I've been issued my letter!

Next step: blood test (crosses her fingers while hoping for no complications).

Yay for small steps!

Yay!!! Congrats Emma.

So weird that they would call it a diagnosis. I think I'm awesome right now.

Diagnosis? Who cares? It is one "condition" I did not mind at all being diagnosed for!
Congrats Emma! I wish you well with the blood tests.

Remember, every small step takes you closer to your end goal!

Huggs

Megs

Just wondering which letter this is?  Is it your HRT letter?  I only ask because where I live, there are at least two different letters that could constitute a "diagnosis" (I agree with your disdain for that term, however...).  The HRT letter can come from a psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.  Alternately (or in conjunction), one can go see the Gender Identity Clinic in Toronto (CAMH, which requires a medical referral), and get a "letter" from them confirming "you meet the criteria" (with lots of suitable CYA language for good measure).  I've had my HRT letter since the end of November, and finally have an appointment with an endo for the 29th of this month.  I saw CAMH in January, and I'm still waiting (well, going ahead anyway) for their "results" to be sent to my family doctor.

I just LOVE the line in TransAmerica, where she asks the doctor if he doesn't find it strange that a "mental illness" requires drugs and surgery for treatment... 

Congratulations, Emma!    I think you'll really be happy once you begin HRT.  In fact, I think you'll be amazed how happy you'll be, even on a low starting dose of E.

Congratulations Emma!

The night I got my letter, I bought a fancy frame and putted a copy of the letter inside, and hanged it on my wall among the awards and certificates I got in the past.

The letter is now the first thing I will show to a guest visiting my place. I am simply so proud of it.

Congrats Emma

Every step counts to get you closer to your target.

hugs
Annette

Congratulations Emma 

Sweet Emma

Congratulations Emma and I disagree. This is a huge step!

Grats!

Congrats! One step closer. It's excited right? 

Thanks everybody!

Quote from: Colleen Ireland on March 09, 2011, 05:41:55 AM
Just wondering which letter this is?  Is it your HRT letter?  I only ask because where I live, there are at least two different letters that could constitute a "diagnosis" (I agree with your disdain for that term, however...).  The HRT letter can come from a psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.  Alternately (or in conjunction), one can go see the Gender Identity Clinic in Toronto (CAMH, which requires a medical referral), and get a "letter" from them confirming "you meet the criteria" (with lots of suitable CYA language for good measure).  I've had my HRT letter since the end of November, and finally have an appointment with an endo for the 29th of this month.  I saw CAMH in January, and I'm still waiting (well, going ahead anyway) for their "results" to be sent to my family doctor.

I just LOVE the line in TransAmerica, where she asks the doctor if he doesn't find it strange that a "mental illness" requires drugs and surgery for treatment... 

The letter is for HRT. Prepped and signed by a psychotherapist (LCSW Ph.D.). In short it says, among other legal fluff, I have been seen and evaluated for HRT readiness, In his professional opinion I meet the criteria for a diagnosis of GID, I meet the criteria provided in the SOC, I understand what I am about to do to my body, and have a documented real life experience of at least three months. There's really more to it, but I don't want anybody trying to make one up for themselves

Yeah, mental illness... 

These letters are very important to our treatment and forward momentum.
They are confirmation from socity that we are who we say we are.

I find it somewhat ironic that we are so pleased to recieve them. Any other disorder or condition we would be mostly devastated to recieve a letter confirming our worse susspisions. Kinda says something don't it?

Congrats! I was ecstatic the day I got my letter(s). So I can imagine how giddy you must be.
))hugz((

Quote from: EmmaM on March 09, 2011, 11:46:38 AM
Thanks everybody!

The letter is for HRT. Prepped and signed by a psychotherapist (LCSW Ph.D.). In short it says, among other legal fluff, I have been seen and evaluated for HRT readiness, In his professional opinion I meet the criteria for a diagnosis of GID, I meet the criteria provided in the SOC, I understand what I am about to do to my body, and have a documented real life experience of at least three months. There's really more to it, but I don't want anybody trying to make one up for themselves

Yeah, mental illness... 

I had been following your posts for a little while and didn't realize you had 3 months of RLE (full time).  When did you start?

Neither here nor there, but a counselor sitting in on the meeting was absolutely shocked that I had not yet been on hormones. He said: "Wow, you look really good." And a trans friend of mine guessed, as I was giving him a ride home, "You have no trouble using the women's bathroom, do you?" As a token of appreciation, I laid out the guy code of the bathroom for him so that his anxieties in that regard were allayed.

It was a great evening

Oddly, I'm more relieved than giddy. Now I can move towards feeling normal.

Quote from: interalia on March 09, 2011, 12:18:34 PM
I had been following your posts for a little while and didn't realize you had 3 months of RLE (full time).  When did you start?

It was not full time. I think his perception of RLE is loosely defined. I have operated in the outside world as a woman on and off for years. I also can provide at least 11 people who know this for sufficient evidence, 3 of whom have known for years. He probably figured that that was close enough. I was a little surprised by that part too, as I thought it had to be continuous.

Quote from: EmmaM on March 09, 2011, 12:26:29 PM
It was not full time. I think his perception of RLE is loosely defined. I have operated in the outside world as a woman on and off for years. I also can provide at least 11 people who know this for sufficient evidence, 3 of whom have known for years. He probably figured that that was close enough. I was a little surprised by that part too, as I thought it had to be continuous.

Unless the SOC has changed since I last read it, it is supposed to be continuous.  It allows people who are contemplating surgery to experience life as the other sex even when it isn't so convenient to do so.  This doesn't appear to be a surgery letter, though I can see it construed by someone as such.

Regardless congratulations!  I was just confused about that part of the letter.

WPATH SoC v6 (2001) hasn't changed, but the new v7 is due sometime in the near future.
(In my opinion, it's already a few years overdue.)

Emma that is fantastic I am so happy for you I think it is neat that we will be starting together on hrt today is day 2 and I am on cloud number 9.
Keep it up sister.