So yesterday was a massive day for me. I visited my local GP bright and early in the morning armed with my half completed referral form and some information which could help my conversation with the GP. I went in guy mode because I'm not comfortable with walking into my local town centre in girl mode just jet (I've lived here all my life so would likely bump into somebody I know!).

I saw a lovely female GP and told her I needed a referral to Northampton GIC because I am transgendered. I showed her the form and the protocol flow chart and she agreed that all she needed to do for me was to fill in the blanks, get the form stamped and write a covering letter. Within 20 minutes I had in my hand a completed and stamped (OMG) referral letter, along with covering letter and my patient history. I posted it that afternoon, first class so it will be with the GIC on Monday!

The waiting list (according to their website) is around 12 weeks as of August 2015, so hopefully I'll have an appointment within a few months. I want to go to my first appointment in girl mode, and in the next couple of months will be practicing my voice, booking myself in for laser hair removal on my face and getting a proper wig sorted (mine is a £15 from ebay jobbie).

I wonder if anybody else is on the waiting list for Northampton GIC and if so, how long have you been waiting? Also, if anybody is currently seeing therapists at the Northampton GIC, how are they? Any tips or recommendations?

I just wanted to share my excitement with all the lovely folk on Susans as this officially marks the start of my journey to womanhood! Woop woop!

Emily x

Congratulations, glad it went smoothly for you.

Congratulations, and well done. Hope you hear soon. Oh, and keep us posted.
Sophie

I've had two appointments at the Northampton GIC now and so far they've been pretty great.

My referral was sent off on the 20th of May and my first appointment was on the 18th of August. So it took 90 days (12 weeks 6 days) from the referral being sent and me sitting in the clinic.

So my first appointment was quite scary, I was nervous as can be and was presenting androgynously.
I saw Dr Khoosal who was nice, made lots of jokes and made me feel quite comfortable. He asked me a bunch of questions about my background and and stuff, some of them I felt were quite hard to answer but he was patient.
At the end of the appointment he asked me to write a "life story" 2 pages long that contains a list of points in my life I felt were relevant towards my dysphoria and to start working on changing my name.

From there, it was 85 days until my second appointment on the 11th of November with Dr Timmins. He was an absolute babe, super friendly. The appointment went pretty much the same way with him asking me the same questions but ended with him giving me a letter to get 8 course of laser on the NHS with a selection of laser clinics (I'm planning to go to SKN in Northampton town). And a consent form for me to sign after 4 weeks and for me to bring into my next appointment, which he said would be 4-6 weeks (half the time between my last two appointments).

I hope this helps, waiting sucks but we're lucky really, the Daventry clinic has some of the lowest waiting times in the country. If you've got any more questions I'd be happy to answer, feel free to PM me!

Thanks Jessica, all good info for those of us watching the letterbox for that appointment letter.

Disappointing that you didn't get the LHR letter until your second appointment, I was hoping that and voice would be forthcoming on the first visit but i suppose its inline with them having to see us be dysphoric for three months for them to give a diagnosis,  heaven forbid they take our word for it or even give us credit for the time between telling out GP and them. 

Did they give you any option on the laser, i was thinking maybe pay for laser then get the electrolysis sessions off them to finish up.

Glad the third appointment isn't such a long wait, i guess you get access to the magic beans in that one, do you think you may have got them quicker if you had gone more feminine to the first appointment or is that just their way,  I'm struggling to decide how to present for the first one,  I know femme will be best but its going to be a stressful day as it is without the added stress of presenting.

Thanks for the info Jessica!

That looks like a fairly average time for Daventry, like you say we are lucky that it's the closest for us

I have actually already got some Laser appointments for my face booked starting in a week and a bit. Voice therapy is what I'm really after, and of course the magic beans. That is a very long time between appointments but I'm not in too big a rush. My aim is to get on HRT by my 30th birthday in August 2016. And get my voice and facial hair sorted in the meantime.

Thanks again, your input is really useful. I do actually already have a couple of pages of my trans history written, and also have a list of things which I believe make me trans (experiences, feelings, thoughts etc). I'm planning on going full girl for the appointment. When I say full girl I don't mean a party dress and tiara, will probably involve skinny jeans and woolly top but I will be wearing a wig and makeup.

Would be great to hear any more news on progress from both of you! I'll keep you in the loop on mine

Would also be interested to know if either of you attend any local support groups?

Quote from: Debbie55 on November 19, 2015, 03:36:28 PM
Did they give you any option on the laser, i was thinking maybe pay for laser then get the electrolysis sessions off them to finish up.

do you think you may have got them quicker if you had gone more feminine to the first appointment or is that just their way?

Yes the letter I had was just a list of the laser and electrolysis clinics that are partnered with the NHS, you could have either, wherever you want.

I don't think it would have made a difference if I dressed more femininely, the waiting would still be the same. I've got an FtM friend who's also going to Daventry, and he's been presenting male full time for several months before his first appointment, and it seems like I'm going through the hoops faster than he is.

I recently had my laser consultation on the 27th, and it took 3 days for my funding request to go through, I've got my first laser appointment booked for the 29th of December. Can't wait!

Meanwhile I've got my diagnosis letter from Dr Timmins and have got to have some blood tests, I've had my next appointment letter arrive a few days ago too! It's on the 5th of January, which is 7 weeks 3 days from my second appointment. I'm hoping I'll get the go ahead and can start hrt then!

I don't go to any support groups, although I'm open to going to one if its close enough, I can't travel far.

Great news Jessica,  I guess they have a bit of a delay due to xmas,  Still watching out for the postman each morning afternoon. but all he brings are bills.

I need to get restarted on laser, I had 4 sessions with a soprano laser last winter but it wasn't doing much so i got a refund on the last two and referred to somewhere else with an Nd-YAG/Alex laser, but with summer and a late holiday I'm still in sun exposure time and not looking forward to starting zapping again.

Hey There,

Just wanted to find out if either of you had got any further through the hoops yet. I'm still waiting for my first appointment letter.

Also, Jessica I was wondering if you were asked to get your name change and social transition done before you could start on HRT? I didn't think that was currently a requirement in WPATH.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I didn't want to post before xmas because i didn't want to put a downer on the festive period for any of you, but xmas was yesterday now, but if you want to prolong the festivities a bit longer, maybe come back and read the next two paragraphs later and skip ahead for the good news now.

I was expecting to have received my appointment letter by dec 24th, a date 6 weeks before the 18week time limit they said they were conforming to when i spoke to them in October and the 6 weeks they said they would send the letter before the appointment.  Well as I have been watching the post for this letter and my ear rings i ordered on amazon which turned out to be on a slow boat from china, neither of which have turned up yet so who knows if either, or both have gone missing or not  I figured on Tuesday I should call in an check on the waiting list,  Well i didn't get far, don't think they even asked for my name to look anything up, but just said for a first appointment it was a 6 month wait and i would get my letter when it was time.  Well i was a little taken aback and queried the 6 months as I was told 18 weeks and all they said was, well the waiting lists have exploded and i will hear from them, So that was that and i hung up the phone and had my own emotional explosion. 

So it would seem the short waiting lists for Northampton are no more, (ok still shorter than most but still...) and I was pretty bummed that where i though i was about to get my appointment letter, in actual fact i am now only reaching the point of waiting that I thought i was at when i joined the queue back in oct, all this time and I feel like I'm back at square one.

But on a more positive note, I have been getting out more, for months i have been getting depressed for chickening out of taking the opportunity to do the weekly food shop as myself rather than him,  I angst over it for ages and figured maybe we would go to another supermarket for the first time where no one would recognize us.  Well it didn't happen that way,  I took the plunge but time and a need to stop in for xmas shopping on the way meant a combination of standing around in Argos,  deep breath and shopping in a toy shop surrounded by trans kriptonite children and then the weekly shop in our usual weekly supermarket, so i am out to them now!! Well that was nov 19 and i have not set foot in the place as him since, only as her,  I even went on Monday on my own when it was packed out and fought for my turkey with all the other woman in front of the bored once a year husbands standing around watching, ok so it wasn't quite hair pulling and nails but just busy like you'd expect the week before xmas and I was rocking my confidence and didn't care, and best of all no one else seemed to either.  And i have been getting out a bit more as well, all my xmas shopping and a few errands,  I'm trying my best to do girl mode unless there is a particular reason not to rather than just taking the easy option and each time the list of things i though i could never do as a woman gets shorter and my confidence stronger.

Quote from: byanyothername on December 26, 2015, 08:29:02 AM
Hey There,

Just wanted to find out if either of you had got any further through the hoops yet. I'm still waiting for my first appointment letter.

Also, Jessica I was wondering if you were asked to get your name change and social transition done before you could start on HRT? I didn't think that was currently a requirement in WPATH.

I haven't heard anything more yet. My first laser appointment is in a few days, and I've got my next clinic appointment soon on the 5th, I'll let you all know how they go! I'm so excited to finally begin zapping the manliness from my face!

I was asked if i could start looking into my name change, but I don't think that's a requirement.
My FTM friend (who also went to the Daventry clinic) has been on testosterone for several months now and still hasn't completed their name change (although they have started it). So I wouldn't worry about that.
My guess is that they like to make the whole thing feel 'real', by legally changing your name you're declaring to everyone that you're transgender, for me, the thought of "omg this is actually going to happen" was quite scary and gave me a new perspective on the whole issue, of course it hasn't stopped me, but that's why they take it so slow, to make sure that it's what you really really want.

They're pretty flexible in terms of how everything is done, they understand that transitioning can be scary and disrupt our lives quite a lot if we're not ready for it, or our situation is more difficult in some areas (a boss at work/family member who could make your life even more difficult because of it, or haven't completely come out yet to everyone or any other reason).

The NHS doesn't actually follow the WPATH guidelines, they used to but then made their own. Don't worry though, they're pretty similar!
Dr Khoosal at the Daventry clinic had a part in writing the guidelines for England. (He'll likely tell you that himself, he seemed quite proud of having a part in it.)
Here's a PDF of the guidelines they use.

BTW, I love your new avatar Emily, you look very cute and feminine, I'm jealous!


And Debbie,

I wouldn't worry about the initial waiting period - if you're on the list you can assume you'll get a letter soon enough, don't forget the christmas period will be slower than any other time of the year.
They're doing the best that they can with the resources they have (if you want to blame anyone blame the fat cats at the top of the ladder making the decisions).
The staff at the clinic really are a nice, hard working bunch!
I've ended up having small-talk conversations with the receptionists on both of my visits, and I'm the type of introvert that never talks to anyone more than they have to!


I'm wondering if you gals would be up for some kind of get-together, since we're all in Northampton? I'd love to do something with some fellow girls, unfortunately I don't have that many friends!

Hiya,

Thanks for the quick replies, and thank you Jessica for your lovely compliment. I'd really love to get together for a bit of social time, I don't have many friends either, and none who I can be myself around so it would be nice to make one or two. I live in between Cambridge and Northampton but I'd be happy to travel over your way. Send me a PM and we'll get something organised :-D

I've got my first laser appointment very soon too, at Cambridge Skin and Laser. Very excited to start getting rid of that stubble!

Luckily I wasn't really expecting to get a therapy appointment until Feb/March anyway so that's around 6 months from my referral. I obviously set myself some low expectations and now I'm glad I had! Thanks for sharing your findings Lisa (PS have you changed your chosen name?), and I'm glad you are embracing the world as your true self. It's something I will be doing more and more over the coming months too. I guess it's like a snowball rolling downhill once it starts, my main fear is being recognised because I've lived here for so long, but at some point I've just got to come out and stop caring if someone from my school days clocks me.

The Doctors and staff at Daventry sound great, and I'm glad there is no requirement to do a name change straightaway because although I understand the gravity of what I'm seeking to do, I won't be ready for a full social transition until I've been on HRT for a little while. Mainly due to workplace stuff which should go OK but I need the timing to be correct.

Anyway, thanks for the updates and hopefully speak to you both soon!

Em x

Hi Debbie here, well now Lisa anyway,  I chose Debbie as a name online a long time ago,(shortly after signing up for AOL!) subsequently my cousin married one and another moved into my small neighborhood, none of that mattered when it was all a secret but throw in my partner wasn't 100% keen on the name when i finally told her and the potential awkwardness when i tell others it was time to open up the selection process again.  I am still fond of Debbie and will likely use it as my middle name though.

As for meeting up, I'm not actually very local to Northampton, I'm down in surrey but travel time to Northampton is probably not much longer than getting into London and back out to hamersmith or the hassle of driving in and parking, plus there's the CHX wait list and other personal reasons to avoid CHX  (not GIC or trans related), I had been considering Exeter as my first choice but their wait list exploded last year when the word got out that it was short, the same thing that is happening to NH now

Em, good luck with the getting out and about, starting to wonder if the snowballs turning into an avalanche, probably a couple of critical coming out events still holding it back but once they are out of the way i think the whole mountain will come down hopefully to reveal the girl underneath.

Quote from: byanyothername on December 27, 2015, 06:44:40 PM
Thanks for the quick replies, and thank you Jessica for your lovely compliment. I'd really love to get together for a bit of social time, I don't have many friends either, and none who I can be myself around so it would be nice to make one or two. I live in between Cambridge and Northampton but I'd be happy to travel over your way. Send me a PM and we'll get something organised :-D

I've got my first laser appointment very soon too, at Cambridge Skin and Laser. Very excited to start getting rid of that stubble!

I guess it's like a snowball rolling downhill once it starts, my main fear is being recognised because I've lived here for so long, but at some point I've just got to come out and stop caring if someone from my school days clocks me.

The Doctors and staff at Daventry sound great, and I'm glad there is no requirement to do a name change straightaway because although I understand the gravity of what I'm seeking to do, I won't be ready for a full social transition until I've been on HRT for a little while. Mainly due to workplace stuff which should go OK but I need the timing to be correct.

Emily,

You're very welcome! I'll PM you when I can - I don't post often, haven't got the privilege yet!

Yes speaking of laser I just got back from my first session!
It was a lot more painful than I expected it to be, trying to gauge from the patch test during my consultation.
But that didn't prepare me for my chin/upper lip areas - it's really thick around there and hurt like hell!
Thankfully I only had to endure about 10 minutes, it's really quick!

It's a little sore now but should be fine in a couple of days, can't wait to start seeing the effects!
Got my next appointment in about 4 weeks (can't remember the exact date although I have written it down somewhere...)

I've got the same fears, it really is terrifying going outside as Jess at first.
But since I only own Jess' clothes now I don't have much of a choice, and I'm getting quite used to it.
My situation is easier than most though, I currently work from home, self employed, so I've got a comfortable space to be myself in a lot of the time.
But frankly it doesn't seem like anyone even cares, of course there's the odd person but there's not much to be done about that apart from walking away.

Quote from: Lisa55 on December 29, 2015, 02:40:25 PM
Hi Debbie here, well now Lisa anyway.

As for meeting up, I'm not actually very local to Northampton, I'm down in surrey.

Lisa,

Oh I must say that your name change had me confused, I had thought I got your name wrong in one of my previous posts! Silly me :')

I do think I prefer Lisa, though! Good choice, it suits you!

That's too bad that you're not local.

So I thought I'd post a little update, I had my third GIC appointment today with Dr Timmins.

Not really much progress this time, I've been asked to get checked for the BRCA gene, since my mother has had breast cancer.

He was having trouble with the network and couldn't use his laptop, and they were quite understaffed so could not complete my physical examination.
He took my Deed Poll and HRT consent form, and will hand it back next time I see him.

In a few weeks I should have another appointment, which if I'm clear of this gene I'll get the go-ahead to start HRT!

Sorry to hear your appointment wasn't as productive as hoped for, hopefully your test is clear and the next appointment is soon, 

Still watching the letterbox here

Hello ladies, sorry for the bump but thought it would be nice to update this thread of the Northampton GIC letterbox watchers.

Well i have been sitting at the bottom of the stairs watching the letterbox for 6 months.  Last week i made contact with them to be told September referrals were being processed for June appointments so a few more months sitting on the stairs waiting.  But I was watching the letterbox this Tuesday so intensely I nearly didn't hear it.  My phone ringing, a private number, great another PPI call.  I tentatively answer expecting to tell them where to go, but no, it was Northampton on line one, asking if i was busy on Thursday.  Dr Timmins had a change of plans and was running a short notice clinic on Thursday so they were just working their way through the waiting list calling numbers to see who answered and who was free. OMG of course i was free, I didn't even have the time to get stressed out, barely had time for the plaster i troweled onto my face to dry.

So yesterday off i went purse in hand, clicking my heels all the way to Daventry to see Dr Timmins.  We sat down and had a chat about resources available to me, my history, my future, my blood work (i had tests from this month) apparently for some reason my E is already up there in the low female range and he asked me if i had been licking anyone elses pills which i assured him i hadn't, but yeah me. It was a nice chat very informal with no deeply personal or probing questions, Just getting to know each other.

I had a great day, I feel really positive for once.

TLDR:  If your waiting for a GIC appointment, don't ignore unknown numbers on your phone, and don't sweat that first appointment.

Great news Lisa!
I'm glad for you

I forgot to post here with my updates!

On the 10th of February I had my 4th appointment with Dr Timmins and after a physical examination, he approved for me to start my hormone therapy

I had also asked about voice therapy and he said he'd sort it out for me - I just had to wait for a letter to arrive with my appointment confirmation.

After about a month after the 4th appointment, I received my letter informing my GP that I had been approved for HRT! This was on the 7th of March.
I rang up my GP immediately and got a them to write my prescription, needless to say I ran to the pharmacy and picked them up as soon as I could!

A few days ago I got my letter for my first voice therapy session at Northampton General.

So far, things are going great!

Congratulations, ladies! Still waiting for my first appointment at Daventry. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon.