Today is the first day in which I take my prescribed hormones!
Following from my medical intake session last week, and time for my pharmacy to get my medication in-stock, today I picked up, paid quite a bit of money, and now I have girl patches!
I won't focus on transitioning overall in this post, this one is scoped-down to just the medical side.
my provider
The provider I've gone with is Anne Healthcare, they have exceptional reviews, are a non-profit, and fight for trans+ rights in the UK.
My experience with them has been exceptional, from the whole process being easy to understand, to them being incredibly responsive and proactive, as well as the experts behind it all being genuinely friendly people who give a perfect balance between professionality and casual chit-chat during the meetings.
initial bloods
This is one time of the many where Anne really shined.
Through the web portal, I booked my initial bloods at a clinic in Exter about a month-and-a-half away; as that was, as far as I could tell, the soonest appointment.
Shortly after booking that, I recieve an email from Anne's blood team; after a few back-and-forth friendly emails they managed to find me an appointment within a matter of days, still in Exeter, and actually more convenient for me.
The blood draw itself was totally fine, I have no qualms with needles, they took a few vials then sent me on my way; the clinician was friendly, chatty, and just everything you could've asked for.
A few days later I recieve my results, surprisingly, both me E and T levels were above-average for my demographic; I guess I was just more gender than the rest of you.
medical intake
After the blood results were in, it was time for my medical intake where I was to discuss what form I want my hormones in, what medications I want, etc.
Bit of a longer wait to this one than my initial bloods, but that's fine, it wasn't too long (about a month).
My doctor is lovely, keeping true to the pattern with Anne, open to questions, and doesn't make me feel stupid even if I am.
The intake ran for about an hour, with my prescription being issued almost immediately afterwards.
the pharmacy
That same day, I threw on some clothes and went to a local pharmacy to go and get my prescription.
There was a little confusion with the pharmacist here, just because it's a system they don't usually use, but all was cleared up in the end.
Unfortunately they didn't have my medication in stock, but I was expecting that, it is rather niche.
So about 5 days later I go back, pick it up, pay (92.50 GBP), and go on my merry way!
Each prescription is to last me three months, so we equate to roughly 30.83 GBP/month, which on-top of the 150.00 GBP membership fee for Anne itself puts my whole transition at 180.83 GBP/month. Not cheap, but worth it in my opinion.
Obviously if the NHS wasn't in the state it's in now, with it's 8yr+ wait-times for gender-affirming care, or contracts with US-based warmongering and genocide-profiteering AI surveillance corporation Palantir. Honestly who hears "Palantir" and goes "oh yeah let me sign a contract with them.". Fucking blows my mind the ignorance of some people.
looking back
From my departure from the Royal Air Force due to my body dysphoria and pacifist awakening, to today, my life has been almost non-stop turbulence for almost exactly a year (it might actually be exactly a year).
To timeline this, I'm going to setup a new gallery of photos of me from pre-RAF (arrival on-base at RAF Halton) to whenever I feel like taking a photo. I'll target one per-week, as that'll be a good frequency to see meaningful changes in a handful of photos.