You know, everyone always says that doctors, nurses, etc. are supposed to be professionals. "They've seen it all!" people say, but every freakin' time I've ever been to a doctor it's just straight-up awkward. I have really no medical records to refer people to (never was able to get a hold of anything from early on and generally avoid doctors like the plague), they just assume I've got a normal female body and basically don't seem to actually hear anything I try to explain to them before any sort of examination occurs. The last one I went to literally had one of those reactions where her eyes got all big and I could just hear her brain going WTF. Which is pretty much what every doctor does with me. Then it's like I'm some science experiment where they want to order all sorts of tests. I've got the next thing up from no insurance at all, which is the ->-bleeped-<-tiest insurance you can get (something like a $15k deductible) so I can't pay for f'ing chromosomal tests and all this other stuff they want. I shelled out $500 for a blood test a few years ago and they still really didn't tell me anything other than I "seem to be healthy". Well that's good and all but the "reactions" and the freak treatment are getting really old.

So now I've got this "issue" that doesn't seem to be going away which is directly junk related and for one I'm not sure anything can be done about it and two I really don't look forward to rolling the dice and picking another random doctor that I have to explain all this crap to and have them react like every other one. And I currently live in a smaller town where people DO know me and know me as "female" and I'm totally paranoid about picking some doctor and actually having them not hold true to the patient confidentiality thing.

I'm wondering if any of you out there that have been on T and have had a good amount of genital growth ever experience weirdness from doctors? I guess it's a little different because you've got health records and have the whole trans thing out in the open but I'm just curious if it's really just me or me over reacting or there really are more doctors out there who aren't as professional as they claim to be.

I felt kind of like a science experiment to everybody involved in my follow-up appointment for bottom surgery.  The appointment wasn't with the surgeon or anybody professionally related to him; it was with a fairly 'small town' doc and tests were done at the local Catholic hospital.  Awwkwardness.  Everybody did remain acceptably professional, I think, it was just that it was obvious that none involved were familiar with or had seen 'that kind' of surgery before.

For the two 'down there' exams that I had while on T (after growth), I lucked out with a completely awesome trans-friendly P.A. who actually has some knowledge on the subject.  She was a completely unexpected, amazing person to find.  I felt like she at least had a basic understanding of what she was dealing with and how to handle it; I never felt like a freak show, at all.

I wouldn't shell out money for tests due to doctors freaking out over size.  However, it may be in your best interest to tell them your history with taking testosterone.  The growth that T can give is probably out of the norm for a 'female-bodied' person and, if you're seeing a doctor for problems with your junk, they might think that the two are related; I can understand why they might want to order blood or chromosome tests.

As for the small-town doctor privacy concerns--can you make an appointment for an out-of-town doctor, maybe an hour or so away?

And finally: I'm certain there are medical professionals who aren't as professional as they claim to be.  "They've seen it all!" only applies when they've actually seen it.  The chances of a small-town doctor having prior experience with a trans individual or someone with a trans-related history?  Not that much, I'd wager.

Thanks, Ender. Maybe if I could find a trans-friendly person they'd be different. I'm not on T though I just have ambiguous equipment and I don't have periods - which I know is why people want to run certain tests. But I can't afford any of those anyway. That's a good idea though to just see someone farther away.

What tests are they wanting exactly?  Just tell them you don't think the tests are necessary. 

Quote from: Andy8715 on September 29, 2011, 01:03:25 AM
What tests are they wanting exactly?  Just tell them you don't think the tests are necessary.

I haven't been in years, but that is basically what I said and that I'd do a blood test because it had other useful info like cholesterol, etc. (and also if something is really wrong with you it usually shows up in bloodwork) but that was as much as I could afford. Doctors generally don't take well to you telling them what you think you need for your own health. If I remember right, the last one wanted to order a genetic test, hormone tests (I actually have had those in the past), cortisol levels ... I can't remember what else.

i hate doctors a doctor that used to practice with my doctor was a bitch. i was getting a shot and im crazy afraid of needles and i was freaking out. so i asked her to give me a minute to calm down, she agreed, but then out of nowhere she stabs me. so now i hate doctors.

I'm sorry you've had such negative experiences with health care providers.  I wish I could tell you differently but as you know, the whole "I've seen it all" thing--definitely not true.  Even the most seasoned nurses and doctors haven't seen it all, not even close.  Especially small town doctors.  After reading/hearing stories from other nurses, the most interesting thing a lot of them have seen is a dildo/random object in someone's rectum.  Or some various home remedy someone tried before seeking professional help.

Unfortunately, many of the nurses I know do talk about their patients with each other and laugh   I can't even begin to count the number of times I heard the term "deep-sea diving" to describe inserting a catheter on a AFAB person.  And the subsequent description of the person's anatomy and various unexpected differences.  It's truly sickening to me the way others in the field talk.  Thankfully, there are plenty of nurses (and doctors) who are respectful and truly care about their patients.  It's just hard to find them at times.

Luckily my endo was able to refer me to a trans-friendly gyno.  I would try searching around the internet or network in real life (if you can) to find a provider that is knowledgeable about your situation.  Not sure if you identify as trans, but finding a person who is trans-friendly would probably be your best bet.  Check to see if your area/state has a yahoo group or livejournal, look on t-vox for providers, google search, etc.  Hopefully something will turn up for you.

When it comes to seeing a doctor for down below, I just go to planned parenthood. Makes my life easier. I lucked out in finding trans friendly doctors.

Besides finding trans-friendly doctors (maybe you can consider finding one that lives outside your town, in a bigger city?), I don't know what to tell ya...

Lucky (unlucky?) for me, my hormone doctor is also a gynecologist, so she expects "different" stuff to be down there than on her usual patients. Still, I'm not going to lie, it is awkward and extra weird. I just try to maintain the attitude of: "The more surprised she seems with what I have, the more unusually big it must be and thusly the more well-endowed I am."

So maybe next time a doctor seems weirded out and makes a comment, you can add "Yeah, it's huge. Gigantic. I know. I KNOW." and then wink between all your tedious explanations of how it's supposed to look that way and you don't need to be tested for it. Just a suggestion.

@Adio I know what you mean about the way medical professionals will still talk about patients. And luckily there are actual professionals out there it's just finding them over the other ones.

@Leek - ha I never thought about it that way.