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Have been running into lack of knowledge in my medical doctors who are supposedly transgender and intersex knowledgeable. One flat out told me she had no training or understanding of the needs of what transgender care means. I told her it was normal as we are the smallest minority so who would want to waste precious time studying those like us? Yesterday I passed over some data to my psychiatrist she had never looked into. Yes, I see one as most all of us do. I'm lucky, she's beautiful, super intelligent, has degrees running out the ears, and most importantly cares about trans and intersex. I accused her of having a morbid curiosity about the misfits of humanity. If she had an MD she would be dissecting us physically instead of mentally. She's so much fun.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200814-why-our-medical-...
Consider this: if you were to look through every single medical record in the UK – all 55 million – you won’t find a single record labelled as belonging to a transgender person. This is also true for those assembled by many providers in the US.
Trust your doctors but educate yourself. How do you know if they are up to speed on trans and intersex if you haven't studied the life you were born with, yourself?
Hugs people
Barb
Dang this life is so much fun. Wish I could do it over so I could know what was ahead. I think I would have checked out when I was five years old knowing then what I know now. Nah, the good outweighed the bad after all.
Comments
Transgender markers
Barb, it isn't true. I know for a fact that my record has a transgender marker, even though I don't present in public and no longer have any intention to. That ship has long sailed. If I had been born 40 years later I would be a woman now.
My GP was a waste of space who didn't even touch my body for the first six years I was with him. He completely missed my autoimmune disease, it was diagnosed by another doctor in the practice when he was busy on a committee or something.
He has also managed to put a diabetic marker on my file when I never have been even remotely diabetic. Of course, once the damn marker is there it is impossible to get it off. I have had arguments in hospital about it and eventually they do believe me.
But he did put the TG marker on my file. For once he did something useful. It has made a difference when I meet anyone else with access to the file.
Ok, rant over.
Penny
I also question the BBC data
The doctors and nurses usually address me as Barbie although that is not the name on my DD 214. Thus there must be an identifier in my records. Yesterday I stopped in Admissions to clarify what is and isn't on my files. The young lady was very nice but way behind on VA Directives pertaining to Transgender and Intersex. I was trying to explain to her I wanted Barbie Jean Lee entered into my records as preferred name.
LOL, you gotta love government bureaucracy. I lost the game as I did not have the directive file number with me. Of course she had no idea what I was trying to explain. Who in their right mind is going to be looking at a Directive specifically stating the rules for dealing with trans and intersex?
I wasn't upset yesterday it's one of those things. The directive is buried inside several others where one must keep digging opening up others from the sidebar. I will be prepared when I return in four weeks with a printout of the directive and the number it is labeled. And of course appendix A where the info I wish to use to amend my records is listed. To all my brothers and sisters, DM me if you wish for me to send to you the Gov website and the number of the directive.
Two months ago I realized a lady I have known for several years had the mistaken idea she wasn't eligible and never applied. She's shorter than me, a GG, and was an MP. If I had seen her out on the flight line on patrol I think I would have died laughing. She's signed up now. It's lack of knowledge and what we don't know is hurting us the most.
Hugs Penny
Barb
POGO "We have met the enemy and he is us!"
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Don't down the VA to much.
Most GPs or Primary Care Physicians know nothing about Trans. That aspect of our care isn't really that much different than the rest of it. First and foremost, we are responsible to see that we get the care we need. Often times, that means making sure your caregiver has the knowledge to give that care. To often, especially when related to Trans, we have be the one providing the knowledge.
As to trusting your doctor. Be sure that you understand the treatment they are proposing and ask questions/do your own research. I had an enlarged, hyperactive thyroid. The right lobe had swollen to nearly the size of grapefruit (should be about the size of a walnut). My endocrinologist prescribed treating with radioactive iodine. The object was to hopefully disable it/kill it resulting in me needing to take medication for the rest of my life to do what the thyroid was supposed to do. I stuck to my guns and rejected that prescription and insisted on surgery and then only to remove the enlarged lobe. He didn't like it, but since I wouldn't sign off on the radioactive iodine. He had no choice. He did try to tell me that when removing the thyroid it really should be an all or nothing deal. Fortunately, by the time for the surgery came around he had moved his practice and I needed another endocrinologist and she was younger and was willing to listen to my reasoning. Removing the entire thyroid would have resulted in my needing meds for the the rest of my life. My thought was if the thyroid was hyper, the if we only remove the enlarged lobe maybe the remaining hyper lobe would step up and do the whole job. My new endo was willing to role the dice with me and found me a surgeon who was on board with the idea. So that's what we did. There was the possibility that the remaining lobe wouldn't be up to the task, but if it wasn't, the strength of meds could be dramatically reduced. It so happens that the remaining lobe did step up and I have all my thyroid hormones in the normal range without meds.
So you see, doctors don't know everything and the smart ones know that. If your doctor isn't one of the smart ones, get one that is.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann