On the 23rd November my primary care provider, which is now Cheshire and Merseyside Gender Identity Clinic requested that the gender marker be changed on my medical records to Ms.

Grea, I hear most of you cry.

Yes, great but it has caused me a massive issue in December and January when I went to get bloody tests done.

My prescribing clinic, Gender GP, sent a request to my doctor’s on 23rd December, who then put a request into the NHS. This was rejected because I did not have an active NHS number.

My NHS number was in limbo land.

My doctors tell me because I haven’t had a new NHS number they cannot check my bloods until a new NHS number has been assigned.

I don’t know where the numbers are assigned from or if my doctors are telling the truth anymore as I really don’t believe a word they say these days.

They also told me they can’t use my old NHS number and that I need to wait for the new number to be generated by the NHS system.

I am being told this while I am stood in the reception area of my doctors surgery and the receptionist is getting really agitated because I am questioning this time and time again and she is definitely trying to get rid of me.

I need a blood test so I can get my prescription drugs but no blood test equals no drugs and I only have 7 days of these left!

Eventually the receptionist gets to the point where she asks me to leave and I refuse and ask to speak to the practise manager. She calls the practise manager.

When she arrives, she knows exactly who I am, because I had a full blown meltdown in September last year when they hadn’t actioned my deed poll name change, despite having had several emails and copies of my deed poll hand delivered to reception.

I explain the situation and she agrees with the receptionist that there is nothing they can do.

I explain that yet again I am sat in the surgery dealing with either piss poor management, petty bureaucracy or a failure of their systems.

Again she states I must wait for my new NHS number to come through before I can get a blood test form.

She says she will go speak to the head doctor and see what she can do.

To my surprise she comes back with blood test form with my old NHS number on it.

So if you can do this why am I sitting in reception almost close to tears????

I am honestly shocked at how pathetic the service is. How can they suddenly do something they said just minutes ago could not be done.

I can now go get my bloods done and get my prescription.

To my surprise she texted me not more than a few hours later with my new NHS number!!!

Where did this suddenly come from?

What was I waiting for if they can generate one within a few hours?

If I had not gone into the surgery and made a scene would I still be waiting? Would I now have run out of prescription drugs? Drugs which, by the way, I cannot suddenly stop taking?

So, I have a new NHS number but need to wait for it to become active and all the details from my old NHS record to be carried over, and that’s my doctors job to do.

The post NHS medical number issues appeared first on Official website of Mikki Tiamo.

Following on from last week when my care provider, Gender GP, requested that I have a blood test to swap the prescription drugs that I am on, they sent a request to my doctors.

I even went into the doctor’s surgery to confirm that they had received the said email, but alas by Wednesday I had heard nothing from my doctors so I contacted Gender GP again to organise a private blood test and copied my doctor into the e-mail and voice my displeasure.

Of course, Gender GP responded very quickly but my doctors waited nearly all day before calling me to say that they had organised a blood test request form on Monday however they had failed to let me know, sighting that they assumed I would know.

Not only am I a medical outcast, because I use a private service
who prescribe my drugs because the NHS won’t,
but I’m also now supposed to be a fucking clairvoyant?!?

You honestly couldn’t make this stuff up and this is why I am getting increasingly pissed off with my doctors and am now actively seeking another surgery because of the way they deal with me.

If I ran my business the same way that they run their practice and treated my customers in the manner, I wouldn’t have a business in a very short period of time.

So they’ve requested the blood test for me but neglected to let me know! Do I then need to hold a séance each time I contact you?

No text message, no e-mail, no phone call (well not until I emailed them), and then it took an e-mail from me to my care provider for them to actually phone me by which time I had organised a private blood test.

I am going to complain to the General Medical Council because I am getting increasingly pissed off with the way that they are treating me because I want to find out why there is such poor treatment.

• Is it because I’m using a private care provider for my prescriptions?
• Is it because I’m transgender and they don’t want to deal with me?
• Or is it because the staff there just don’t give a toss?

Answers on a postcard, please!

I have actually emailed the surgery back to voice my concerns and they deemed to send me a text message, a screenshot of which is the opposite, instead of replying to my email! Probably because they know how angry I am at present!

As you can see they thought that I was doing something which I know nothing about!

Nobody has told me that I can self-refer, again lack of communication.

They didn’t even deem to put the web address in the text message they sent me which means I have to go and find this website!

Yet again dealing with my doctors leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth!

I really wonder if they are inept, stupid, or just don’t care!

The post Inept, Stupid or Just dont give a shit. Doctors Again!! appeared first on Official website of Mikki Tiamo.

Well this month because of the Synarel shortages I have to change the drugs the I take and this is required a request going into my doctors for a blood test.

To give you an idea of how slow the NHS work, my Synarel will run out in just over a weeks time, and they received a blood test request on Friday the 24th of February and as yet I have heard nothing from my doctors.

I know that they have received the e-mail from Gender GP because I actually went down to the surgery with a printed copy to hand over to reception and was told they had already received a request from Gender GP. However on past issues they have told me that they have had emails from myself and third parties in the past and it turns out that this was bullshit!

So yet again I am waiting for my GP two actually approve a blood test so I think the best course of action is to go and book a blood test tomorrow and pay for this out of my own pocket.

If I go and have a blood test tomorrow privately I will have the results on Friday however because my doctors have agreed to do shared healthcare I’ve been asking questions as to whether or not this will affect the situation between Gender GP and my doctors and myself but wondering if I should actually care about this and care more about my own healthcare and sanity!?

Its not that I really give a shit about this anymore because I’m just sick of dealing with people who’s attitude towards my healthcare is 1,000,000,000 miles away from the private healthcare clinic I use and my own expectations.

I have actually thought about naming the doctors surgery however I will give them the benefit of the doubt one last time before I start shouting their name as a poor gender care provider!

I should mention as well but this is the doctors surgery which took 2 1/2 years to change the name on my NHS records despite having numerous copies of my deed pool hand delivered and sent via e-mail, all of which they said they did not receive despite me providing evidence to the contrary.

As I said, this is either incompetence, bullshit service or my doctors are transphobic? Which is it?

The post Dealing with the Doctors again, again. Slow NHS service appeared first on Official website of Mikki Tiamo.

I feel like I’m belly aching for belly aching’s sake but after last week I thought they’d sorted out my name change. Alas, no!

I’d booked an appointment last week, after last weeks fiasco, I thought with a doctor. Nope, on arrival the receptionist says “oh, you’re with the practice nurse”.

My heart sank as I was hoping to have a chat with an actual doctor as the last time, I spoke to one in person was in July 2019!

I sit in the waiting room for the nurse with one other patient and the nurse comes out and shouts for me by my old name. My heart sank and I felt really angry as that point as I was told this was sorted last week. Nope!

She disappears and comes back a few minutes later and looks at me and says “Mikki” I answer, yes and we go into the nurses office.

I’m asked “Why didn’t you answer”

Well nursey, its not my fucking name anymore and I think you’d be pissed off if you’d got married and changed your name but over 2 years later your fucking doctors hadn’t changed your bastard name!

“Would you like to speak to the practice manager?”

Why will she sort this out? Okay lets see what she can do.

The nurse then does blood pressure at this time and its sky high. “Oh, that’s a bit high”

No fucking shit sherlock! Do you not think I’m a bit angry right now.

I end up speaking to the practice manager and after a lot of messing about with emails they manage to receive another copy of my Deedpoll and now apparently, (Although I am not 100% certain this has happened), my doctors have finally changed my name on their records.

Incidentally, after an hour of dealing with all this I have my blood pressure done again and its slightly higher than normal!

Watch this space for the next thrilling episode of “My Doctors and my name change”

Next job is to Apply for my Gender Recognition Certificate which also requires my doctors involvement

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This morning I’ve been in to collect a blood test form and even after changing my name over 2 years ago, they’re still referring to me by my previous name.

When I questioned this with the receptionist she said that my name is correct on their system, but any notifications or medical records are still showing in my old name.

I did show the lady on reception a copy of my deed poll because things have got so bad every time I go down there I take a copy of my deed poll with me!

How bad is it that, I must do that?

So, they are going to look into this and call me back today!

However, I’m very dubious that this will actually happen, and I will receive a call.

How hard can it be to change the name on a computer system?

And people wonder why I’ve gone private for my medical treatment!!

…..

Edit: Called back this morning and Deed Poll requested. Lets see what happens!

The post What is it with my doctor’s? Again! appeared first on Official website of Mikki Tiamo.

After the elation a few weeks ago that my Doctors were finally going to help, this week it’s made me realise than the help is still not forthcoming, and nothing has changed since I started this process.

Gender GP told my GP years ago I would need blood tests done at the minimum of every year.

They have done this once so far and now the doctors will not share the blood test results with Gender GP unless they write to them again and request this. Alternatively, I must collect these results and pass them on to Gender GP.

This has never been an issue when I’ve had private blood test done.

From this point on I’ll be cutting my own GP out of the loop as they’ve had my blood test results each time off my care provider.

My doctors have also told me today my Oestradiol and Testosterone levels are normal? Normal for what?

It took me 20 minutes for them to give me the levels over the phone. 0.9nmol/L for Testosterone and 101pmol/L for Oestradiol. Which is on the low side. I know this because I’ve been paying for blood tests every quarter for the past 3 years and its always been between 142 and 207 for over 18 months.

I was so right not to wait for the NHS and do my own care, and after this fuck up, I’ll be doing the same again next quarter.

Next step is to get my Gender Recognition Certificate completed, my GP to sign it and then once that’s done I can fuck off to a more Trans friendly GP.

The irony of the doctors surgery not willing to help me so now I am self-medicating and thats not supposed to happed under NHS guidelines especially as I am under the care of a Gender Identity service, albeit not an NHS one because the waiting time is not over 5 years from date of referral!

NHS Guidelines

In March 2016 the General Medical Council (GMC) published Guidance for Doctors Treating Transgender Patients. This guidance reiterates the advice previously set   out by NHS England in SSC 1417; and also explains the legal protection against discrimination and harassment given to trans people by The Equality Act 2010 and Gender Recognition Act 2004.

 General Practitioners should co-operate with the specialist Gender Identity Clinics and prescribe hormone therapy (feminising or virilising endocrine therapy) recommended for their patients by the Gender Identity Clinic. The specialists at the Gender Identity Clinic make recommendations for the prescription and monitoring of these therapies but they do not directly prescribe them, or provide physical and laboratory monitoring procedures for patients.

 The decision on whether or not to provide long-term feminising or virilizing endocrine therapy requires the skills of a gender specialist physician, usually working within a Gender Identity Clinic.

 Typical drugs recommended by Gender Identity Clinics include oestradiol preparations (e.g. transdermal oestradiol gels and patches, and oral oestradiol preparations), testosterone preparations (e.g. gels, and Sustanon® and Nebido® injection), gonadotropin releasing hormone analogues and depilatory agents (e.g. Vaniqa®); this list is not exhaustive. Apart from Sustanon®, there are no licensed products with an approved indication for the treatment of gender dysphoria. There is, however, extensive clinical experience of the use of these products in the treatment of gender dysphoria over decades, which provides evidence of tolerability and safety comparable with their use for approved indications. The prescription of licensed products outside their approved indications, often but not always at the recommendation of a specialist provider, is not uncommon in general practice.

 General Practitioners should collaborate with Gender Identity Clinics in the initiation and on-going prescribing of hormone therapy, and for organizing blood and other diagnostic tests as recommended by the Gender Identity Clinics.

 General Practitioners are also expected to co-operate with Gender Identity Clinics in patient safety monitoring, by providing basic physical examinations (within the competence of General Practitioners) and blood tests and diagnostic tests recommended by the Gender Identity Clinic. Hormone therapy should be monitored at least 6 monthly in the first 3 years and yearly thereafter, dependent on clinical need.

 The Gender Identity Clinic is expected to assist General Practitioners by providing relevant information and support, including the provision of guidance regarding the interpretation of blood test results

British Medical Association guide for dealing with patients with Gender Dysphoria

I also love this article, parts copied below, on the British Medical Association website: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/gp-practices/gp-service-provision/managing-patients-with-gender-dysphoria

Be mindful of the sensitivity of their condition and of how difficult it might have been for your patient to seek treatment.

Yeah, that didn’t happen!

Be particularly mindful of medical confidentiality, when addressing your patient in person and in written correspondence.

Yeah, that didn’t happen either and my GP are still dead naming me now

Avoid misattributing commonplace health problems to gender.

They refuse to look at me as someone who has had 2.5 years worth of HRT and look solely at me as male.

Assist those patients who wish to change their personal details on their practice medical record. 

Thats the best one. Despite having 2 copies of my deed pool in person and one via emails my GP still dead names me.

Inform your patient of any gender-specific disease prevention and organ screening programmes, including offering information on how to opt out and discuss any future family plans and fertility treatments options.

Nope, nothing!

Refer early to a reputable NHS GIC (gender identity clinic).

You mean like an NHS approved service where the waiting list is many years long? How many people either kill themselves, self harm or give up because they are unable to access Gender services?

Get informed about prescribing medicines that you are not normally familiar with. 

My GP haven’t spoke to me once about this

The post I feel let down again by my Doctors appeared first on Official website of Mikki Tiamo.

I was absolutely flabbergasted this week when I received a text message from my doctors to say “Please call in and collect a blood test form” and at first I thought it was for another ailment i’ve been treated for recently, liver function, but imagine my surprise when I collected the blood test form and it said “Testosterone” and “Estriogen”.

After all the general negativity and heart ache i’ve had off my doctors for the past 2 and a half years, of then saying they’d help and then retracting this offer to the general negative experience of dealing with them.

They still keep calling me by my dead name but hopefully I can get this sorted out in the next few weeks.

While I am not unhappy about this decision, I am really confused as to why after two-and-a-half years there has been a very sudden change of mind by the doctors surgery.

For the past 2 years the doctors surgery have vehemently been apposed to helping me in my transition and have constantly said they would not help until I had seen the gender clinic doctors.

As I’ve written before one of the doctors at the practise actually lied about the clinic that I was using for my prescription drugs and when I called her out on this again the vitriol started.

Now I know the owners of gender GP were under review by the General Medical Council but this case has now finished and the outcome was that Helen Webberley, one of the directors of gender GP, has been reinstated after serving a short suspension.

Maybe this is the reason why my doctors are now willing to help but nobody seems to know the reason despite asking the GP surgery several times!

Oh well, onwards and upwards.

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