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Good evening. I have seen references to Dr. Ankoff . on many posts on this site but am wondering if anyone knows of a doctor in the North East of the USA who is well regarded for performing bilateral orchiectomy in or near New England. Thank you very much for any input.

I'm going to be VERY blunt. If you cannot manage to get yourself from the Northeast US to Detroit, you're creating excuses.

While more doctors are coming online all the time, the chances of finding a legitimate doctor to help you with this and have them on your doorstep, are fairly remote.

f Hyperion92 is on a limited budget, finding a safe local option might be justified. The airfare, car rental and hotel expenses could easily add another $1500 or more to the cost and make the difference between getting this life changing procedure earlier and providing the relief or whatever goal he has from being delayed many years

Thank you both for your input. My budget has always been an important consideration and until very recently the added cost of traveling for the procedure posed a substantial obstacle. However, if the best doctor who is willing to perform the procedure safely is a long ways away, then it is what it is. I will find a way to make it work now that I could actually afford the cost.

Hyperion92 (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:40 pm Thank you both for your input. My budget has always been an important consideration and until very recently the added cost of traveling for the procedure posed a substantial obstacle. However, if the best doctor who is willing to perform the procedure safely is a long ways away, then it is what it is. I will find a way to make it work now that I could actually afford the cost.

As for travel cost the train mite be an option,you can even get a room. Trains offend go to the city you need to go or close to it. It could be a shot taxi ride to your distortion.

Losethem (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2018 8:17 am I'm going to be VERY blunt. If you cannot manage to get yourself from the Northeast US to Detroit, you're creating excuses.

While more doctors are coming online all the time, the chances of finding a legitimate doctor to help you with this and have them on your doorstep, are fairly remote.

Doesn't hurt to ask. Not everyone has an easy time saving up. I can't even work for the time being, due to my health issues.

Origen22 (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2018 9:00 am f Hyperion92 is on a limited budget, finding a safe local option might be justified. The airfare, car rental and hotel expenses could easily add another $1500 or more to the cost and make the difference between getting this life changing procedure earlier and providing the relief or whatever goal he has from being delayed many years

When I made the post, he had referenced Dr. Arnkoff. That was the point of my making the comment I did. Arnkoff's services seemed to have been considered, and dismissed. Hyperion is actually much closer to Arnkoff than a great many folks in the USA. As others have noted elsewhere, where there is a will, there is a way. Assuming a surgery cost of $4000, the following is an actual cost, for a surgery occurring in February. I'm going to calculate travel from Manchester, NH.

Surgery - $4000

Air Travel - $187 (assuming Feb 2 to Feb 5)

Hotel Stay at the nearby Embassy Suites (can choose cheaper hotel, others in the area) - $140 per night - Total $420

Basic Rental Car - $56 for a Toyota Corolla (probably twice that if you get the insurance)

And a guy has gotta eat, plus other miscellaneous sundries needed for aftercare, I'm guessing not too expensive to obtain.

Now if the patient has to stay longer, of course that cost will go up. If Arnkoff is able to release a patient to the care of the local doctor for the follow up, then this is possible. If you calculate, the total cost is about $4500. The vast majority of that is the surgery fee, and that's not going to change much if you find a local doctor.

Now you can see why I get a little grouchy when folks insist on the help being local. The surgery is often a lot more cost than everything else combined. So while Hyperion wasn't insistent on the help being local, it is often an artificial impediment people place to obtaining their goal.

Losethem, I love playing devil's advocate so bear with me here and don't take it personal:

He never explicitly stated he was dismissing Arnkoff.

Not all people can rent cars or drive.

Not everyone wants to go get surgery alone and take care of themselves after. (Additional 2nd person costs)

Money doesn't grow on trees, and people do have more important obligations.

I could sell my body and come up with the money in very short order, I could manufacture and sell drugs and have the money in short order, I could legally grow cannabis, then illegally sell it, and have the money after 4 months of loving care to a few plants. I could do all sorts of things, and be great at them, but those things are below me, and I wont do them. Not everyone has the means to obtain money easily, and many are not willing to sink low to obtain what they want. Many have familial obligations, and some people struggle to feed and house themselves. The world is not an oyster for everyone, not everyone has the privilege of well paying work.

For some, to save money is to starve themselves. Health, mental and physical, is at stake when one has to cut corners to save. Believe it or not, there is a large lower class that is stuck in minimum wage work because of prejudice against the poor. If your resume has nothing but minimum wage work, it doesn't matter how smart you are: climbing that ladder is tough, and hard work and dedication can only bring you so far. Nepotism and luck are much bigger game changers than even the hardest work. Reputation is also key.

One could work two full time jobs and save easily, but I know first hand how brutal that is. It's not something most people could sustain, and requires sacrifices.

A simple question isn't a statement of defeat and rejection. Think of it as trying to find an easier path on a map. If you've ever done long distance remote hiking, you can relate to that. Sure, climbing a 300 foot cliff with no safety gear is possible, but unlike my foolish and very lucky friends, I don't take risks without searching for a safer or easier path. Or I ensure I have a safety net.

Considering my distance from Detroit, I sympathise with you on your "but you're so nearby compared to others" point. That's for sure. But still, money doesn't grow on trees. As someone who used to make good money at a job they loved, who cannot currently work due to circumstance and health issues, I sympathize with anyone who is in a pinch in regards to saving money. Having spent much time with the lower classes, and having been part of them once myself, I sympathize further with the difficulty of "climbing the ladder" and even making ends meet.

I am not clear on this storm in a teacups origin, I just read it like a guys was asking if there were other options. As I see it no one has actually said "yes there are" or "no there are none" or even "we don't know". After all this the guy is no better off in terms of information and has no other option on which to base his decision. If he needs an "excuse" I am sure he will find one with or without the information he politely asked for.

tjstill (imported) wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:03 am I am not clear on this storm in a teacups origin, I just read it like a guys was asking if there were other options. As I see it no one has actually said "yes there are" or "no there are none" or even "we don't know". After all this the guy is no better off in terms of information and has no other option on which to base his decision. If he needs an "excuse" I am sure he will find one with or without the information he politely asked for.

I'm clear on it. Here is how it usually goes down here on the Archive:

1. "Hey, Is there a doctor on my doorstep?"

I'd say for the vast majority no.

2. "Ok, thank you for your answer. Are you REALLY sure there is no doctor on my doorstep?"

Yes, I'm quite sure. Though if someone knows of one, I'll gladly hear about that option.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The idea is if you want this bad enough, where there is a will there is a way. Because here's what happens next in this line of questioning, more often than not:

3. "Oh sorry to hear that. Well, I guess I'll never get it done then. I can't afford to travel more than 3 blocks from my house. Now, are you REALLY, REALLY, sure there is no doctor on my doorstep?"

The objection normally distance or money. Hey, I get it, I've been there. All I can offer is my blunt assessment of a situation and how to overcome it. The OP was demonstrating an ability to pay for the surgery, at least from how I took their initial post. The objection is location. With my later post, I went in, showed the costs associated to demonstrate the vast majority of it is the cost of surgery, which WILL NOT CHANGE simply being closer to home.

And really, If I can arrange it, I'd gladly be there to help the person when they go to their appointment. I know first hand how much help is needed after.

Now to directly answer the overlying question - at this time I do not know of a doctor in New England that does this on a voluntary basis. In fact, the only one I know that will cut a guys balls off without a letter is Dr. Arnkoff in Michigan. And that has not changed for many YEARS now. What has changed is other doctors are now willing to do it, but they need a letter(s). Those doctors are found in various places around the country, but I do not think there is one in the Northeast. So, back to Arnkoff.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is one or several in the northeast who will do the surgery with the right paperwork. IIRC Boston has a transgender clinic, I'm sure transgender people don't need to go far from the northeast or even leave it. There used to be Dr. Kimber, in Philadelphia, if I remember his name correctly, though I know he's been done snipping balls for years now. Oh well.

I do see a non-typical transgender person (androgynous, male to eunuch, etc) having difficulty, that's for sure. Cis people are too intolerant while believing they are tolerant, and doctors think attending a few trainings makes them an expert on trans people. It's a shame. Body sovereignty should be a right, doctors do not own our bodies but they love to think they have some right to dictate what we do with them.

Arnkoff is proof any of them could do the same thing he does. Yet they don't because they are spineless power-tripping slime. Put a degree in someones hand and most of the time they go through life thinking they know everything and are always right.

I appreciate your bluntness, I really do. If Dr. Arknoff is the best and only option (which from my reading and this thread seems to be the case) then I will make it work. I could make the trip work now but could not previously. What I was trying to get at with my original post, and I apologize that this was not clearer, was wishing to know if there are any reputable Drs nearer than him as I have not been able to find anything. The answer appears to be that Dr. Arnkoff is not only the best option but perhaps the only one. If that is the case then I am sure I can make it work with proper planning.

On a related note, would you recommend speaking with my doctor about this? My regional hospital has a well renowned transgender clinic but I have been reticent to peruse that path for the reasons stated by Tibergrace.

Tibergrace (imported) wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:13 am I wouldn't be surprised if there is one or several in the northeast who will do the surgery with the right paperwork.

Tibergrace has it exactly right. There are many surgeons in places scattered across North America who are willing to perform an orchiectomy WITH A LETTER from a psychiatrist or psychologist. The surgeon wants assurance that you are sane and that you fully understand what you are asking for and its consequences. Dr. Arnkoff is the only surgeon in the United States willing to take the risk of operating without such a letter.

To find a cooperating psychiatrist/psychologist, the place to start is the web site of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (www.WPATH.org) (http://www.WPATH.org)). There is a drop-down link from their front page for <Find a Provider>. You should then telephone and ask if the provider is using version 7 of the WPATH Standards of Care and if he or she is willing to work with someone who is "non-binary." That should set you on your path. It may even get you insurance coverage.

It may even get you insurance coverage.

I'm on Medicaid and a lot of stuff in my state isn't covered for transgender people. I'm very new to it so I still need to look deeper, but I suspect I will find little to no coverage for trans related things.

It all depends on the state and/or insurance coverage.

Alaska is a very red state, and we only got easy ID gender change (just a letter) because of our rather awesome constitution and its privacy clause. For birth certificate change, surgery is required and I don't see that changing any time soon. I know just from existing as an androgynous person, that trans people are very hated by the public here, though I will say their banter is rather entry level at best, and complimentary at worst. I even was fired for being trans when that was still legal in Anchorage. There is a whole lot of opposition to my kind here. I'm sure many other places in the country are like that.

A little irony: I present androgynous because I only have male clothes, and I can't buy female clothes because I can't work. This is because my abuser forced me to only have such clothing. Now I can't get cis professionals to work with me very easily, because they need me to make an ass of myself and rub the fact I am transgender in their face to get any help. I'm going off on a tangent, but my point is: trans care in this country is an absolute joke.

So much less cost than the nearly $12,000 paid by my health insurance twice for my nuts to be removed, with the same result!

Losethem (imported) wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:33 am When I made the post, he had referenced Dr. Arnkoff. That was the point of my making the comment I did. Arnkoff's services seemed to have been considered, and dismissed. Hyperion is actually much closer to Arnkoff than a great many folks in the USA. As others have noted elsewhere, where there is a will, there is a way. Assuming a surgery cost of $4000, the following is an actual cost, for a surgery occurring in February. I'm going to calculate travel from Manchester, NH.

Surgery - $4000

Air Travel - $187 (assuming Feb 2 to Feb 5)

Hotel Stay at the nearby Embassy Suites (can choose cheaper hotel, others in the area) - $140 per night - Total $420

Basic Rental Car - $56 for a Toyota Corolla (probably twice that if you get the insurance)

And a guy has gotta eat, plus other miscellaneous sundries needed for aftercare, I'm guessing not too expensive to obtain.

Now if the patient has to stay longer, of course that cost will go up. If Arnkoff is able to release a patient to the care of the local doctor for the follow up, then this is possible. If you calculate, the total cost is about $4500. The vast majority of that is the surgery fee, and that's not going to change much if you find a local doctor.

Now you can see why I get a little grouchy when folks insist on the help being local. The surgery is often a lot more cost than everything else combined. So while Hyperion wasn't insistent on the help being local, it is often an artificial impediment people place to obtaining their goal.

Tibergrace (imported) wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:13 am Arnkoff is proof any of them could do the same thing he does. Yet they don't because they are spineless power-tripping slime. Put a degree in someones hand and most of the time they go through life thinking they know everything and are always right.

It has less to do with their being power tripping slime and more with the propensity of people to sue for hangnails and split ends in their hair. Doctors protect their licenses as best they can. Get rid of this propensity to sue because a doctor is mistaken for God, you'd probably see doctors more willing to step up and do these things.

Same for nurses. I spent a shit-ton of money to get professionally licensed, and it can all be taken away from you because of one determined asshole.

Given your message, if I were a practitioner and saw this and knew it was you, I wouldn't touch you with a mile long pole, much less a 10ft one. You're trouble and a danger to my license.

Losethem (imported) wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2018 9:37 am It has less to do with their being power tripping slime and more with the propensity of people to sue for hangnails and split ends in their hair. Doctors protect their licenses as best they can. Get rid of this propensity to sue because a doctor is mistaken for God, you'd probably see doctors more willing to step up and do these things.

Same for nurses. I spent a shit-ton of money to get professionally licensed, and it can all be taken away from you because of one determined asshole.

Given your message, if I were a practitioner and saw this and knew it was you, I wouldn't touch you with a mile long pole, much less a 10ft one. You're trouble and a danger to my license.

Losethem I see where you are coming from and I know some asshole whom I will not let on my land any more to pick blueberries.

Let's be realistic here, Losethem. He's been in operation for years, no pun intended. I think he would be taken down by now. In legal matters, signing some documentation can really screw one over in regards to suing someone. As a nurse, rather than someone with experience in legal matters, one might not understand that the guy can afford a lawyer and likely has talked to one at length to cover his own ass. I seriously doubt he is risking much. There is also insurance for such things.

Perhaps to become a doctor, one should have to study law a little more. Ignorance is no excuse for denying people treatment, and as a rather modified male you should have a different opinion on body sovereignty. You got your modifications, so I suppose it doesn't necessarily matter to you if others can get theirs, or what they have to do.

Not touching me could actually be the thing that got you fired to be honest, depending strongly on the situation ;^). Then again I am quite gregarious, face to face. You'd never even know it was me, because I know not to speak ill of people who I want to help me, to their face as I seek their help. I try to get them to work with me, and when they fail I seek another path.

You don't like that I talk $*%& about medical people. You are entitled to your opinion. I don't care, feel free to say whatever you like to my talk, and make all the insulting claims you like, I've endured far worse than that lol. I could say all sorts of things to get under your skin, but I hold back.

I need validation from no one. Everyone on this forum could hate me and I would not care. That said, it's not like I'm out to make enemies, most people here are pretty chill it would seem, and I try to get along with them. I'll state my opinions, you'll state yours, the sun will continue to rise and set.

As a nurse, you seem biased to support other people in the medical field. As a transgender person, their bias against me is crystal clear, and there is no number of words I could use to make one understand it, unless one lives with that bias being used against them, in which case I need not say a word, as one already understands.

There are ones who help trans people out, and loads who don't. The list of helpful ones here is quite short, and rife with gatekeeping, in my area. The rest, I'll trust for anything that isn't transgender related. Medical professionals are very polite to me, but are forced not to discriminate by law in my area. I get whatever pronouns I like and no harassment, in medical settings, but bigotry is still quite possible within the bounds of the law.

My therapist doesn't even have a recommendation for who would do an orchi for me up here, and she's been compiling a list of pro-trans professionals for a while. Even then, Arnkoff is cheaper than her Californian recommendations. Seems like he's just a good guy, but I think it's safe to say he's covering his rear, legally speaking, or he'd be out of a license already.

Call me trouble all you want. I'm not out to revoke doctors' precious little licenses. The only people I've pursued legal action against, were people who assaulted me in various forms.

I'm not out to go sue people for money or remove licenses from doctors. When I go to court it's to put someone behind bars for the good of everyone.

I do view gatekeepers as a menace and as bigots, though. But I'm not going to go pull dirty tricks to screw them over, I simply move on and find someone else if one is too bigoted. I don't even mention I am trans to a doctor or nurse unless I am explicitly visiting them for trans related things. That is not information they need to know. I do tell them about my medications so they don't accidentally hurt or kill me, but that's as far as it goes. I smile and nod and listen to their "don't self med" spiel, if they give it, because I know it's their job to do so. Doesn't stop me from self medding, and lets them do their thing.

If I went and tried to sue every bigot or mess them up legally, I would have no time for anything else in life. There are too many of them, all too often shielding themselves with fake tolerance.

I'm sorry my opinion offends you, but I do quite enjoy expressing it. You seem to have a tendency to make grand assumptions about people. Carry on, it gives you character.

As far as money for degrees goes, many people, myself included, went to university on full ride scholarships. Many others get government grants. Not everyone had to pay for their degrees.

Just curious, what sort of nurse are you? What field do you work in? Are you an RN? I know a couple RNs. Twin brothers, good guys. Went to the same university as them.

Ernie you should see all the berries here in late summer and fall, it's crazy.

From a legal standpoint, it is likely that Dr. A. and others that do like surgery simply have not performed very poor results operations to warrant being sued, and moreover, because of the type of surgery, it is more likely that any result that is very poor would not end in litigation, as the person who experienced very poor results would not desire to come forward publicly to litigate the poor result, risking the public exposure of their sexual identity desires. Also attorneys and the courts likely would view the person and surgery result as bizarre and deserving for a person to have such surgery.

As someone who lives in Europe I think a lot of those in the States do not realise how lucky they are to have a Doctor there willing to castrate people basically for a fee no questions asked, we don't here and how we wish we did.

I would have travelled any distance either by plane car, bus or using the thumb to get there to get it done. I would have done without to get the money together which is pretty reasonable in my opinion and not out of most peoples reach if they save to be castrated in a safe and legitimate place.

Which I did do and I was castrated only because I was determined to get it done, If you are serious you will overcome anything to do it, I know because I did it against the odds and there are plenty more here in the UK and Europe who had it just as tough, so I think those in the States should think themselves incredibly fortunate they have someone on their own doorstep willing to do it, even if it does mean travelling to another State or across country and if its only one Doctor, so what, its one more than the rest of us.

Lightening, I definitely appreciate it and wish there were more doctors willing or able to render the services Arnkoff does, around the world.

If one is MtF transgender, like I am, most European countries actually have free paths to castration and/or SRS (some surgeons will work with those who have had orchiectomies, some will not). Perhaps with time the tolerance of European countries will increase and people who desire to become eunuchs will get to have it done for free, too.

I personally would already have had Arnkoff or someone else perform an orchiectomy on me long ago, if I wasn't subjected to what I have been subjected to these past three years.

I was kept as someone's slave. Ever been a slave? It's pretty hard to do much, like that. I have been raped over 1000 times. I never counted, that is an estimate and the real number is likely much higher. Multiple times daily. I was beaten pretty much daily, I had to take a lot of hits. I can only even type this thanks to bupropion, diazepam, my bi-weekly therapy sessions, and my insane level of luck and determination not to die. Most people would have killed themselves in such a situation. The only reason I did not is my faith in God preventing me from ending myself out of fear of going into something worse. As a side note, I do think religion is actually part of our survival instinct, not that that lessens my faith. It did help me not kill myself.

I know starvation extremely well, which is why I think it's a bad idea to starve oneself to save money. I was underweight when I got myself out of the situation, which was quite a story of its own. I thank my brain for going absolutely haywire for that. I snapped. Psychosis due to trauma and sleep deprivation can really get things done. The next couple weeks after felt like an eternity, because I was so full of adrenaline and became even more sleep deprived as a result. I had also become accustomed to being awoken many times in the night and usually not getting nearly enough sleep. During that time, going back into the room where I was kept was traumatic; it still is and the room has been completely cleared out. During those two weeks though, being in there filled me with terror and I felt like I was being watched, like I was about to be attacked, despite knowing logically that there was no threat present.

My palms and feet were constantly sweaty, I could ignore pain and cold. During the abuse I had ribs broken several times, and didn't notice till the ribs began moving out of place. Now that I am at normal levels of adrenaline, I feel all the pain. As I type this I have pain in multiple places of my ribcage, as well as other places that took heavy blows. I can't even bend over to pick objects up off the floor without pain in my ribs. Both of my knees are pretty messed up, I am going to have a lot of problems with them when I am old, for sure.

I had to be put in the hospital and forced to sleep, after that I began to improve. I did have to be forced into four point restraints first, but I was discharged the next day after sleeping about 12 hours.

Only through pure luck did I avoid being stabbed or shot. I've had loaded guns pointed at me, sometimes one in the chamber, sometimes not. Russian roulette with a semi-automatic handgun, considering nearly every time I would force the handgun not to point at me, often twisting it from their hands and dissembling it. It was my handgun originally. Sometimes I would rack the slide back and a round would eject, sometimes not. Thanks to their breaking of me I didn't actually want to hurt or kill them despite what they had done to me. I could have gotten out sooner than I did, but the damage was done already. One tends to go numb or be "checked out" as a survival mechanism in such situations, which can allow the situations to continue. At least the idiot incriminated themselves in court.

I can't use a knife or look at one in someone's hands without being triggered, the same applies to screwdrivers and various other objects. If I had the money now I would still need therapy to get surgery because a little knife is involved.

Arnkoff could have had his clinic a mile from me, and there would have been nothing I could do to see him. I was so isolated from the world I didn't even know CGI got so good they could replace an actors face with another and make it look realistic.

The plan for now is to heal mentally and physically until I can work again, then it will be a very short time to save up enough to have someone remove my testicles. Arnkoff, Californian doctor, doesn't matter. It will get done but being relatively normal again is more important. I don't want to go through life with PTSD, balls can be removed later.

If anyone doubts my story, I do have proof I can show.

I am pretty open about what happened, in hopes it will encourage others to come forward to professionals and get help they need. Also maybe I will help someone end an abusive situation by being open about the one I was in.

Now you know why I seek validation from nobody.

Tibergrace (imported) wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2018 5:17 pm Let's be realistic here, Losethem. He's been in operation for years, no pun intended. I think he would be taken down by now. In legal matters, signing some documentation can really screw one over in regards to suing someone. As a nurse, rather than someone with experience in legal matters, one might not understand that the guy can afford a lawyer and likely has talked to one at length to cover his own ass. I seriously doubt he is risking much. There is also insurance for such things.

I was going to write a long message taking on your message point-by-point, but there is really no purpose in it. I stand by my original statement - a patient like you is trouble. And politely, I'm not saying that to be mean. Knowing what you've said here, I'd simply not start providing care, especially in the context of your self-medicating. I would have to assume you'd be non-compliant with the plan of care, and why would I risk my neck coming up with one, documenting it, and having you subvert it and potentially sue me when you encounter complications because of your non-compliance and self-medicating?

I'd not take the risk, even if I felt you could benefit from my professional expertise.

A patient can refuse care, but a doctor or nurse can refuse to treat before starting to. Ethically, I'd refer you elsewhere, but I would refuse to establish a professional relationship with your case beyond that.

I love this stuff. Against self medication, won't help a self medicating person get off the medication and on a script. You're not the problem, but people with that mindset are.

This is why so many trans people, particularly under 30, self medicate for quite a long time. Unlike me, most don't know how to get blood tests easily. $99 for a full transgender panel, and you get all the results yourself.

Your whole refusing-me-service thing depends on even knowing my intentions in the first place. Do you think I tell this to doctors? I inform them of what medicines I take, I inform them on the fact I self medicate, but unless I want hormones from them, that is as far as it goes. I know many clinics down south don't make one quit self medicating before they replace it. Any will advise against it, but none will convince me to quit before they give me a replacement. If they won't give me a replacement, and want to get a "baseline" that doesn't exist and would harm my looks and increase my dysphoria, then that is where the doctor-patient relationship ends.

Your issue is you don't understand transgender issues, which is fine. Most people view it as a fashion statement or something. They view "dressing the part" as more important than physically looking the part. Meanwhile,for young MtFs, looking the part is the most important thing, and generally speaking, the younger one is, the more hormones change things, thus higher chance of us actually looking female.

The vast majority of MtF transgender people my age and younger self medicate or used to self medicate. This is because older transitioners set a precedent of it being mostly about clothing, due to not being able to transition while young (due largely to social climate and no internet). For them, it really makes no difference to dress in women's clothes, be treated like garbage, and then perhaps get surgeries or luck out and wind up passing. For the young ones, even a single year's delay can make a massive difference in passing.

If I started taking hormones just a bit sooner, my voice wouldn't have dropped as much as it did. Social climate in the late '00s wasn't the best, so I got delayed by fear a little while. Still beat the bandwagon. I can't wait till the huge number of <18-25 year old transgender people hit their 30s and 40s. Then maybe things will change. I am a dinosaur in the young transgender scene, which tends to avoid the spaces of the older transgender scene. Setting clothes before body is ass backwards in my opinion, most MtFs my age or younger would completely agree. We tend to make ourselves look the part, THEN dress the part, because we don't want to be ridiculed. We want to actually blend in and actually look like women, rather than endure needless torment to "prove" to some idiot cis f*** that we are trans, while allowing testosterone to destroy our bodies.

I for one felt dysphoric in female clothes until my body passed a certain point. Women's clothes highlight masculinity and increase dysphoria for many of us, until our bodies match the clothes.

Kind of misogynistic IMO, aren't women supposed to be allowed to wear whatever rather than squashing themselves into a stereotype? If I were naked and covering my genitals I'd fool most unless I spoke (gotta relearn female voice, was forced not to use it for years). I fool many while wearing the clothes I have, and right now all I have is male clothing, lol. Why the f*** are my clothes such a huge deal?

Doctors take a few trainings, likely lead by late transitioners or cis people, and think theyre experts. The problem: early transitioners are still generally too young to be in any places of importance.

My current doctor has other patients who take cyproterone and she's aware of my self medding. We are working on hooking me up with someone to prescribe and monitor. I have leads on multiple doctors for me to try, one has a trans kid so maybe I'm in luck. We will see in the coming weeks.

Rest easy, the chances of me winding up in your care are impossibly small anyway.

Well Hyperion92, you've certainly started a debate..!

I personally don't think that there's any harm in looking for a local surgeon who's willing to perform the surgery you desire. Just be prepared to be turned down and have to look further afield. I think it's great that Dr Ankoff's services are available if you can't find any other options which better suit your personal circumstances.

Is this not a similar situation that the first patients to have sex reassignment surgery found themselves in? In 1960 April Ashley (who I guess can be considered to be a transsexual pioneer) saved £3000 (a LOT of money back then!) and travelled to Casablanca, Morocco for MtF srs. Information from Wikipedia.

Decades later sex reassignment surgery is fairly mainstream and is available in many countries either through national health systems, or health insurance. More recently people have been able to start transition whilst still very young. Sometimes even having their puberty delayed, resulting in outcomes many of us can only dream of. 'Passing' simply no longer being an issue.

Whilst things are changing very quickly, castration without transition still seems to be something which doctors consider to be an unusual request, and in their opinion probably not in the patients best interests. I guess the only thing which will change their view is seeing or hearing about successful outcomes of those who have found someone who is willing to perform the operation, often a long way from home.

Personally if my journey takes me to the point where I desire surgery I would much rather have it done in my own country and close to home, where I have the support of friends and family and don't have to worry about what could go wrong in another country, where no doubt my travel insurance wouldn't cover me if I ended up in the emergency room due to a botched operation. But that doesn't mean that I'm not prepared to get on a plane if that's what it takes.

On Tuesday I saw my therapist, my third visit, and told her about my desire to try chemical castration. On my previous two visits I rather felt that the only options she was willing to consider were MtF transition or accepting things as they are. I went prepared with a letter outlining the reasons why I thought chemical castration might be right for me, details of where I can get the medication I require, and screenshots of a couple of posts from this forum showing that this option works for some people. To my surprise her response was positive and I'm been referred to a doctor at the gender identity clinic who can prescribe the medication for me. I may have to wait a few months as there is a waiting list...

I didn't use the word 'eunuch', rather I described it as potentially the start of a 'non-binary' transition.

Now, it strikes me that if the NHS is prepared to chemically castrate me essentially on request (I may of course have to jump through a few hoops yet!), then it's not such a big step to ask for surgical castration. At the very least if chemical castration works out for me then I ought to have no problems getting the necessary letters to take to a surgeon abroad, which gives me a lot more options. But I would without doubt try and get operation done in this country first.

Perhaps given that it is now not very difficult to self medicate, or find a surgeon somewhere in the world who is willing to do what you want for the right price, some of the medical profession is beginning to realise that they might as well help rather than hinder us, and that it's probably easier than having to pick up the pieces afterwards when things go wrong.

I'm taking the view that the best strategy (for me at least) is to politely ask the professionals for their assistance first, but if I get no help then go ahead and do it anyway, whist keeping them up to date with my progress in case things don't work out as I expect. It will be interesting to see how far this gets me.

If I were to persuade a British doctor to castrate me (If my journey takes me that far - it's very early days yet), it may open the door for others to follow. On the other hand it may already be quietly happening...

Tibergrace (imported) wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 5:25 pm I love this stuff. Against self medication, won't help a self medicating person get off the medication and on a script. You're not the problem, but people with that mindset are.

I find it unbelievable you can't see what the issue is. YOU ARE SELF MEDICATING. You have stated in the absence of getting exactly what you want out of a doctor, that you would continue to do so. Any doctor that is worth his education and practice would be well advised to stay away from you in the absence of your signing documents holding them harmless should you continue to not follow their plan of care.

If you continue down your path, you're going to find it very difficult to achieve your goal. The medical community wishes to assist, but they won't assist if you sabotage your care plan with your armchair quarterback self-diagnosis and self-medication.

So while I hope you reach your goal, you're going to find it very difficult until your point of view on the subject changes. if you can't see there is a reason others reach their goals while you continue to be frustrated, then it's time for you to take a very long look in the mirror. The problem will be staring back at you from it.