TransActual
I got on well with the occupational therapist involved in my autism diagnosis. He felt like someone I could approach, so I messaged him about my gender and told him that I was embarrassed to approach my GP. The occupational therapist was really supportive. His support was empowering – he recognised where I needed support and where he could step back.
I ensured I always spoke to the same doctor and I asked for regular appointments so that she could keep track of my illness progression.
The first barrier I faced being trans was over my use of contraceptives to suppress my periods. I had been doing this for years, but during a regular check-up a nurse decided that, due to my health issues, I was too high risk to take the oestrogen-based pill. I was upset and tried to explain that I couldn’t deal with having periods and being on a less reliable birth control pill, but she did not seem to understand.
I have encountered access issues just trying to physically gain access to my GP surgery. The GP provided in my local town offers 2 disabled parking bays outside. However, neither bay is for wheelchair use, and so does not have the space next to them to be able to get into/out of the car into a wheelchair.