Hello all, my name is Nicole. I am somewhat new here mostly a lurker but the information from other posts have helped me get through alot of pain , suffering, anxiety etc. Seeing that there are others like myself takes away alot of the isolation feeling. Anyway, I recently moved to Nevada. First thing I did since I am a veteran is get signed up with the VA. I just recently came out and started living full time as Female (mtf).  I asked my primary doctor about hormones and they referred me to an Endocrinologist. Well VA had a wait time that was out to next year so under the new choice plan referred me to a local dr. I was the happiest woman alive when I woke up this morning. My wife helped me get my makeup on fleek and all. This was supposed to be a step forward. Well I get to dr and get checked in. They do vitals. The doctor finally comes back and sees me. She then tries to inform me that by law I have to have seen a psychologist and have paperwork that I have been in treatment for three months. Her initial demeanor was that she didn't even want to see me anyway but as always I am super polite. I did inform her politely after she wasted my time that she was incorrect. I never felt so crappy in my life. She acted as if this was a fad. I have a Nevada drivers license that has me as Female. I'm not changing my mind. I left my home and my friends in Kentucky. Sold my house for half of its value (it was paid off). Lost my job too. You can legally discriminate in TN/KY and they were legally allowed to tell me to dress as a male since my license there said male and they had different dress codes for male and female. We moved across the country to a state that has anti discrimination laws just to have this doctor act like I might change my mind and that this is a fad. I am 34 years old. I lived a lie for 34 years. I am not doing it any longer. So I leave and get on the phone and called Planned Parenthood because I know some locations prescribe HRT for transgender. They didn't have that service but referred me to a DR Stoermer here in Vegas. I called and told the receptionist my story. She said I was correct. No letter from a psychologist is needed. I set up an appointment but because of the previous Drs ignorance I have to pay $190 in cash because VA will not pay for me to see this doctor. On one hand I feel vindicated because I wasn't wrong but I am having to spend money shouldn't have to just to get treatment that I have been waiting months on. Even if that was the case about a so called letter shouldn't I have been notified before my appointment? I really just needed somewhere to vent. When I collect my thoughts I know a well crafted review for this quack is in order. Thankfully too I have another option. So I will count my blessings. Thanks to anyone that takes the time to read my long winded post lol.

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Nicole, Wow! What a story. Hate to hear stories like this. Two hopeful nuggets buried in your post that I want to highlight, though—your perseverance (good for you), and you have your wife's support (Yay!). Best of luck, Nancy

Yes, very true. Don't take that for granted. We were best friends before. I suppose that was the one thing I did right in life. I married my best friend. Makes times like these much more bearable in many ways.

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Nicole,

Your story is not that uncommon. I am having an issue with my Primary Care Physician right now. She used to prescribe my Estradiol, but now that I am 69 year old, she is concerned about cardiac issues. There is a recent study that show that trans women taking Estradiol have a 16% lifetime likelihood of having a heart attack, compared to 13% for normal men of the same age group. She felt that this was too dangerous to prescribe for me, even though the Estradiol is very beneficial for my gender issues, prostate issues and bone demineralization.

Fortunately, I have an Endocrinologist who is fully in agreement with my needs and has prescribed Estradiol for me.

When any doctor refuses to prescribe a particular medication, that is based on their opinion. Are the benefits worth the risks? For myself, the answer is yes. From my PCP's perspective, she is not in agreement. This is not a matter of competence, but rather on what is most important. All doctors do get requests for sometimes unreasonable things, but a request for HRT from a transwoman with an established history seems reasonable.

Hi, Nicole!

Welcome to Susan's Place.

Please feel free to stop by the Introductions forum to tell the members about yourself.  Here is some information that we like to share with new members:

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