About 5 months ago I found out my province was giving out altered Gender Markers on birth certificates. Having got that back and safely stored away. I came across another article saying that my province ("BC") was also covering Orchiectomy, Breast Augmentations, and of course SRS.

I was a bit intimidated about possibly ruining my relationship with my family Dr by requesting a referral. I delayed for 2 months then finally asked. So I put in a request for a referral for B.A. and Orchie. Then on the 20th this past month I got a call. I needed to be at the hospital for a teleconference with two psychs about my application.

I went into the conference call with no idea what was going on.

It was like they had zero information on me... even though they kept surfing through a folder of papers about a quarter inch thick. One kept writing down things and the other started with the standard 'so tell me why...' questions.

I was getting frustrated after 50 minutes of repeating myself over and over again... No. No 'partners'. No no partners means no children. So you're... yes I am. and on and on endlessly.

Apparently they weren't aware I was diagnosed transsexual and wanted this surgery as a stepping stone to full SRS. When I finally found "the balls" to stand up and explain my desires to 'have the whole ball of wax' they stopped and said "Oh! This changes things!" and within 10 minutes I had obtained approval for not only the Orchie and B.A. but for SRS too. Soon as I lose 150 more pounds, I can have my final surgery done.

All it took was someone to tell me its possible... when am I going to find that magic # of friends who knows things that I won't have to struggle for DECADES before I hear "WHAT? You didn't know?!" I'm so tired of quietly putting up with the impossible when the possible is staring me in the face!

Anyways... now about this 150lbs... yeah maybe next week. I find it so hard to pile on more stress when I'm already so stressed... and weight loss seems so abstract when I've been morbidly obese since grade 5 or 6...

Dayna.

ps. Got a link for good or bad experiences with Orchie? Please post them in your comments.

edit: I have Googled and read a bunch. Most are written by men with cancer. Some TSes have various views on the good or bad. One even said she could see definite changes to her body fat, facial shape and 'upper torso shrinking' and some breast growth only 10 days post op. I was like "YEAH RIGHT!" Does anyone have links to stories similar to their own?