My Doctor has a Few Requirements
- Apr 11, 2017
- 3 min read
April 10th, 2017 was my first time going to the doctors to start hormone replacement therapy. I had no idea what to expect and as usual, my anxiety started to get the best of me. I felt nauseous, my throat felt clogged and I had knots in my stomach. And on top of that, I had a lot of questions running through my head. Is this really what I want to do? Am I ready for this? What if the doctor says no? What if they find something medically wrong with me and I can't start hormones at all? With all these questions running through my head, it was a pretty stressful day for me. At the end of the work day I drove the 29 miles to the hospital where I had set my appointment for 7 pm. Unfortunately, I had no other choice but to get there an hour and a half early since I wouldn't be able to go home and make the drive back in time for 7. When I got to the hospital I walked into the small clinic, signed in and waited until they called my name. Finally, after a long wait they finally called me up and a kind nurse walked me into a small room where she took my height, weight and blood pressure. She then led me to another small room across the hall where she said the doctor will be in to see me shorty. Unfortunately for me, that too was a long wait! Throughout my wait in this small room was a boy crying hysterically and very loudly in the room next to mine. The boy and both his parents were in the waiting room when I had arrived and the boy was lightly crying then.
After 45 minutes of waiting in this room and listening to the boy in the room next to mine crying hysterically, the doctor finally came in to see me. To my surprise, she was quite young. Couldn't have even been in her early 30's yet. She introduced herself and asked me what my visit was for. I told her that I am here to start hormones. She told me that before she prescribes me hormones, she has a list of requirements that I must satisfy. She went over her list with me, which includes seeing a psychiatrist, an MD psychologist, a reproductive clinic and a blood test. To be honest, I was quite upset to discover she requires so many more tasks before I can start HRT.
She then reached into a bin and proceeded to hand me an informative piece of paper for trans women. On this list were bullet points of health risks and changes. She and I went over each bullet point together and informed me of all the changes that my body will go through and everything that I can't change back if i decided to stop hormones. Some of these changes are breast growth, decreased bone density, fat distribution, genital changes and infertility. All of which are definitely things I should take into account before I decide to finally start HRT.
After we were done with our informative session, I must admit, I left the clinic upset. I feel as though this doctor has too many requirements. I can understand wanting me to see a psychologist. It is a good idea to make sure you're emotionally stable before you start hormones. Which certainly is something that can wreak havoc on your emotions. I don't understand why they couldn't take a blood test while I was there, at a literal hospital. The other requirement that I don't agree with is having to visit a reproductive clinic just so I know my options. This is something that is a literal Google search away or even a phone call. I believe that this is an option that should be left up to the patient, not the doctor. Not everyone wants kids. I know for sure that I don't. And if I ever do, I'm more than happy adopting. As of right now, I've scheduled another appointment with a nearby Planned Parenthood which offers informed consent. As of right now, I feel like this doctor is too young and inexperienced and this may be why she has so many requirements.
Let me know what guys think about the whole requirements deal. If you want to know what is on the informative care sheet, let me know and I'll add it to the site. If you have anything you would like me to talk about or clear up, please email me. I'm always willing to listen and help!
Thanks for reading...xoxo
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