so as not to be late but when I go there it just looked so different from Google map. I phoned to say I couldn't find the clinic, that I was near an Indian restaurant and I was due to see a doctor. She asked the name and I said Mr Sings to which she replied, "The name of the doctor not the restaurant ya daftie." I was easy to spot at reception...... Scarlett.