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StaceyJane
01-24-2011, 02:50 PM
Today was the big day!
My first appointment for HRT!

Let me tell you I was both nervous and excited for this moment. I have been literally waiting for this since I was 15, 30 years ago.

So, my appointment was at 10:20 this morning but it was in Austin which is about an hour away from me. I had tried to find a doctor in my area but the largest health group Scott and White has a policy against HRT. So I had to do some searching. I found a highly recommended doctor in Austin. Dr. Hillary Miller. She is a family practice doctor but has experience working with transsexual patients.

Anyway, I got up early this morning and put on a nice new outfit I had bought a couple of weeks ago. (want to make a good first impression). Then I headed out for Austin. I had never been in that part of Austin before and my GPS was broken so I had my mapquest map printed out and found the office after a few wrong turns.

Her office is in a big medical clinic. It took me a little while to find where to go but I found the front desk to check in. Okay, I had been told it was okay to check in as Stacey and this was my big test. No problem, I did have to give my drivers license and insurance card so they could make a copy for insurance records. Still no problem with my male license.
Then I was given some forms to fill out and wait for my name to be called.
After a while the assistant came out and said....

"Stacey Taylor"

That's me. It was great to hear the assistant call me by my female name. It really told me that everything was going to be all right.
Next vitals. She did have to remind me to put down my purse when getting weighed.
Now Blood Pressure. A little high....

Finally time to meet the doctor. Dr Miller came into the treatment room and introduced herself then got right down to it.
"Why are you here today"
The first thing I learned was I didn't need to go into in depth answers like with my therapist. You know no answer can be too long for them.
No, now was the time for simple answer.
Why do I want Hrt?
Because I want to live full time as a woman.

Next came the exam. "Take off your clothes and put on the robe open side to the front" She then left the room to give me a moment.

Okay, she back and I'm in my hospital sheet/robe. I get a quick exam. My breasts are checked out are my testes. Now back to that BP.
" I don't want to start you on estrogen while you have this high BP. Fortunately one the the drugs I normally prescribe will help with that."
She then gave me a prescription for spiro. :)
Then some lab tests. CBC, BMP, Prolactin, Testosterone, Estrogen.

And that was it. Time to put on my clothes and get out off there.

Well, first to the desk to make another appointment.
Then to the lab to get my labs drawn. I checked in as Stacey and had no problem.


And that was that. I felt really good about the whole experience.

I hope that by going into some detail about my appointment I can help get rid of some of the mystery around it and encourge others who are considering this next step.

Stacey :)

pamela_a
01-24-2011, 02:55 PM
Congratulations Stacey. That's a big step you took. I'm glad to hear everyone at the clinic treated you correctly, it just makes everything so much easier. Good luck on your journey.

StaceyJane
01-24-2011, 03:37 PM
Quick update
I just picked up my spiro from the pharmacy.

Jorja
01-24-2011, 03:39 PM
Now you have gone and done it! The genie is out of the bottle and ready to grant you your wishes :D

StaceyJane
01-24-2011, 03:46 PM
Okay, another quick update.
Down goes the pill.
No changes so far :(

Stephanie Anne
01-24-2011, 04:00 PM
Let me be the first to say hooray and be careful of excessive coffee consumption. Nothing said horrible like a bad spiro day. Having ot go every 45 minutes is no fun. Of course the extra water intake is always nice.

I take mine in the morning on an empty stomach and never have problems side from when I drink too many cups.

crystalann
01-24-2011, 04:01 PM
No I think you need wait 24 HRS to see the changes :) No really best of luck!

Leanne2
01-24-2011, 04:25 PM
Good for you, Stacey! I'm so happy for you. I hope your blood pressure comes back down. You want to be a healthy woman. Leanne

Traci Elizabeth
01-24-2011, 04:26 PM
Stacy, I am really glad for you. What I can tell you in my case is that I started with very high blood pressure (dangerously high). My Dr. increased my Spiro at two week intervals until I got to a mega dose (which we can't talk about here). But the good news is that my Estrogen patches have also been increased to the Maximum dosage and I have been on the max for 11 months and have had unbelievable results.

Bottom line, even with high BP you can still have a successful HRT results in most cases with your doctor's management.

Melody Moore
01-24-2011, 05:13 PM
After a while the assistant came out and said.... "Stacey Taylor"
I would loved to have seen the expression on your face because I bet you would have been beaming after you were called by your female name. I changed my legal name on my birth certificate, then got my gender identity certificate from my doctor to change all my other legal documentation starting with my driver's licence to show my new name & proper gender marker. I cannot find enough words to express how good it actually feels not to be carrying a man around in my purse anymore, but believe me, it is the greatest feeling of liberation & relief.

Anyway Stacey, I just want to say congratulations & welcome to the real world of womanhood!

I cannot wait to hear more from you on how things are going a few months from now & further into your journey.

MonicaTC
01-24-2011, 05:33 PM
Okay, another quick update.
Down goes the pill.
No changes so far :(

Wouldn't it be awesome if it could be instant change without the side effects, lol. Way to go Stacey!

Monica

Melody Moore
01-24-2011, 05:48 PM
Yes, wouldn't it be awesome if that would happen Monica, just like how I use to dream as
a child that I would wake up the next morning & find out suddenly I was changed into a girl.
:doll: Damn I just looked in the mirror & those little fairies are goodhttp://www.tamaracroft.co.uk/Smilies/Fairy%20Mirrored.gif

StaceyJane
01-24-2011, 05:49 PM
Wouldn't it be awesome if it could be instant change without the side effects, lol. Way to go Stacey!

Monica

Maybe I should give hourly updates.....

Faith_G
01-24-2011, 07:05 PM
Congratulations! :hugs:

Amanda Nicole
01-24-2011, 07:39 PM
Congratulations on your "new beginning!" Your pic truly shows your happiness! A lot of us probably have thought about HRT at one time or another (including myself), and we will be waiting for your further posts.

Jessinthesprings
01-24-2011, 08:14 PM
must be pretty much standard proceedure. Your story mirrirored my own experiance... minus the hospitol gown. Same tests including the striping part. My BP was good so we went straight to the estrogen but at a lower than normal dose. It has since been adjusted up. Did your doctor ask if you were going full time?

StaceyJane
01-24-2011, 10:21 PM
must be pretty much standard proceedure. Your story mirrirored my own experiance... minus the hospitol gown. Same tests including the striping part. My BP was good so we went straight to the estrogen but at a lower than normal dose. It has since been adjusted up. Did your doctor ask if you were going full time?

She asked if I was planning on having surgery. I said that my goal for now was to work on going full time.

sandra-leigh
01-24-2011, 10:38 PM
My doctor said specifically not to take the spiro on an empty stomach, as it can lead to stomach upset. The bottle even has a label about that.

My BP was normal but my cholestrol was high so no estrogen for me yet.

If I've noticed anything at all, it is that I've been sleeping more.

renee k
01-24-2011, 10:43 PM
Hi Stacy,

Thanks for the post. My first endo appointment is Feb. 9th. It's good to know what to expect. I'll do a follow up post after the appointment.

Huggs, Renee

Rianna Humble
01-25-2011, 12:45 AM
Congratulations on finding a good doctor. You must have been walking on clouds when you heard your name called!