GCS surgery draws closer: I'm now "top of the waiting list"

[Tills]

Good morning ladies.

Well in my absence from this forum for a few months everything started accelerating at an amazing pace. I've had various phone calls, online appointments, and a face-to-face clinic appointment with full medical check-up.

And: I'm booked in at the end of this month (August) for my vaginoplasty. I'm so thrilled.

xx

p.s. I increasingly like to call it Sex Confirming Surgery. Hopefully the phrase passes the censors as I feel it's the one which resonates most for me. My sex and gender are female. The surgery confirms it (even better than affirms which seems to place the power more in the hands of others).

[Tills]

p.s. oh by the way, the hospital have NOT asked me to come off estrogen. Their advice is now amended in accordance with recently updated WPATH guidelines.

I understand from the hospital that they will only tell you to come off estrogen if you are a) on oral administration and / or b) your estrogen level is high above e.g. > 800 pmol/L

[Lori Dee ✅]

And: I'm booked in at the end of this month (August) for my vaginoplasty. I'm so thrilled.

Welcome back, Tills, and congratulations!

That is exciting news.

[Tills]

p.s. I'm also booked in for a bullhorn lip lift: https://www.susans.org/index.php?topic=254703.0

xx

[Tills]

Welcome back, Tills, and congratulations!

That is exciting news.

Thanks so much Lori Dee.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder Actually I've been up to my eyes in renovating and decorating in Scotland so it worked quite well really.

xx

[Rochelle]

Welcome back, you were greatly missed. Hoping everything works well for you. 💚

[Stottie Girl]

Brilliant to see you back Tills.

I am massively excited to hear about your journey. Are you still going with Miss Tina Rashid? She is still my no 1 choice for me when I get to your point in my own journey.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Hope it all goes smoothly

[Tills]

Brilliant to see you back Tills.

I am massively excited to hear about your journey. Are you still going with Miss Tina Rashid? She is still my no 1 choice for me when I get to your point in my own journey.

No Mr James Bellringer in fact. There's a bit of a backstory about this. Under the NHS funding you can't request a particular surgeon. Well, you might be able to if you had for example a particular problem with a male or female surgeon, but they work as a team and therefore you are assigned according to their list schedules. The added factor about this is that I have heard Ms Rashid only operates every fortnight, at the most, whereas Mr Bellringer is full on with his surgeries. So the bottom line (ho-ho) is that I'd probably have had a lengthy delay if I had insisted on Ms Rashid.

So I accepted that and I'm happy about it. I don't mind at all. I got on well with Mr Bellringer at our consultation and he is, after all, now the most senior transgender surgeon in the UK.

It's quite possible that I will still see Ms Rashid in the process as they interchange e.g. on ward rounds and follow-up appointments.

xx

[Stottie Girl]

I think Tina Rashid does a fair bit of private work so that's probably why.

Either way, you are in good hands, they work out of the same place, so I'm still interested in your experience. I'm quite excited for you Tills! It seems to have come round so quickly.

[Tills]

I think Tina Rashid does a fair bit of private work so that's probably why.

Either way, you are in good hands, they work out of the same place, so I'm still interested in your experience. I'm quite excited for you Tills! It seems to have come round so quickly.

Thanks so much Stottie Girl.

It really did accelerate all of a sudden didn't it? It was suddenly appointment after appointment in a quick rush, which I'm so pleased about.

Generally Mr Bellringer gets great reviews. Our very own @SoupSarah went to him privately at Parkside I believe and had nothing but praise for the whole experience there.

xx

[Stottie Girl]

Well keep us posted. I thing Mr Bellringer has been around for as long as I remember wanting "Sex confirming surgery" he must be getting on a bit. I've been hearing that name for decades He must have fantastic experience.