Finally made that all important appointment...

[Kieron Andrew]

Ive been trying to get an appointment with my GP since the beginning of the year to get referred on for Gender Issues, other things have prevented me from doing so, but finally an opening comes Friday morning at 10.10....wish me luck girls and boys, i hope i dont get given the run around and i hope my Dr has some clue as to what im talking about

[ZenFrost]

Good luck bro. :hugs:

[SirTrey]

Dude, that's SO great....Keep us posted....:)

[Mariah]

yay! *hugs* hope you the best kieron!!! *kiss*

keris

[CaptLex]

i hope i dont get given the run around and i hope my Dr has some clue as to what im talking about
If not . . . bite him, bulldog! :bs:

Good luck, Kieron. You know we'll be waiting to hear all about it. :thumbsup: :happy:

[Sandra]

All the best hun :hugs:

[Ann D Bluebird]

Hope it goes smoothly for you.

[Lisa Golightly]

Give him my number if he's got no clue... I'll give a Kat Slater 'Oi, mate...'

[DebsD]

Just be brave and tell te truth to your Doctor, I was nervous as hell when I saw mine just before xmas, I was quickly referres to a phsyciatrist who has sincequickly referred me tocharing cross. Both have been very helpful so far!
Good luck

Debs x

[C.J.]

Awesome! Good luck Kieron and keep us posted. :thumbsup:

- C.J.

[GypsyKaren]

Good to hear my friend, hope it goes well!

Karen Starlene :star:

[Kieron Andrew]

Thank you ladies and gents

[Adam]

cool hope it goes well :D

[Sharon]

I'm sure it'll go great for you, Kieron, but good luck anyway. :hugs:

[Holly]

Awww sweetie, that's great news! Anxious to hear how it goes.

[Tamara Croft]

WOW!!! I hope it all goes well for you Kieron :hugs: Good luck :love:

[Kieron Andrew]

Thanks you lot :D

[Victoria Anne]

Kieron I wish you all the luck bro , I am sure it will go fine and hey you will have the opportunity to educate the educated.

[Felix]

Hi Kieron sorry I'm late but I wished ya well else where hope ya saw it Hun :hugs: Good luck with it and lets know how ya go xx Felix :hugs:

[Shelly Preston]

Good luck Kieron :happy:

If the doc does not know the issues

I'm sure he will know a lot more before you leave

Hope everything goes the way you want it too :hugs:

[Kieron Andrew]

Well that was easy lol....My new doctor was great (i had changed doctors)...asked me a few questions, about me living as male, and what id like to achieve in the future to do with Gender reassignment...he has referred me to a local Physch, which i should hear back from within about 6weeks...he has referred boys and girls before

[Flameboy]

Nice one Kieron! See, I told you you'd be fine mate :D

And you're lucky to have found a GP who knows what to do - when I first went to mine he had no idea, and it took him months to find out. 6 weeks isn't long to wait at all! I'm really, really chuffed for you :D

Dave

[SirTrey]

Dude....That is so awesome!! It's going to work out great, I KNOW it!! :)

[Tristan]

Woot, that's great Kieron. Sorry I missed this thread before. Happy for you!

[CaptLex]

And you're lucky to have found a GP who knows what to do
Knowing Kieron, he probably gave him one of his trademark sarcastic remarks and a couple of these :rolleyes: . . . to make sure the guy knows he means business. :heehee:

Good for you, K, I knew you'd get it! Six weeks, huh? As long as it doesn't interfere with the wedding. :tongueout

[Kieron Andrew]

Nice one Kieron! See, I told you you'd be fine mate :D

And you're lucky to have found a GP who knows what to do - when I first went to mine he had no idea, and it took him months to find out. 6 weeks isn't long to wait at all! I'm really, really chuffed for you :D
Thanks Dave and thanks for helping to clear my mind last night :D


Dude....That is so awesome!! It's going to work out great, I KNOW it!! :) Thanks dude


Woot, that's great Kieron. Sorry I missed this thread before. Happy for you!Ah dont sweat it, i know you've been busy, thanks :D



Good for you, K, I knew you'd get it! Six weeks, huh? As long as it doesn't interfere with the wedding. :tongueout
i told him i dont want no appointments in june! LOL and they have most of May to get an apointment out to me so...but funny thing is now ive done this im in no rush because im in the system so if i have to change the appointment i will do so

[Syr_SwitchyGQ]

*hugs Kieron* That's great news bro! :^5::D:thumbsup: So happy for ya!!! :happy:

[Tamara Croft]

That's great news Kieron :D I bet you're looking forward to that :dance:

[Mariah]

that's soo wonderful kieron! *huggles* all the men are going to the top it seems. :)

keris

[KrazyKat]

:hugs:Wonderful new, Kieron, so happy for you!!:GD:

I'll be watching for the updates. Way to go!!:hugs:

[kerrianna]

Hey Kieron, glad your new doc was able to help you out and get you the referral. :hugs:



...but funny thing is now ive done this im in no rush because im in the system so if i have to change the appointment i will do so

That's how I feel too. And I have changed my appointment twice because of work. And may have to again. But after 2 months I am getting a bit antsy.

But the main thing is taking that first step and pushing off from shore. It feels like you're on your way.

I'm out of the loop. What wedding? Who you marrying? :D

[CaptLex]

I'm out of the loop. What wedding? Who you marrying? :D

:devil: :tongueout

[Ema1234 GG]

Wow Kieron that's great news. :hugs:

And six weeks is nothing at all, especially with the NHS being the way it is!!! :doh:

[Kieron Andrew]

And six weeks is nothing at all, especially with the NHS being the way it is!!! :doh:Thanks Emma, although i wont be surprised when its longer

[melissaK]

Wow Kieron that's great news. :hugs:
And six weeks is nothing at all, especially with the NHS being the way it is!!! :doh:

Ok, you Limey's stumped this Yankee girl on the NHS anacronym . . . . :confused:

hugs,
'lissa

[Kieron Andrew]

Ok, you Limey's stumped this Yankee girl on the NHS anacronym . . . . :confused:

hugs,
'lissa

National Health Service....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Service

[Ema1234 GG]

Ok, you Limey's stumped this Yankee girl on the NHS anacronym . . . . :confused:

hugs,
'lissa


Like what Kieron said...

It's a free health service in this country, essentially you can get anything you truely need done for free in the UK. But chances are you'll have to wait to have it done. If you want anything done quickly, or nonessential plastic surgery you have go private and pay for it.

[melissaK]

From Kieron's wiki link: "The NHS is the world's largest health service, and the world's third largest employer after the Chinese army and the Indian railways."

I used to think of myself as well informed, but sheeesh, how'd I miss knowing about this group! Sadly, I'm just another ethnocentric Yankee girl . . .:sad:

hugs,
'lissa

[Kieron Andrew]

Well i just got a letter this morning from my local Mental Health Team, asking me to call them to arrange the Initial Assessment Appointment and so i did....and i have an appointment 17th April at 2pm :), best thing about this is the appointment centre is literally up the road from me :D

[Shelly Preston]

Hi Kieron

Good luck with the assessment when the time comes :hugs:

[SirTrey]

Woah, dude!! Great news on the appointment!! :D

[Tamara Croft]

:w00t: that's excellent news Kieron :dance:

[CaptLex]

and i have an appointment 17th April at 2pm :), best thing about this is the appointment centre is literally up the road from me :D

And you don't have to get up early . . . well, that part is important to me. :heehee:

Congrats! You're cookin' with gas now! :^5:

[kerrianna]

And you don't have to get up early . . . well, that part is important to me. :heehee:


Haha, I agree. 2 PM is a perfect time for an appointment. It gives you a few hours to get yourself looking good. Not that you need that time, right Kieron?

Congrats on the appointment, and it's great it's just up the street. :hugs::love:

[Kieron Andrew]

And you don't have to get up early . . . well, that part is important to me. :heehee:


Haha, I agree. 2 PM is a perfect time for an appointment. It gives you a few hours to get yourself looking good. Not that you need that time, right Kieron?

Yeah i had to ask for an afternoon appointment because i get care in the morning.....



Congrats on the appointment, and it's great it's just up the street. :hugs::love:yeah and ive just discovered its in hospital grounds so i should be able to get free transport too

[Sandra]

Great news Kieron hope it all goes well for you. :hugs:

[ZenFrost]

Awesome news bro!



yeah and ive just discovered its in hospital grounds so i should be able to get free transport too

And even better. :bg:

[Kieron Andrew]

yeah and ive just discovered its in hospital grounds so i should be able to get free transport too

Yup i managed to get transport, they confirmed that and the appointment today....so everything is in place for it....i think??

Ive got a month to wait and ive just begun to feel nervous about it again lol

[Kieron Andrew]

Countdown begins, 9days to go and im effing nervous the closer it gets to this appointment, its like my whole future rides on it and i hate not having that control over it :straightface:

[Sharon]

Countdown begins, 9days to go and im effing nervous the closer it gets to this appointment, its like my whole future rides on it and i hate not having that control over it :straightface:

Just be your usual eloquent self and I don't see how they could do anything but what you want. Telling you not to be nervous won't accomplish anything, but -- really! -- don't be nervous! :)

[CaptLex]

No use worrying about stuff you can't control - you'll just make yourself nuts. Sharon's right, just be yourself, dude. And if they reject you for some unfathomable reason, be persistent - it finally paid off for Ryan.

[ZenFrost]

Yup, try your best not to stress and be confident it'll all work out in the end. :hugs:

[Kieron Andrew]

:swear: Bah, i got a :swear: letter today that says......

Dear.......

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances Dr Rees is unable to see you for your Appointment as previous arranged

Please accept our apologies for this. We will contact you again as soon as possible in order to rearrange an appointment for you

Once again we are sorry that we have had to cancel your original appointment

Yours sincerely

.........

:Pfft:No words to say what im thinking right now other than :bigsmack::witsend:

[SirTrey]

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances Dr Ress is unable to see you for your Appointment as previous arranged
Geez, dude, you have to be kidding Me.....I would give them a call so that they know to give you the first available appointment...You have already put your time in waiting and this is BS.....Sorry, man......:hugs:

[Sharon]

Trey's right -- I would pester the doctor's office until they give you another firm appointment for the earliest date possible.

It'll happen, Kieron, but I think we are sometimes tested to see how much incentive and desire we have. Stay positive!:hugs:

[ZenFrost]

Bah! :ap: You should call and complain until they get you in ASAP.

[loveaCD GG]

Good luck!

[Kieron Andrew]

Bah....ok ive called about the cancelled appointment again, they say that the Appointments office are waiting for the notes (what notes????) to come back to them and they then will be able to send me out a new appointment, AND probably at another clinic....ok something tells me someone, somewhere made a boo boo on where to send me:doh:

[Sharon]

There are times that I think we may be better off without a national medical program -- you call for an appointment, then you see the doctor a couple weeks or a month later, then you cough out the bucks(can be huge, though) if you are uninsured, and then you move on to the next step if there is one.

There must be a happy medium somewhere. :daydreaming:

Keep at it Kieron! :)

[CaptLex]

Bug 'em, bug 'em, bug 'em till they come through. Man, I hate inefficiency. :doh:

Hope they get this squared away soon, dude. :hugs:

[Kieron Andrew]

Bug 'em, bug 'em, bug 'em till they come through. Man, I hate inefficiency. :doh:

Hope they get this squared away soon, dude. :hugs:

Bah well, i bugged 'em & bugged 'em, until finally i got someone that talked bloody sense! I was right someone made a huge boo boo and sent me to a mental health clinic that does NOT deal with gender issues....although i will be seeing the same consultant but at another psych unit :doh: (cant for the life of me work that one out, answers on a postcard??)

So now I will be sent out a letter for a New appointment which wont be until effing October 13th! because they only do initial assessments for those with gender issues one day a month, so another year almost gone!!! i feel blah!!

[KrazyKat]

:doh:Wow, government, go figure!! I totally understand about that, they really don't care if your life is on hold for forever, it seems, because you(the taxpayer)are still putting bread and butter on their table!!

Sorry for this big snafu, Kieron, it really stinks!! I would say some warm wishing mumbo jumbo:blah:, but it probably wouldn't help right now. Maybe just a big hug!!:hugs:

[Kieron Andrew]

I would say some warm wishing mumbo jumbo:blah:, but it probably wouldn't help right now. Nope wont help...:sad:


Maybe just a big hug!!:hugs:Thanks anyway...

[CaptLex]

October!!! WTF??!! :Angry3: Oh man, I'm so sorry, dude . . . governments are all the same, I guess. :doh:

[Kieron Andrew]

October!!! WTF??!! :Angry3: Oh man, I'm so sorry, dude . . . governments are all the same, I guess. :doh:

Thats not government thats our National Health Service for you, the right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing!

[melissaK]

Interesting. Across the seas UK and USA life have much in common. Bureaucrats. And it a French word to boot - coming from bureau, meaning 'desk.' Not that we can blame the French, as history class shows every civilization has been beleaguered by government clerks of dubious efficiency. If I recall, even Confuscious wrote about them in China . . .

And another common theme here is "the squeaky wheel gets the oil." (Bug'em, bug 'em). So, any chance you can 'bug 'em' some more and explain to them they should bump someone off an earlier appointment because they screwed up and its the appointment you should have had . . . their screw up is affecting your mental health?

You might get lucky with the guilt ploy . . . and you have no real downside - the worst they are likely to do is say 'no.'

hugs'
'lissa

[Kieron Andrew]

ISo, any chance you can 'bug 'em' some more and explain to them they should bump someone off an earlier appointment because they screwed up and its the appointment you should have had . . . their screw up is affecting your mental health?

Nope apparently that would have been my appointment date anyway, the original appointment of 2-4weeks was wrong because it was a different department, so this is actually my correct appointment

[CaptLex]

Thats not government thats our National Health Service for you, the right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing!
Okay, pardon my ignorance, but isn't that a product of the government? :idontknow: In any case, Melissa is right - it's all bureaucracy, regardless of whether it comes from the government or some other national agency. It sucks, man . . . I hope they can fix that so you don't have to wait so freaking long. :sad:

[SirTrey]

Man, dude, that sucks....so sorry......:Angry3:

[Kieron Andrew]

I hope they can fix that so you don't have to wait so freaking long. :sad:

read above, that is when my appointment should have been anyway, they should never have sent me the earlier appointment

[Tristan]

Sorry bro that sucks. :hugs: Too bad we just can't take you to the center in NYC while you're here to get you going on it. Ugh hope the time flies for you, waiting blows no doubt.

[CaptLex]

read above, that is when my appointment should have been anyway, they should never have sent me the earlier appointment
So they got your hopes up for nothing? That's just cruel :doh: . . . a pox on all of them! :madp:

[John]

Right there with you on the nhs hating, mate.

[ZenFrost]

That's just wretched! :ap:

[melissaK]

Hmmm. If it were a restaurant I'd say slip the maitre'de a C note to get a better table. But I imagine the NHS would frown on that. And then there'd be the guilt of having bumped someone else whos' waited as long from their slot . . . I mean, I always scowl pretty seriously at the scurly knave's with money who jump my place in line with such tactics.

Wait, cancellations! Any chance they have an alternate list? Tell 'em you'll be there on five minutes notice to fill any cancellation! Maybe you could find out the days the right Dr. is holding clinic and you could wait there that day . . . That would be a version of the squeaky wheel ploy . . .

Otherwise, spend the C note on some of the Capt'n's rum and make the best of the summer . . .

hugs'
'lissa

[Kieron Andrew]

Well i finally had a letter sent to me today explaining the **** up, and although the wait is slightly longer than i anticipated because of said **** up, the process will be shorter in the long run so i can deal with that, heres what they said...



Dear.....

I apologise that there has been some confusion recently following a referral from your GP regarding your issues with Gender Identity. As you are aware following our phone conversation, initially you were offered an appointment by the Assessment service with the CMHT. This has changed because the likely result of this assessment would be a referral to the Specialist Gender Screening Clinic for Gender Identity Disorders held here in Bristol. Therefore it makes sense to bypass the Assessment Service and arrange for your referral to come directly to the Specialist Gender Screening Service, this should have been done straight away but unfortunately I had a leave of absence when your referral came through and it got passed to the Assessment Centre at Gloucester House, Southmead Hospital instead, who then offered you an Initial Assessment Appointment.

Unfortunately, as this is a Specialist Clinic provided by the NHS for which there is a considerable demand, there is a waiting list as it is only held one day a month. The next available appointment is on Monday 13th October 2008 at 2pm, please can you telephone to confirm that you will be able to attend this appointment. I do appreciate that this is some considerable wait but we are able to refer directly to the GIC after this assessment, if appropriate. Therefore, although you may have to wait longer than you originally anticipated, this is the most direct route to the specialist services and the optimal care pathway for you. I appreciate you patience with this matter and apologise immensely for the mix up you have endured. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact my secretary and I am happy to also have a conversationn with you over the telephone if you find this helpful

Your sincerely

........


so there you have it boys and girls, thats the deal...i did just call her and she assures me i am also at the top of the cancellation list...but she says to bear in mind that these appointment rarely get cancelled

[CaptLex]

i am also at the top of the cancellation list...but she says to bear in mind that these appointment rarely get cancelled
But you know people who know people . . . in Jersey ;) (show them that pic of Mr. Soprano :bs:) . . . so you never know what can happen. :skull:

I'll keep my fingers crossed for a cancellation or that the time passes quickly otherwise. :hugs:

[Kieron Andrew]

But you know people who know people . . . in Jersey ;) (show them that pic of Mr. Soprano :bs:) . . . so you never know what can happen. :skull:

I'll keep my fingers crossed for a cancellation or that the time passes quickly otherwise. :hugs:
now that i know the true reason for the inital appointment being cancelled im not actually worried about the initial wait til October because thereafter it should be a smoother run, plus i have my trip which takes up a month and the renovations on my house to keep me busy so it will soon come

[melissaK]

Wow. A bureaucrat that wrote a personal, informative, apologetic letter using complete sentences.

So is that a common thing in the UK? Not something I'd expect from a US bureaucrat. I rather think he'd be punished for it here . . . daring to admit something less than perfection had occurred just doesn't happen. Some supervisor would march into his or her office waving the letter and shouting: "What the F you think you're doing - saying this office screwed up! It's not 'your' office, its my F'in office and when we've screwed up I'll F'in let you know. You tell 'em when their F'in appoinment is and that's it. Got it!"

Never admitting an error to have a perfect record to assure promotions is a way of life here in any business or governmental organization.

Well, great letter, and good luck with the home renovations - (and remember, best lay off the Capt'ns rum when you're working with the power tools . . .)

hugs,
'lissa

[Kieron Andrew]

good luck with the home renovations - (and remember, best lay off the Capt'ns rum when you're working with the power tools . . .)

One, i dont drink rum.....two im not doing the work :heehee: