I told my GP o_O

[whowhatwhen]

It was incredibly hard to get out but I've done it.
"I'm interested in starting male to female hormone replacement therapy."

He seemed a bit befuddled, as usual, but said if I found an endocrinologist willing to handle it he'd give me a referral.
:)

I've got a bit of time though since my therapist is on vacation until mid August so I can't get my letter until then.
Still, I'm filled with nervous excitement and anticipation.

So far I've made sure to take small steps with lots of self-reflection in between to make sure I only go as far as I have to.
HRT Is quite a big leap, but after lots of thought I feel it's right for me especially in reducing stress caused by a male body running on testosterone.

Did you girls need to bring your letter with you or is it possible to have an initial appointment for tests/ect without one?

[Julie Bender]

GRATS! You're well on your way

[Angela Campbell]

My therapist gave me a list of Dr.s who do the hormone therapy in the area, complete with descriptions on how they usually work it and the differences between each one. I picked the Dr. I wanted, made an appointment, and my therapist e mailed the letter to the Dr.'s office and copied me. The rest was simply waiting for the appointment and getting the prescription filled.

[Marleena]

Nice job!

My therapist had to make the endo appointment for me. My Endo will not do it any other way. Once the referral and appointment was made the endo's office contacted me.

[mikiSJ]

Corinne, this is more of a meta-question, but in the Canadian Health System do you need a referral to go to the next level in your treatment.

I am on Medicare and have a supplemental PPO plan and don't need permission to choose my caregiver (as long as they are covered). I have asked my MD therapist (who is not in my plan, damn) if he would be willing to give me a letter (yes!). He suggested if I wanted to go further he had several endo specialists he could recommend.

[Angela Campbell]

When I went to the DR he gave me an exam, took blood and sent the prescription to the pharmacy and I picked it up on the way home. He asked me to come back in 3 months for review.
My insurance paid for everything.

[Sandieland]

Question for all: When you started therapy, did you have to dress during all your appointments for your therapist to take you seriously? I want to start talking with one, but (trust me on this) the location of any therapist I would go to would not be a place for a crossdresser (unless you can pass perfectly).

[whowhatwhen]

Corinne, this is more of a meta-question, but in the Canadian Health System do you need a referral to go to the next level in your treatment.

I am on Medicare and have a supplemental PPO plan and don't need permission to choose my caregiver (as long as they are covered). I have asked my MD therapist (who is not in my plan, damn) if he would be willing to give me a letter (yes!). He suggested if I wanted to go further he had several endo specialists he could recommend.

IIRC You only need a referral to see a specialist, he wanted me to go through CAMH though so he's probably not up to speed anyways for this sort of thing.

To above post:
No.
If you're honest with your therapist he or she will be know just from talking to you, you probably don't need "proof".

If you do, permanent hair removal should be good enough.

[Angela Campbell]

Question for all: When you started therapy, did you have to dress during all your appointments for your therapist to take you seriously? I want to start talking with one, but (trust me on this) the location of any therapist I would go to would not be a place for a crossdresser (unless you can pass perfectly).

You should go to the therapist any way you feel comfortable. It he or she does not take you seriously then find another therapist. I have gone dressed and in drab to see mine. When early in my electrolysis I had his appointment the day before the electro so I had not shaved for several days and did not want to be a bearded lady so I dressed as a man. It makes no difference. The therapist will know from the discussions you have if you are serious or have any problems, as long as you are honest. Mine knew very quickly that I was a true TS and was going to transition. The question of a letter was not a question at all. Yes we did work out some things, and there is a process that takes a little while but if it is the right thing to do it happens quite quickly.
Later on in the process you would likely have to be dressed as it requires a year of RLE for the letter for surgery, so that is a given.

[sandra-leigh]

I did not need a letter for my initial appointment. but I was not at camh. My clinic would have allowed me to go through without one but they appreciated having one on file so they could count it in the stats for politicians.

[whowhatwhen]

I think I mentioned in another thread a while ago about seeing an endo a few years back for bone density issues.
As it turns out he's highly rated among transpeople and fairly close by.

It's probably better to try him first eh?
:)

[xcdmargo]

My therapist told me to dress whatever way I felt comfortable and I've gone to appointments in male and female garb.
My therapist is making an appointment for me in a couple of weeks with an endo.. What I'm having a difficult time with is figuring out what I'm going to tell my GP and Cardiologist.

margo

[Angela Campbell]

You would simply tell them what medicines you are taking. If they ask why - unlikely - refer them to the Dr that prescribed them. The Doctors are not there to judge you.

[I Am Paula]

I just went thru this all here in Canada, so maybe I can help a bit. If you go the Camh route, be prepared to wait. I tried and gave up. After an initial questionnaire, they said they would contact me. They did. Two years later, with an appt. for the next year. They are however the ONLY route if you want free SRS. My therapist suggested getting on their list, cause even if you don't want SRS now, you're in the system at least, if you need them later. I didn't. I'm pay as you play.
I found my Endo thru my therapist, I then went thru' my GP to get the referral. You probably won't get in the door by yourself. He insisted on a therapists letter. Since I was already full time, it was easy, and only took one visit. I was fast tracked. The usual Canadian standard is three visits, min. Each therapist is different. Letter in hand, my endo prescribed HRT on the first visit, and gave me two sets of requisitions for about twenty tests each, three months apart. He also said from here on in I could call and make appts.
My total time, from inquiry, to patient, to card carrying TS was about 6 weeks.
I don't know if I can describe WHAT he gave me here, but I went with patches, as I'm older, and they are a bit safer, and the Anti Androgen that you can't get in the States, but world wide tests say is safer, and much quicker than the popular American AA. I chose the Deluxe Package in HRT, and just about pooped when I saw the price. My first drug bill was $370.00. Pills, and the regular type AA are much cheaper, at about $55 a month.
From sisters here, and in my travels, Canada is a sane and safe place to transition, and health care is free, compassionate, and relatively quick. I have NO complaints about my treatment so far. All my Drs. started correctly gendering me on request, and show nothing but respect and professionalism in dealing with me, even tho' I'm my GP's only TS patient.
I hope this helps. I'm in Ontario, but wherever you are should be similar. I was lucky, my endo has over 100 TS patients, so I really trust him.
Yes, HRT is a very big leap. I shudder when some of the girls here say things like 'try' HRT, or 'I think maybe I'll transition if the leafs don't make the playoffs'. The day I got back from the pharmacy, I realized that the old me was history, and me2.0 was born. Good luck.

I just looked thru the rules. If your Dr. asks if you want Androcur, as it's not available in the states, but is in Canada, do some research. It's VERY expensive, but works faster, and less side effects. I don't know if I could handle peeing 12 times a day. It doesn't need much of a ramp up in your system, ie, it starts knocking down T on day one. My endo says it's an orchi in a bottle.

[Angela Campbell]

Me 2.0...? Not here it is just me as I have always been, I will just look right now. I am not changing anything inside. I have always been a girl. I just need to look like it.

[whowhatwhen]

I've got a few health problems so the safer the better, except if I can afford them at all.
I'm not sure if HRT is covered by my drug plan (ODSP) so it may be tough to budget that, therapy, and electrolysis.

[I Am Paula]

On ODSP, you can try to get your Dr. to add HRT to your ODB list. Shouldn't be a problem. If that doesn't work, try Trillium Drug Benefit, an Ontario.ca program that might do the trick. Most therapists in Ont. are also social workers. their job is to know stuff like this.

[Marleena]

Celeste you brought up a very good point about being fast tracked. It seems so much easier here in Canada. I've had a few PM's with other girls here telling them it was not that difficult for me either.

The sequence for me here was a referral from my GP for a therapist. Once my therapist was satisfied I needed HRT he contacted the endo to book my appointment for me. I tried calling the endo for information but they wouldn't give me the time of day until my therapist booked that appointment.

[whowhatwhen]

I'm already on it, otherwise I'd be flat broke!
:)

<3 Canada

After a bit of prodding they should be covering a new drug I'm supposed to go on which is like either $1-3000 per infusion.
Awesome :D

[StephanieC]

Good luck on your journey!

It took me quite awhile before I found a doctor which would prescribe. It did some initial tests, asked me to sign some papers, and then checked with my therapist to see if I had been treated. I did have a "carry letter" from the therapist...I'm not sure that did any good.

I went back a couple of weeks later to get my prescription.

[Nigella]

Question for all: When you started therapy, did you have to dress during all your appointments for your therapist to take you seriously? I want to start talking with one, but (trust me on this) the location of any therapist I would go to would not be a place for a crossdresser (unless you can pass perfectly).

Do you identify as a crossdresser? Just asking cos this thread is about finding an endo for HRT. Clothes do not make you TS, its what's inside that the therapist is looking for.

Secondly,

[I Am Paula]

Any therapist worth their salt will see the real you, no matter how you dress. I'm VERY uncomfortable in drab, so there was only one option for me.

[whowhatwhen]

Okay so I get a call from my GP today.
The endo requested bloodwork done but he said that he needs a CAMH assessment as well?

I thought we didn't need CAMH for HRT and that it's only required for SRS funding?
Shouldn't a therapist letter be enough?

Granted, this is just the first little bit and I haven't talked to the endo directly but I'm a bit scared.
I opened up to my therapist because I wanted to and that I felt I could trust her, how could I do that again with someone I might not trust?

CAMH's trans reputation definitely does not help here.

[Marleena]

Corinne you don't need CamH involved. Any gender therapist referral should work or it's time to try another endo. Might just be a F up in communications there.

[whowhatwhen]

As far as I knew medical referrals needed to be made by a doctor, I have no doubt about my therapist giving me a letter saying its ok but I don't think the referral itself is something she's supposed to do.

[Marleena]

Corrine your GP is not the one to ask. The gender therapist is the one to make that referral with the endo. That may be why you hit the road block. It's protocol. AFAIK.

Those were the steps I was told to take.

[whowhatwhen]

Shoot.
Kind of late for that now :(

I thought that since psychotherapists weren't considered physicians they weren't allowed to make referrals.
:(

[Marleena]

They (therapist) are your gatekeeper to get to the endo Corrine. You can fix it easily.

[whowhatwhen]

Should I email my therapist and ask her to call the endo?
I'm not really sure what to do here now but I'll fast the required 14 hours and see if I can get the bloodwork done tomorrow.

[Marleena]

Corinne, yes your therapist has to arrange that referral or letter to your endo. She needs to do this.

In my case mine set up the appointment with the endo then the endo's office contacted me.

[whowhatwhen]

I just sent an email to my therapist outlining everything, hopefully this can be sorted out still.
:)

[DebbieL]

Question for all: When you started therapy, did you have to dress during all your appointments for your therapist to take you seriously?

No. Often, just the opposite. My therapists have wanted to see me as both Rex and Debbie. They could then evaluate how I interacted in each "mode". In many ways, we often "split" personalities, with different habits and behaviors becoming dominant in each mode. For example, Rex is a nerd, clown, and chameleon. Rex very rarely shares real feelings, and diverts attention by quoting factoids or going into isolation. If that doesn't work, we can turn it into a "joke". In the most extreme cases, I have discussed self-destructive acts, death, and suicide - as if it were a comedy routine. I can also "act" like a man. I literally took theater classes and music classes and movement classes to learn to walk, talk, and sound like a man. Even then it was incredibly phony.

Debbie on the other hand, is very honest, lives up to commitments, is authentic, compassionate, and quite willing to experience and share emotions.

Later, my therapist would give me homework assignments, asking me to put myself in different social situations. At first it was safe environments such as going to AA meetings or NA meetings where I had several friends. Ironically, many of them actually liked Debbie MUCH better. I even had people asking me to sponsor them, sometimes 4-5 at a time. I sponsored more people in my first year "out" than I had in the previous 9 years.


I want to start talking with one, but (trust me on this) the location of any therapist I would go to would not be a place for a crossdresser (unless you can pass perfectly).

This is another aspect of going to a therapist. He or she might ask you to get coaching from a woman. You don't need to "pass perfectly", but instead need to learn to "Blend". If you are the hottest chick on the block, you will attract attention which leads to scrutiny and eventually being read. If you look about the same as the other 50 women in the area, and perhaps even less interesting, there is a good chance that you won't even be noticed. One of the advantages of being in my 50s is that when I dress age appropriate and situation appropriate, I can walk through airports, shopping centers, and even go to a restaurant - and be completely unnoticed. When i fly as "Debbie", I still have to show my "Rex" identification. It's really funny when the TSA guy who is responsible for checking the IDs see the name, the ID, and see Debbie, and end up having to look several times until they are comfortable with the fact that I'm still legally a male.

i actually started "flying pretty" when I had started to grow breasts. I'd worn a tank top, and I was "showing". The TSA guard said "I can help you Miss", and realized he was looking directly at ME. He looked at the ID and did the "Triple Take" and finally waved me on. Now, because I fly almost every week, the folks at the airport know who I am, and some even refer to me as "Mrs" and my last name.

Lately, I've even been having extended conversations and even my voice isn't giving me away. I was reading a book and was crying, so the passenger next to me on the plane wanted to know more about the book I was reading. I told her about it and gave her a little information about the plot and why I was crying. At the end of the conversation, as we were getting off the plane she said "Thank you very much, it was wonderful to meet you ma'am".

Probably a good thing since I'm almost to the point where I'm going to start working as Debbie. I'm not looking forward to changing all the stationary and accounts. I've actually thought about just switching nick-names to Rexy or Roxy so that I wouldn't have to do so many name changes. Need to sort that out before I start the official name change process.

[whowhatwhen]

Regardless of anything, without me doing anything I got my appointment date of January 8, 2014.
I suppose it's a good thing it's that far away, I really need a support network that's greater than 0 IRL people.

Still sucks that I have to deal with Es and other ass'd BS until then though.

[Jennifer Marie P.]

Youre on your way.Thats great news for you.