Should be good news, so why am I scaed witless about tomorrow?

[Rianna Humble]

Well, Friday 7th will soon be upon us and I will be having my 2nd GIC appointment. I've been looking forward to it for simply ages, so why do I feel scared witless all of a sudden?

Never one to do anything much the accepted way, I have been living as the real me for 15 months, so what is it that is worrying me so much about attending my 2nd GIC appointment?

I've even made a start on the things that the 1st doctor suggested I should work on - in particular my weight where I have dropped 9 kilos (20 lbs in old money) since June although I had hoped to do better. He also suggested I get back into active politics and I have attended training for women who want to be candidates at the next General Election.

So what is wrong with me? Why am I scared stiff about seeing the GIC doctor tomorrow?

[Sandra]

Because it is natural to be scared and there is nothing wrong with you....you will be fine Rianna :) and I bet the Dr will be really pleased with the weight loss, you have done really well.

["Mary"]

Wow - way to go on the weight loss! Good luck and have fun with your appointment.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

Take good care Rianna! Feeling scared is part of the drill and you are well prepared for it..

You seem really centered and you know where you stand, I can't imagine the doctor/therapist will not see that in you

[Traci Elizabeth]

I was nervous as hell going to my first appointment but that seems ancient history now. These days I look forward to seeing my doctors as we have a great rapport and they have taken a personal interest in me. So, the same will happen to you and all your anxiety will pass for you before you know it.

[Jorja]

Your nervous because this is one step closer for you. Relax, take a deep breath and go dazzle the doc. Let him know Rianna has arrived. If he says anything about your weight, just tell him it didn't get there overnight it's not going to leave overnight.

[Starling]

You'll impress the hell out of the doc, Rianna. You're super!

:) Lallie

[Sooty]

Will be sending you good vibes for tomorrow

[Rianna Humble]

Thank you all for the encouragement. I certainly hope it's normal to feel this scared.

On the weight loss, 9 kilos might sound impressive until you realise that I have another 22 to go to my target weight :eek: Still, everyone tells me that an average of 2 to 3 kilos a month is good for keeping the weight off and I don't care if the next 22 kilos take a year so long as they come off and stay off. When I get there, I should definitely have the right size waist for surgery (last time I lost that much I took 10 inches off my waist measurement)

[gretchen2]

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

[ReneeT]

Best of luck tomorrow- you will be wondering why all the nervousness!

[Starling]

Rianna, please report back ASAP.

:) Lallie

[Rianna Humble]

Once again, thank you all for your support and encouragement. This second doctor was really nice. He started out by explaining that the visit was to get a second opinion after my visit to Dr Barrett who will be my primary clinician.

He asked me about the start of my RLE, so I told him I am transitioning on the job and that my then manager had signed the Deed for me to change my name. He seemed happy to hear that I was getting support at work.

We seemed to go into a lot more detail about my background, although I was surprised how quickly the time went.

I told him about the weight loss and made him laugh about the side effect of that the other week when I had to interrupt my lunch-time walk in order not to get arrested for indecency :heehee: I also told him that my goal was to lose a further 22 kilos but that although this could take some time I am determined to get there in the end.

I remembered to mention the manager at work who had had another transwoman working for her and who commented on how well I dealt with people who mistake my gender on the phone. Apparently the other woman had had to leave because she could not take being mistaken for a man on phone calls (not a very good idea if you work in a call centre).

At some point, he decided that he had heard enough to be satisfied and told me that he would not need to wait to talk to Dr Barrett before writing to my GP to get me started on Hormone Therapy.

We went over my blood-work from the previous visit which the endo had signed off as normal. My T was at 17 of whatever the units are and Dr Davies told me that the normal range for a male is between 10 and 30 but his aim was to get me below 3. He did mention the name of the Oestrogen that he would recommend but I didn't take it in. Apparently he will recommend that I start of on 0.2 of whatever it is for 6 to 8 weeks and then if there is no adverse reaction double that dose for the next 8 weeks after which Dr Barrett will want to review my progress.

As he mentioned Dr Barrett, I told him that I had also acted on Dr B's other suggestion to get back into active politics before I complete my transition and to this end had attended a training day for women who want to stand as Parliamentary candidates.

I also mentioned that I belong to a pressure group called LGBT Labour who are looking forward to supporting me as their first trans candidate. This does not mean that I will be advertising myself to the public as trans, merely that I will be the first trans person that they will have had the opportunity to support.

My next appointment is on 5th March next year (so 5 months rather than the suggested 4).

[Jorja]

Well it sounds like you are on your well deserved way to womanhood. Congratulations! Not so scary, huh? ;)

[Traci Elizabeth]

Rianna, I am so happy for you. You certainly deserve this step you just completed.

I will be watching those elections and cheering you on.

[Starling]

This is wonderful news, Rianna. You're onto the next level. Furthermore, I wish I could vote for you!

:) Lallie

[Sandra]

See we all new you'd do good :hugs:

[Kaitlyn Michele]

Great outcome.

So happy it went well for you!

[Kathryn Martin]

You deserve it and it's time. I have long thought you should have been under way

[Helen Grandeis]

So does this mean you will start hormones in just a few weeks? I am sure you feel wonderful. I am glad this can all come together for you.:thumbsup:

[Rianna Humble]

Working on the NHS definition of "straight away", I'm hoping my GP will get the letter in about 2 to 3 more weeks, then I'll be under way. Unfortunately, the secretaries in the Gender Clinic are still writing the urgent letters from consultations that took place in September :sad:

In the end, it's just as well that the appointment will be after 5 months not 4 since the first 6 to 7 weeks will be spent waiting for the letter :bonk: