This post only has anecdotally to do with hair removal.
So for a few weeks I’ve had a new client. I’ll call her “Gabby” ( no where near her real name). A paying one…yay! ""gabby " by the way is from taiwan and has some really strong and interesting opinions. Both on hair removal, and what we should be doing to ourselves about Hormone Replacement Therapy. I’ve done a mix of blend and themolysis on her in 4 - 2 hour sessions over the last month.
So, for myself, my hair removal has always been tied to my GID or Gender Identity Disorder. I can think back 30 + years ago to puberty and one of the first things that bothered me that led me eventually to transition, was hair, on my body and on my face. It didnt belong there. I didnt like what it did to my skin or to my appearance. I never ever wanted to have it on my face. Such drove me into years of depression, and to a degree meant that I had some antisocial traits. I didnt like being seen with the hair.I did not like it Sam I am.
So “Gabby” also has an endocrinologist. In fact it’s the same one I have. This isnt surprising, he’s a well known specialist in providing HRT to transpeople. He in fact closed his fertility business and concentrated solely on his transgender patients. Along the lines he has pushed for education and fought to make surgical reassignment more accessible. In short he was an inspiration and leader in transcare.
He was also quite elderly. The last time I was in I noticed a bit of a limp. He apparently had overdone it with his 10 km run that morning. At his age the man amazes me. Of course there have been rumours he may retire I’ll call him Dr B.
Now lets give credit to this doctor. He has made an entire career out of transcare. To put that in perspective, in an entire course of medical school, your average doctor may be lectured for an hour tops on GLBT and trans issues. It’s one reason it’s REALLY HARD to find a doctor who will administer hormone replacement therapy. In fact when I first went to DR B some years ago it was because my family doctor of over 25 years did not feel he had the ability or knowledge to administer HRT, and wasnt going to try.He did however refer me to Dr B.
So on monday after her appointment with me, gabby went to see Dr B to go over bloodwork. Yesterday she came for her second appointment with me this week. She promptly informed me Dr B had informed her, he was retiring and closing his practise in august of this year. I’ve called and confirmed it’s not a hoax.
This is my endocrinoologist, and that of my Son (20) and of my partner nightfrost. In fact he is the endocrinologist of several hundred - thousand transwomen currently in my city. If your family doctor wont monitor HRT there is only a very few places you can obtain it, and Dr B was the top of those. Those resources aside from Dr B are usually full and now 100’s of transwomen are all scrambling to get in with one of them
Now, I’ve taken steps. I’ve already ordered up new bloodwork with Dr B. I’ve made an appointment sunday with my family doctor.I’ve come up with one possible alternative doctor, but I havent gotten any call back to my inquiries if they are currently accepting transpatients only that one other transwoman I know gets her care through them. I’ve calls out to a community health center also known to provide HRT. I already know, my family doctor wont do it.And I probably have 6 months of prescriptions still at the pharmacy. In all likelyhood I will transition from one to another smoothly but the reality is I’m now competing with 100’s of other transpeople for a very limited to nonexistant number of spots…
Except that I’m freaking out. I’m extremely stressed over the loss of my primary trans-care provider and …I’m thinking…Om my goddess …the freaking HAIR could come back! I know it’s stupid but I cant get it out of my head that with no one to sign the prescriptions I could lose my access to HRT and get body hair back, or worse, start growing new beard.
So I’ll probably be quiet for a while. I’m bust coming up for alternatives for both me and my loved ones. And I’m absolutely petrified of sinking back into depression without my medications. In short, I’m really really not in a good place.
Seana