To dress or not to dress, a test for a test!

[SunHun]

I have a diagnostic test appointment coming up on an early weekend morning and that presents an opportunity to dress enfemme for the appointment. The testing center is quite far from hometown and is independent of the medical practice where I seek regular medical care. I expect to see a small group of patients in the waiting area in addition to the testing staff, technicians and medical assistants or nurses. On one hand I really want to dress enfemme but on the other I have never been to an appointment before like that. Most of my outings and excursions have been casual. I have read the experiences of many members here who have taken that step and their experiences seem to be mostly positive. I am sure the staff in the medical field have seen it all and how the patient is dressed is the least of their concerns. Nevertheless, to me it is a test to which I must find an answer soon as I that is all what is on my mind right now.

[Teresa]

SunHun,
No harm in dressing for your medical test but please consider why you need to do it . I recall a comment made sometime ago from a member whose wife was a doctor , professionally she was not allowed to comment on people's presentation as long as they didn't use them to validate their dressing .

The other point to consider and one I have been caught out with is the name you choose to use . At my first blood donation as Teresa the duty nurse called out my full male name , the same thing happened when waiting to receive my flu jab . On both ocassions they did change my name to my female version .

While you don't say what the test is will you have to remove certain items of clothing ? If you do is the area concerned hair free ? I shave every morning so it's not a problem to have medical checks carried out . I have an appointment for a dental checkup next week so I usually apply lip colour with a pencil but no lipstick .

One final point is sustaining your presentation , going the once dressed is OK but possibly confusing to them if you can't do it every time , could you do it every time ?

I'm in a situation now where my GP only knows me as Teresa and that applies to my optician and blood donation centre .

[Bobbi46]

SunHun, As you say the medical proffession have seen it all before. it does come down to how confident you are going there en femme. I go to my Dr and for blood tests en femme and never has there been any problem, only polite, warm acceptance and greeting

[Angela Marie]

You could also go slow. I went for a series of test and wore jean leggings, nail polish and a very feminine shirt. No makeup, wig, etc. No one said a word. I also have an interview for a part time job with a company that is LGBTQ friendly. I identified my gender as neither. So i'll go to the interview with my same pair of jean leggings and see how it goes.

[Sandi Beech]

Hey Sunhun,

I have done that before. It is a little stressful doing something like that at first but you will relax a lot when you see they are treating you the same as everyone else. By the time you leave you will likely be quite comfortable with it. At least that is how it works for me.

Good luck,

Sandi

[Karren H]

I would go for it! You have a unique opportunity to wear a mask out and about. Make your mask feminine to match your outfit. Glam it up!! When the pandemic is over, you will kick your self for not going out as much as possible!

[JC]

the test..... will you be required to disrobe or partially disrobe for the test? consider this when selecting what to wear?

i once went to a procedure that required me to totally undress ...... but i knew that i was to arrive early for undressing and to start iv, etc. so i went under dressed. no problem. my wife was with me. for the procedure, i was given meds to slightly put me under. when it was done, the staff rolled me back to the same room as i was prepped in. i was half out of it still. they stayed with me and dressed me. no comments were made. they put me in a wheel chair and rolled me to the area where was.

[docrobbysherry]

I'm curious, SunHun. Why a medical exam? Why not an out of town theater, bar, club, or restaurant?

What is it about a med facility that blows your hair back?

[Maid_Marion]

Being shaved makes it a lot easier on the staff to give you tests like an EKG where the Technician may have to shave you if there is too much body hair. The test electrodes stick better to bare skin.

Marion

[SunHun]

SunHun,
No harm in dressing for your medical test but please consider why you need to do it . I recall a comment made sometime ago from a member whose wife was a doctor , professionally she was not allowed to comment on people's presentation as long as they didn't use them to validate their dressing .

The other point to consider and one I have been caught out with is the name you choose to use . At my first blood donation as Teresa the duty nurse called out my full male name , the same thing happened when waiting to receive my flu jab . On both ocassions they did change my name to my female version .

While you don't say what the test is will you have to remove certain items of clothing ? If you do is the area concerned hair free ? I shave every morning so it's not a problem to have medical checks carried out . I have an appointment for a dental checkup next week so I usually apply lip colour with a pencil but no lipstick .

One final point is sustaining your presentation , going the once dressed is OK but possibly confusing to them if you can't do it every time , could you do it every time ?

I'm in a situation now where my GP only knows me as Teresa and that applies to my optician and blood donation centre .

Teresa, these are all very good points. Thank you for taking time to reply.

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I'm curious, SunHun. Why a medical exam? Why not an out of town theater, bar, club, or restaurant?

What is it about a med facility that blows your hair back?

Truthfully, it is because of the pandemic. It is still very prevalent in the community so I have been avoiding all unnecessary and discretionary trips.

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the test..... will you be required to disrobe or partially disrobe for the test? consider this when selecting what to wear?

i once went to a procedure that required me to totally undress ...... but i knew that i was to arrive early for undressing and to start iv, etc. so i went under dressed. no problem. my wife was with me. for the procedure, i was given meds to slightly put me under. when it was done, the staff rolled me back to the same room as i was prepped in. i was half out of it still. they stayed with me and dressed me. no comments were made. they put me in a wheel chair and rolled me to the area where was.

Good question, JC! I would only be required to bare my arm and a very short sleeve professional button down tunic that I recently bought would be just right, even better than regular t-shirts that I have.

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Karren, Sandi, Bobbi and Angela, thank you all for the replies and suggestions. If I have to go to this place again, I am confident that I can present enfemme again for consistency. Funnily enough, a few weeks ago when I made an appointment for a routine strep throat test, the nurse who talked to me on phone put my gender down as 'F'. The receptionist who checked me in looked at me and then the paperwork thrice and then handed me over the check in sheet to verify my information. Once I corrected it along with three other mistakes, all was good. I went in presenting as male.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Being shaved makes it a lot easier on the staff to give you tests like an EKG where the Technician may have to shave you if there is too much body hair. The test electrodes stick better to bare skin.

Marion

After getting my fIrst EKG I finished shaving my chest that day and never looked back again,
Been bare chested for the last 50years, >Orchid **OO**

[Vickie_CDTV]

At the risk of being a wet blanket... you are going in for a test which sounds serious. You might have to explain yourself (different gender on your paperwork then your presentation) and such. Do you want to deal with that while you are already undergoing a stressful medical test? At best they will be indifferent how you dress, won't make the test any easier.

Like Sherry said, why not dress up to do something fun? Why a stressful medical test with (I assume) possible serious consequences?

[Adelaide]

I saw my family doctor all dressed up a few weeks ago. I plan to see him dressed up at the end of April also. That's who I am and how I feel.

[lingerieLiz]

While I have had medical staff know that I was wearing women's clothes it was not something I planned. Probably the most interesting event was while recovering from injuries the theripist needed to work on my hip. She warned me that she needed to reach into where my leg joined my hip. I said ok. She slid her hand under my bikini panties. What she did enabled me to walk significantly better.

[candykowal]

I say go for it too. They have seen it all and you are just another patient.
Having a guy push my boobs up to listen to my chest is interesting, I can imaging Liz's experience a lady staffer would be reaching in my bikinis.
It really is all good, your mind tries to play tricks on you because you know the male side but your feminine side is your true self.
Believe in your feminine side and not relate to your gendered side and you will be presenting your true self, as a natural you!

[susanmichelle]

Hey Sunhun,

I have done that before. It is a little stressful doing something like that at first but you will relax a lot when you see they are treating you the same as everyone else. By the time you leave you will likely be quite comfortable with it. At least that is how it works for me.

Good luck,

Sandi

I agree with Karren you will kick your ass forever if you don?t take the opportunity while you can it may be something that?ll never come again. The more of us that do get out there just makes it more normal for everyone involved. Good luck

[Jane G]

Be sure you are being true to your self. 30+ years ago I went to a medical exam fully under dressed. I was still in the RN at the time. Now I realize, I was simply looking for attention and wanted some one else to out me as TG at the time. The female doctor didn't bat an eyelid and life continued as before and it took several more years before I decided my self who I really was and what/who really mattered in my life.

I think my message is don't try to use others to push decisions only you can make.

[SunHun]

This past weekend I went for it and I am so happy that I did. I barely slept for four hours the previous night. In the morning, it took over an hour to get dressed casually. I wore black bootcut jeans with a long yellow short sleeved blouse and paired them with a black duster cardigan and black ankle booties. A matching floral mask and a short hair wig with a knit hat completed the look.

At the registration, I handed over my ID and insurance card. While the administrative assistant matched the information with the list of patients coming in the same day, I said that I was sorry that the photo on the ID does not match my current presentation and she pleasantly responded that it was not a problem at all and proceeded with a standard questionnaire about the test. While waiting for my turn, I interacted with slightly older woman who at first I thought was a man. It was only when she turned to talk to me, I realized that she was a woman. She was dressed in men's clothes and sported a short hair cut but I didn't think she was trying to hide her obvious feminine features either. She was very pleasant to talk to and I answered her questions about the test and insurance.

Once it was my turn, the nurse welcomed me inside and asked that I seat myself on the patient's chair. She asked me to either take off the cardigan entirely or just take one sleeve off my arm if I was cold. I took off the sleeve from the arm and wrapped it around my waist to rest it on my lap. She asked a few questions about the test and then the technician took over. It went through smoothly and I was out in about 25 minutes.

I walked back to my car and decided to stop at an overpriced (which I did not know beforehand) local cafe for a coffee and a light breakfast to go. The interaction with the owner was very pleasant and it just felt right. After ordering, as I headed back to my car to grab my phone while waiting for the order, the server ran after me with a cup of coffee and called out at me, "Ma'am, your coffee is ready." I thanked him and said I was just stepping out to grab my phone while I waited. A few minutes later, another server brought my breakfast to me and then I was on my way back home with a planned stop at a service plaza a few miles from home to change back into drab clothing. Along the way and before reaching the service plaza, I had also stopped to return a couple of things at a store and also at a gas station to refuel where the pump could not read my card so I had to go in and pay cash.

[Barbara Joanne74]

I am glad you had a good experience. I too go to medical procedures/test as Barbara. However I do live near Portland Oregon, and most of the medical community is pretty accepting and use to seeing trans people. My cardiology group and GI group only have seen me as Barbara. Why do I go? because I can, its part of who I am. I am not hiding anything, it is obvious I am MtF trans, but no one seems to care, and it makes me happy to be out.

On a side note, a hospital system I recently went to for the first time set me up with online access to my account. When I logged in the first time, they had already filled out my gender as X, Preferred Name, Barbara and so on. The funny part, two weeks later I got an automated reminder that I have not had my cervical cancer screening done in the last 3 years, and that I should contact my doctor as soon as possible to schedule it.....I have since called them and let them know that I am not at any risk currently of cervical cancer, and they can remove that reminder from my file.

[abby054]

A close friend whose son is a doctor at a teaching hospital told me that learning to work with LGBT patients is now part of med school classes. Young doctors are taught in formal classes and as residents that they will see many more such patients than their parents and mentors did. They also learn medical conditions that tend to appear more often. Knowing this about a patient can actually improve the care. As the old saying goes...never deceive your doctor or your lawyer.