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FTM GP appointment (England) gone to shit

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by Aberrance, Feb 24, 2016.

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  1. Aberrance

    Aberrance
    Full Member

    Joined:
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    Messages:
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    Location:
    England
    Gender:
    Male (trans*)
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    So I just went to a GP and he basically said everything I didn't need him to. I told him specifically that I wanted a referral to the GIC and he started going on about 'specific pathways for my city to follow'? I've heard people who had been told this too and that means going through mental health professionals and that's not needed because the GIC asseses you on your first appointment and the waiting lists are so god damn long I can't afford to waste my time pissing about. He was going on about needing to 'do some research' because he didn't have a clue what he was talking about.

    I'm so angry right now. He asked me stupid, unrelated questions and then started asking me about my sexuality and 'how would that work, you getting surgery and being attracted to boys', are you dumb? We don't live in a solely hetero fucking societyand what does that have to do with my gender anyway? Ugh I feel like I'm about to break down I was doing so well coming out to people and I was hoping this would be the next step forward but no, its gone and made me feel bloody awful.

    I'm sorry for the rant, has anyone had any similar experiences or ideas on how to deal with this/go from here?
     
    #1 Aberrance, Feb 24, 2016
  2. BriSoft

    BriSoft
    Regular Member

    Joined:
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    58
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    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Gender:
    Female (trans*)
    Sexual Orientation:
    Lesbian
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    I am sorry you had to go through that. Here in the states it varies greatly by where you live. I got very lucky with my GP. If she turned my away I would need to travel 100km each way to a friendly doctor.

    I am not familiar with how things work in the UK. Can you see another GP? Can you petition to go straight to GIC?

    *hugs*
    Bri
     
    #2 BriSoft, Feb 24, 2016
  3. randomconnorcon

    randomconnorcon
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    Location:
    Liverpool, England
    Okay, so I am also transitioning in the UK and things are still really slow because being trans is no longer considered a mental disorder but the official 'guide' things haven't caught up yet, so you still go through the motions of a mental disorder. Meaning, you need to have an assessment with a psychotherapist who will then refer you to a GIC. This way they can be assured that you are trans and not 'delusional' or mentally ill and no ones time is wasted. Kinda stupid, I know, but it's how the UK rolls right now.

    Anyway, my GP was also shit. He asked me stupid questions, mostly to do with my mental health, because he thought I was making stuff up to make myself feel better. Now I needed to see a cognitive therapist for my anxiety and depression anyway, so I stuck with that and he was so much better and referred me to the Community Mental Health Team to get my assessment pretty much straight away. I told him what to write in a letter and he sent it, that simple.

    My advice is to research that. If you have/need a therapist for something else, talk to them about your situation and they should be a better help if they're understanding and willing to listen. If they're not or you're not seeing/need one, look into it yourself; I don't know where you live (I'm in London), so I don't know how different things will be, but looking for a CMHT (or something similar) would be my first step if I were you. See if you can refer yourself or if you can see some kind of therapist who will help you get to them. Also look into the different GICs in the UK; they have different guidelines for seeing them, so that may help with your research.

    My assessment is on Tuesday, so I will let you know how it goes and what will happen next then. If you have any other questions or just want to talk about things, you know where I am. :slight_smile:
     
    #3 randomconnorcon, Feb 24, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2016
  4. Aberrance

    Aberrance
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2016
    Messages:
    990
    Likes Received:
    136
    Location:
    England
    Gender:
    Male (trans*)
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    I could see another GP and I might end up going again in a few weeks if I don't hear anything but I guess I'll see if this guy can pull through and actually be of any use. I wasn't really thinking coherantly when I wrote that, I'm a lot calmer now and I guess I'll see how things play out. Thanks!
    I didn't realise that you still had to go through mental health professionals, that's so shit, I know some people who haven't needed to and just got the letter referring them straight to the GIC from their first GP. I'm phoning a local trans group who knows a lot about how to transition in my area, tomorrow, so I'll see what they say and I'm sure things should progress somewhere from there. I live in the south so there's really nothing here regarding clinics (Exeter is pretty far from me too), I'll be having to travel to the London GIC or possibly the Nottingham one depending on whether or not I decide to go to uni in september. I've vaguely researched them but I've mainly scanned over waiting times and not what they need so that's probably a good plan.

    Good luck with the assessment, yeah I'd appreciate hearing how it goes, cheers and thanks for the advice!
     
    #4 Aberrance, Feb 24, 2016
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