Howdy from Michigan

[Evolve]

Missed out on the other forums and their iterations (EA). Losing the grapes has been on my radar for over 30 years. If everything lines up they maybe gone in the next year.

I know the impacts, short and long term for the most part, but rooting through the posts to see what else I've missed.

Glad to have found this site and the folks adding to the knowledge base.

Welcome to the forum. If you're near Farmington Hills, it might be worth it to see whether Dr. Marc Arnkoff is still performing orchies. There's a recent thread about whether he's still practicing. However, if you're not on a short timeline, I'd suggest researching a few local TG centers/organizations that might be able to point you in the direction of a surgeon and/or any additional info or support.

[waj1993]

Not sure if this should be kept under this thread, but begain therapy sessions to acquire a referral letter for the procedure.

I'm not going to make this known to the bulk of my family, in fact I'm not sure anyone outside of my GP and a few select individuals should know.

I might reconsider that aspect of course at any time. I'm not ashamed of going thru this journey - but many folks would just not get it or be accepting of it. Time will tell.

[Evolve]

Not sure if this should be kept under this thread, but begain therapy sessions to acquire a referral letter for the procedure.

I'm not going to make this known to the bulk of my family, in fact I'm not sure anyone outside of my GP and a few select individuals should know.

I might reconsider that aspect of course at any time. I'm not ashamed of going thru this journey - but many folks would just not get it or be accepting of it. Time will tell.

You definitely need to trust your intuition as to whether or not to share your journey with those in your circle. The beauty of this procedure is nobody beyond your doctor or any intimate partners is ever likely to know about it without you coming out.

In the meantime, it doesn't hurt to pursue that referral letter. I think most providers who require them only require one letter for an orchie, but some might still require two. Often, it's also an insurance requirement, so if you're planning to go through insurance, I would advise that you check with your carrier regarding any such requirements.

[WheelyFixed]

I agree w/ Evolve, the letters shouldn't be hard to get. The current SOCv8 process only requires one letter in theory (the earlier versions required two), but many insurance companies still require two, I know mine did a couple years ago, not sure what they require now... It likely would be possible to fight with the insurance company, but it is probably easier to just get the second letter...

It might also be easier to ask the TG center you are dealing with about it, as they are likely to know from experiences with previous patients. I know mine did...

My experience with the letter process was that it wasn't a big deal. The hardest part was just waiting for the appointments. It took ONE session for each letter. The first therapist took 30-40 minutes for me to convince her I was a sane adult that knew what I was talking about. I suspect my familiarity with the SOCv8 and talking about my experiences with folks on EAv2 helped a lot... The second session was possibly TEN minutes, if that. Essentially it boiled down to introducing ourselves, and then the therapist saying he'd read the case notes from the first guy, and agreed completely, did I have anything to add...

These were both therapists that I'd been referred to by the TG center doc, so I was pretty much expecting it not to be a big deal, and it was less of one than I was expecting... (Which is why I always recommend getting referrals from a TG center, as they are only going to send you to people they expect to be supportive....)

WheelyFixed