Medical Transition - The Mechanics of it all - Assessments - part 2 -Diagnosis again (private sector)


In Assessments - Part 1 I talked about my first assessment with Dr Stuart Lorimer in March of 2018, this was followed up by  a Further assessment in June  2018  with Dr Leighton Seal another member of the clinical network that is Gendercare, Dr Seal is  also a  medical Doctor,  his  higher specialist training is  in Endocrinology.

One way in which Gendercare varies slightly  from the typical path of the  NHS  services is that your second  assessment may be carried out  by a Doctor who is, or has a Specialist  interest in , Endocrinology.  That said Dr Seal appears on the T493 list of Gender Dysphoria specialists that HMCTS  maintain for  getting  clinical reports  where people apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate under the current 2004   procedures. The NHS would tend to have two Gender Identity Clinic Clinician assessments (one Medical, one by a Psychologist or Nurse Clinician)  and then refer you  on to the Endocrinologist for a purely  endocrinology consultation.

My assessment with Dr Seal started in a pretty similar manner to my  Assessment with  Dr Lorimer, asking about my  dysphoria, my  past history,  a bit more attention on physical health  topics,  and yes some elements of physical examination, in my case  this was simply, height weight and blood  pressure, although  sometimes an examination of the chest or genitalia may be required, chest examination in trans women ( who are cross  sex hormone naive or  only on low doses  might be required for structural issues or if you have pre -existing gynaecomastia ...   Genital  examination may be required if you are concerned about the normality  or otherwise of your genitalia. Given my past professional experience  and therefore exposure to genitals of all natures both male and female I felt able to answer the questions fully.

This assessment took around an hour, and I came away  from it with
- A confirmatory  Diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria.
- A plan to increase  my  Estrogen dosages  and  look at the necessity of  testosterone blockers in the light of  further blood results.
- A reminder that most people in the UK really do need to supplement their vitamin D intake.
- An indication of a target weight to please the surgeons when/if i were looking to have GRS.

 

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