So, I had an email today from the holding group to say that I'm now at the top of the waiting list and my name is about to be sent to Nuffield Parkside.
As a reminder, the NHS uses a holding system these days which is rather like the way air traffic controllers put you into a holding pattern if the airport is too busy. Those of you who fly into London Heathrow will know this only-too-well. They send you off in figure of 8 patterns well away from the airport before you are given the authority to begin your approach.
And it is, almost literally, like that. In my case I was in a holding queue out in the East Midlands for 8 months to the day: 27th March was when they received my referral from my Gender Clinic, and today I was told that I'm now at the top of the queue ready to be sent to Parkside. The reason that emailed me was to double check my latest Body Mass Index BMI before sending my name to the hospital. [Edit. update.] They have this minute written to confirm that my BMI is below the threshold of 31 and they are therefore sending my name forward. The Gender Air Traffic Controllers have given permission to begin the approach.
That doesn't mean I'll be landing - having the surgery - tomorrow
I can expect another humungous delay. When I asked Parkside they wrote this:
"The NHS wait once we receive your referral from the GDNRSS to see Miss Rashid is 9-12 months and then if suitable for surgery the current wait it 6-9 months."
So I'm looking at a further 18 months, by which time I will be 63. On the other hand, as I have a friend who lives 20 minutes from the hospital I'm going to see if I can be put on a cancellation list. Unlikely but you never know,
Sigh. I suppose better late than never, and I'd like to get this done before Nigel Farage and his Trumpian lot get into power (if they do, but it's a risk).
xx
