The Importance of a Good GP
The medical side of transitioning can be complex.
There are often incredibly lengthy waiting lists in front of you, as well as a number of professionals you’ll have to see and talk to, so that you can get the medical care you need.
It all starts with a GP that you can trust.
When I first tried to start hormones – I didn’t have that.
I had finally made it through the process of getting to a gender identity clinic, getting a gender dysphoria diagnosis, and being given the all clear to start hormones. This had taken me years to do.
But when I went to my (now old) GP, with the approval of my gender specialist from my gender identity clinic, they wouldn’t do it. They wouldn’t inject my Testosterone.
You can imagine how crushed I was, having waited years for this, just to be told ‘no’ by the people who were supposed to help me.
They came up with different excuses, saying they weren’t ‘qualified’ to do it. But I think the truth was that they just didn’t know enough about trans care. They didn’t want to take the blame if something were to go wrong.
If I had been a cis man requiring injections for low hormone levels, I guarantee they would have done it in a heartbeat.
Taking certain types of Testosterone simply involves injecting it into one of two places – the upper thigh or the lower back. It’s not that difficult, and many people eventually get taught how to inject their own hormones themselves.
I fought them for a while. I made several appointments trying to convince them how important this was to me. I was 18, exhausted, scared, anxious. I tried really hard to make it work.
It took five months and a lot of emailing and phone calling around, but my dad eventually helped me move to a different GP Surgery, and it really saved me.
I’m at a good GP now, who’s willing to do everything they can to help with my transition.
You don’t want, or need, to go through the heartache of the start of your medical transition being delayed by a bad healthcare provider.
If your current GP shows even the faintest sign of a struggle – move. You can move to a different practice, even if you’re not in their catchment area, for special circumstances such as these. Just explain to them what’s going on, and if they’re good, they should be able to take you in.
You deserve adequate medical care, in a timely manner, as well as the ability to feel like you’re being listened to, and respected. I didn’t get that at my old GP.
Move to a different GP Surgery whilst complaining, but more importantly, just move, if your current one seems to be making your medical transition harder than it needs to be.
There are places you can and should complain to if you feel you’re not being treated the way you deserve to be. I didn’t complain, partly because I was stressed out enough, but also because I didn’t know that I was allowed to complain at all.
But you can.
Here’s how to complain:
Trans people deserve the exact same level of healthcare that cis people already get, no questions asked.
Don’t settle for less than that.
