It is offical

[JoAnnDallas]

It is now official, I am no longer just a CDer. I am now a Pre-Op TS. I saw my doctor today and she gave a written diagnostic of "GID". I am also under the care of a Gender Therapist. My Therapist has already given me my WPATH letter for HRT, so the diagnostic is mainly for the IRS and Insurance. Also when I retire and I decided to go full time, I can use the diagnostic to get a New Passport with a "F" instead of a "M" on it and I can have the VA redo my VA Medical Card to show that I am a "F" and start seeing my VA doctor as JoAnn. She already knows that I am trans. She was the one that told me about the change in VA policy when it comes to Trans VA patients.

[Carolynn]

Hello JoAnn. Congratulations!! Sounds like you are on your way. I also decided I had to wait until I could retire before transitioning to full time. I actually learned I could have explained things earlier, but such is life. Will you start hormones soon?

[Carol Ann]

go for your hearts desires

[Anita]

That's a big deal, JoAnn. I'm glad you figured out what you wanted to do, and can make it happen.

[JoAnnDallas]

Carolynn......I have been taking T-Blockers for about six month but now my Dr. has added Estrogen, so now on full HRT. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks once the E starts making itself known. LOL

JoAnn

[Ashley New]

Good for you Joann! I'm glad to hear things are going well including at the VA. You served our country and I appreciate that.

[Wendae]

I wish you smooth sailing and my best wishes!

[Anna]

Good news JoAnn, my best wishes go with you.

Anna x

[SilverLady(SO)]

Congratulations, JoAnn!

Reading between the lines of your recent topics/posts, and reading what you did not reveal . . . I presume that was part of the reason that you have relocated to the NOVA area? Do I dare presume that your SO has chosen to 'stay behind' in TX and not be a part of your new journey?

If I presumed wrong, then my sincere apologies.


- SL

[Davita]

huuuummmmm.... seems I might have been a bit slow answering your email, Jo Ann?

Glad you have gotten your "authorizations".

[JoAnnDallas]

SilverLady(SO),
LOL.........I did not think my writing implied that. My wife is VERY supportive of JoAnn. I don't keep anything from her. She is staying behind only until the house sales. At which time I will take some annual leave, go back, pack up her car, and drive back to Fairfax, VA. It was my wife that suggested I get a diagnoses so we could include my therapist sessions in the medical part of the IRS. So I saw my doctor and she gave me a letter that said I have GID. Kinda backwards really. You usually get the GID letter before you get your hormone letter, but for me I did a different way. One day my doctor told me that my PSA level was elevated. I went to a Urologist. I told him I was on T-Blockers because I was TG. He then decided to do a biopsy because one of the T-Blockers was messing up the readings. It seems it reduces the PSA level, so mine was really higher than it reported. He also did a biopsy and the results was that I was almost Stage 1. He told me stay on the T-Blockers and then added Estrogen too. He told me that between the two T-Blockers and the E, that it stop it from becoming Stage 1. So be aware, if you start having Prostate problems, you too can end up on HRT LOL. I told my therapist that her letter for hormones had help starve off a real problem. I think that if I had not started the T-Blockers, I would have went into Stage 1. That may have meant chemo and all the problems that goes with that. I had to have a physical for the job here in Fairfax, Va and my PSA levels are now near normal.

[Latanya]

BEST WISHES ON YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY
KEEP US POSTED ON UR PROGRESS!

[Anna]

BEST WISHES ON YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY
KEEP US POSTED ON UR PROGRESS!

Yes, indeed. Please keep us informed JoAnn!

Hugs

Anna x

[Bernice]

Congratulations, and I hope it is right for everyone involved.

You may not know that the medical consensus on PSA numbers has been changing rapidly. It seems the risks involved in treating early stage prostrate cancer (and even doing biopsies) outweigh the effects of the cancer itself.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162- ... survivors/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sooner or later, anyone who remains male will develop prostrate cancer... Just as anyone who is female will eventually develop breast cancer. It's just a matter of time, and severity.

In my own situation, I discovered that taking Phentermine drove my PSA beyond the point where doctors felt comfortable. After discontinuing Phentermine (not good for you anyway), the PSA went back down. I took Phentermine twice, with the same results.

It's been a few years since it came up but if I remember correctly, your employer back then was not likely to be amenable to your moving, nor to transitioning. Is this an obstacle you have had to deal with?

Hugs and best wishes,

Bernice

[Azurielle]

I'm still amazed at how scarce gender therapists are north of the border. And the few that we do have are artifacts from the early Kinsey-era.