Today 7 September I went to see the psychiatrist that my local Gender Clinic uses for 2nd opinions and after half an hour of basic questions about my life said 'OK I'll write and tell the clinic I don't need to see you again and they should get your surgery sorted out'.
LOL! So I came out really happy. He was a very nice friendly guy and as he's been doing the opinions for many years he's sure of who is what.
He said he would write the letter today so hopefully the clinic could have it by Tuesday or Wednesday and then they have to contact my Local Health Authority to Ok funding for a referral to surgeon.
This work has to be done within the Gov't Guidelines of 18 weeks.

Then when I see him he will look at me and my bits and decide if I am a good candidate for sex change and if he wants to be responsible for doing surgery on me and to see what he can make of my bits and if I need genital hair removal before surgery.
If he agrees to do the work then I have to have it done within the 18 weeks...

So now I'm facing an indeterminate wait of up to 36 weeks and if the genital hair is a problem then the time will just extend...
Basically I'm now assured of surgery but can't estimate a date for it at all...

I'll keep this thread as a log of the actual dates etc.

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I went down to shrink with another TS who 12 weeks ago had been set back for surgery because of a slight weight problem...today same surgeon just ignored the weight and said...'Ok I'll do your surgery within 12 weeks!' So now she has got to have it done within 12 weeks and might get it done in as little as 5/6 if the Local Health gets their act together and gets the funding paperwork through without delay.

Congratulations Rose, that is really terrific. I hope all goes quick and smooth for you.
Hugs,
Marsha

Rose-

Wow! Great news indeed!

Luv 'n hugs,

Mina

Hey, good news Rose! Am pleased hun

I hope they work within the guidelines - 'though I'm sure they will.

I only say that because you're supposed to go from first contact with a GP to first appointment with the GIC - in my case Charing Cross - in something like 15 weeks. By the time I get there it'll be over a year. Luckily I have a very supportive GP who's started a hormone regime in the meantime...

Keep us posted.

Much love

Rae xx

I got the letter form the 2nd opinion psychiatrist on Friday and he had sent identical to the gender clinic saying he supports me and would they please arrange surgery...so now there will be requests going to funding committees etc...

So while it's nice I can't get excited because they are denying me the choice of surgeon that should be mine and insisting I have to use the one who has a funny attitude to the matter of pre-surgery electrolysis to ensure there are no hairs growing inside the vaginas he makes...he's not convinced that either alser or electrolysis wil work longterm and doesn't like doing the follicle scraping that the Thai surgeon do... I have told the clinic and my doctor that I have a good amount of hair that if not cleared now means that any clitoris the surgeon makes will be buried under hair...so now I'm stuck waiting to know who is going to attend to this...
I'm going forwards but the target is still out of sight...

been to gender clinic and they tell me they have the second opinion and letter and do I want referring to surgeon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I managed not to fly off the handle with them and said yes please if you don't mind.
then we got onto topic of genital electrolysis and if the surgeon they usually use requires it...they'd just got a letteer from him to say he's not bothered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 of course he's not! Is any other branch of medicine like this?
I told them I need electro or a follicle scrape during operation which that surgeon doesn't like doing... I said other surgeons do the scrape and the wait would be another delay so I said I would contcat my health board and ask if I can go to anoter one who does do the follicle scrape..
So now I have to wait for the next step yet again...

Monday 28 Sept and postman brings letter from gender clinic that had been wrongly delivered to apartmnet block down road AND OPENED! so now everyone knows I'm on the last lap of sex change! Idiots are all around us.
Letter is copy of the one the clinic sent to the surgeon and asks him to see me so I have taken the initiative and today booked an initial appointmmnet with a laser and electrolysis service in order to clear the donor areas as well as the white hairs on my face that the previous lasering hasn't shifted.

went for initial appooint at laser place...did a test patch on penis with a Soprano Laser system...said to give bettre results than IPL...instead of the single pulse per area of IPL this is moved over a larger area and pulses constantly and only stings a bit at the end...operator said that is when the inner temp of the follicle has reached desired level for killing...tried pulling a few of the hairs out this morning but they are still firmly stuck...need to do soem research on Soprano when I get back from work...go back next week to see what electro is going to be like...interesting to lie on couch pulling it about as though its a bit of thin sausage we were discussing...nice visit.

Rose

If knowing that you have a cheering section will help you get through the hoop-jumping contest of government bureaucracy, then your courage should not waver because we are here cheering you on. In the vernacular of the time – You go girl!!

Hugs Jeri

Friday 2nd October and letter from local health to say they agree to funding for nose and chin surgery..so now I have another wait to get to the surgeon...if he cuts enough off I'll be able to mingle in among teenage girls without them instantly spotting me and exclaiming: 'that's a bloke!'

Hi Rose,

Congratulations on getting you FFS funding.

Just the day before yesterday I remarked in the "Profile Pictures" thread there were TW folks around my age (59 at the end of the month) that I thought looked really good. I included you specifically because in your photo you don't look like a "bloke" to my eyes.

Best,
Melody

I am very happy for you Rose and hope that things not only go VERY well for you but that they happen soon and the morons er I mean the ones that you need permission from get their act together and put you through as soon as possible.


Congrats on the FFS


Stephenie

From the side my nose and chin are very definitely male which is one reason I continue to wear the big glasses...from the front my jaw is too big but my hair covders it up mostly.
Young girls instantly spot me but recently I had to go in a lift and got on at ground floor and stood there as happy as anything...woman got on at next floor without glancing at me and stood the typical distance apart...out of my eye corner I saw her glance at my face and vsiible jerk with shock and step sideways as she read me...she got off at next floor and ran out like I was the mad slasher or worse...so as I didn't shudder at sight of her I think I'm justified in demanding the face work...

Rose hugs


Stephenie

>Hi Rose,

>Congratulations on getting you FFS funding.

>Just the day before yesterday I remarked in the "Profile Pictures" thread there were TW folks around my age (59 at the end of the >month) that I thought looked really good. I included you specifically because in your photo you don't look like a "bloke" to my eyes.

>Best,
>Melody


I am with Melody on this. While you certainly have to make your own self happy, know that to me, you do NOT look like a bloke.

>From the side my nose and chin are very definitely male which is one reason I continue to wear the big glasses...from the front my jaw >is too big but my hair covders it up mostly.
>Young girls instantly spot me but recently I had to go in a lift and got on at ground floor and stood there as happy as anything...woman >got on at next floor without glancing at me and stood the typical distance apart...out of my eye corner I saw her glance at my face and >vsiible jerk with shock and step sideways as she read me...she got off at next floor and ran out like I was the mad slasher or >worse...so as I didn't shudder at sight of her I think I'm justified in demanding the face work...


I hadn't seen this response when I made my other reply. That would be a very disturbing experience, indeed. I wish you great success with your FFS.

Been for face and ncek and geital lasering today with the Soprano XL machine...have a surf for it...seems very impressive so it will be interesting to see if it is true...no pain from it ...just a sort of getting too hot sensation unlike the stinging zaps of IPL...
operator used to be a nurse and has a few other TS clients so no probs...its quite amusing to just lie there and let her pull and push 'it' about to get at it all....
going again on Friday for the first electrolysis of the white hairs on the bits the surgeon will use...
i'm now actually beginning to get excited that srs is on its way...

Friday 9 oCTOBER.. been for first electrolysis on scrotum area that will be used by the surgeon...nice young girl..I pull and push it about while she tries to get the needle down the follicles...then a long zap of electric and she tweezed the hair out...be interrsting to see if there is regrowth or not...if silly surgeon would do the follicle scrape like other surgeons it would save me the trouble and pain and the NHS a good chunk of money too...PAIN was a real long sting with some follicles - did she get the needle to follow the hair to the root or was the pain from the needle going offline and into my flesh instead...she drew a sppot of blood a few times too...while a few were painless until the sting of the electric...I'd taken a painkiller about an hour before for my ankle and hoped that woudl dull some of the anticipated pain but next time I'll taek three aspirin half an hour before as aspirin works really well with me...
half hour session and hard to say how many she cleared but luckily I don't have that many on the scrotum...next session I want some of the chin ones tackled...she said to let the hairs grow out lonegr rather than shaving cloe for the Soprano...
it's a big learning curve but good fun...