Situation normal, all... not too bad actually

I’m going to TRY to be brief, as a lot seems to have happened recently. A week is a long time in blogging…

Charing Cross #2 went really well. As expected I was asked much the same as last time, as they have to have 2 opinions on everything, but with all that out of the way I felt that things are proceeding, or at least about to proceed, forwards.

I should soon be on a NHS prescription, though not without some concerns over their general policies on what to prescribe (see forum post "Zoladex and progesterone" for details). However I was reassured by being told that, "We have to find the regime that suits your individual needs". I couldn’t agree more, there is no formula for transition or any aspect of it; I believe it’s a very personal thing, especially with the hormones as everyone reacts differently. I’m a member of the Crone group, a TS hormone forum thing, which I find very interesting, and hugely enlightening, and which indeed highlights the absolute need for an individual approach. One girl’s pill is another girl’s poison…

They will be scheduling a longer appointment for me next time, to include a consultation for my request for a tracheal shave. I’m assuming this won’t actually be like a surgical consultation, but rather just someone who is hopefully going to decide that yes, the rather large lump in my throat does warrant a reduction. The psychotherapist I saw (another woman) did seem to take on board the distress it caused me, and therefore the necessity for appropriate surgery. My only concern is that they will approach surgery too conservatively, and not remove enough of the protrusion, which would be a rather pointless exercise. Various techniques can be used to ensure the success of this procedure and avoid possible damage or loosening of the vocal chords, but I’ve heard reports that the NHS simply take off as little as possible, just to be on the safe side. Anyway once I know who the surgeon is going to be I can look into that, and I’d still consider going privately to someone expert in this particular field, such as Jamie Koufman in the USA. Interestingly they told me that the NHS will also fund voice surgery if deemed necessary, but I’m not keen on that at this stage, results being somewhat unpredictable. Anyway, voice therapy is another area where they can help and I hope to be put in touch with someone who does this soon. There was a lady in Kendal who specialised in TS voice therapy (NHS) but sadly she retired a few weeks ago and won’t be replaced. Hopefully I won’t have to travel too far though to find someone else.

They also helped me with what I need to do to document my real life experience, and explained timelines and procedures for obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate (which will allow me to get a "new" birth certificate in my true gender), and various other little details of the red tape variety. All in all, a pretty good session. I’ve heard so many reports about NHS treatment of transsexuals, and yes it’s still pretty slow, but they do seem to be trying their best. So far I’ve no complaints.

Just when I thought my financial world was crumbling around me, things don’t seem to be as bad as expected. I spoke to the solicitor handling the civil action against me, who agreed that the court would probably decide it was a case of joint liability, but assured me that my insurance would cover everything, even if I lost the case outright. Bit of a relief that.

My neighbour rang me just before I went away to say that there was big problem with his septic tank and that his deeds showed that I shared that with him, and therefore shared any necessary expense connected with its maintenance. Bloody hell, everyone wants my money. However upon checking my deeds it’s pretty clear that I’m not connected to the same tank, if my house’s plumbing ever was it was pre-1953, and therefore he’s on his own; his problem, sorry, but there you go. Anyway I went round yesterday to show him all this and he accepted it happily, and in fact it was nice to meet him properly after us both living here for sixteen years! I’ve only spoken to him briefly twice before, once when he complained about the noise (when I didn’t realise they had actually moved in), and once when he popped his head round the knackered old garden fence to ask if I minded if he replaced it. Of course I didn‘t mind! I probably ought to have contributed to that, but it was his boys who had knackered it by kicking balls against it, and he did offer…

So, two large expenses seemingly avoided, which helped soften the blow when I realised I had left my immersion heater on for several weeks, and my account with the electricity company now stood at about 500 quid. Bugger, still, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

So it’s back to normal, a few songs to learn for rehearsal this week, forthcoming gigs for which I need to write a letter for the landlords to sign to prove that I am actually working in my female role. Playing in a band does indeed meet the NHS real life test requirement for employment; could this be the first time in my life that someone has deemed this "a proper job"?!

xx