Some more observances & name change news

[seishun]

First off, I need to plug Dr Nguyen again. Both he and his office manager, Russann Royce, are exemplary human beings, engaged in work that changes peoples' lives for the better, and they are not at all stuck up about it. Yesterday I emailed Russann asking if I could get a refill on my percocet 'script and if the doctor would be willing to write me a letter stating that my medical transition was complete so that I could change my gender marker with the Social Security Administration. This morning I got a response in the affirmative on both counts. I love these people!

Russann has seriously made this experience SO much better than it might have been. When I was trying to find out how much Dr Kowalczyk charges for surgery, his office staff were evasive and unhelpful. They put me off, told me that someone would call me back, but no-one ever did. In the end, I decided that there was no way someone with such a useless office staff was going to be my doctor. It wouldn't matter in the least if he were the best doctor on the planet; if his office staff was this useless BEFORE they had my money, how much more useless would they be AFTER they had it? Russann, on the other hand, was responsive. No matter how mundane or outré the question, she answered it. She wanted me to have the best possible experience, and it showed. I cannot speak highly enough of her. I'm going to say this again: if you need an orchiectomy, GO TO DR NGUYEN.

So now I'd like to talk a bit more about what I'm experiencing. Today I noticed that I itch. Travis thinks this might be part of the healing process, and I suppose that's likely. I've had to change my pad several times today, too. Pain-wise I'm about the same. I think I'm a bit more swollen today than I was yesterday. I don't have any ice packs here at home though. I really need to buy a few so I can keep the swelling under control.

I noticed yesterday that my physical strength seems to have diminished again. When I was fully hormonally female before, I was pretty weak, since estrogen kills one's upper body strength. When I went off spiro, and then on the half dose, I recovered much of that strength (though not all of it—I was never as strong as I was before HRT). I actually seem weaker now than I was before, though of course that's impossible to quantify.

I also notice that I'm MUCH more prone to crying. I've cried several times today. I'm a little more emotional in general, though again, this is difficult to gauge accurately, so I could just be having One Of Those Days™. I've been having computer issues today, and while I've gotten quite angry (to the point where I was shaking with rage at one point) about it all, I never lost control or got depressed about it. And it faded pretty quickly. I count this as progress.

In non-orchi news, I'm considering bypassing the Center's legal assistance program and filling out my name change papers myself. I spoke with Drian Juarez the other day. She said it'd be mid-July before they were ready for ME to file myself. So I'd have to wait two or three more weeks, then go and collect the papers and bring them back to the Santa Monica court to file them myself, along with the fee waiver request. Then I would need to hope the court approved my waiver. Bear in mind I first went to them in late April to get this process started. At first they told me the papers would be ready by the end of May. Then by mid-June. Now it's mid-July? I really, *REALLY* want to start the fall semester as Carla, and that's looking less and less likely if I rely on the Center. I have plenty of free time right now, so I see no reason whatsoever to delay this. I'm reasonably certain I can get the papers filled in myself, and I know someone I can have look them over to make sure they're OK, so I think I'm better off taking matters into my own hands.

Comments

[kiwimusume]

Doing it yourself sounds like a great idea to me. The runaround the Center are giving you would make me want to scream.

[seishun]

*nods* I don't think it's a deliberate thing, but it's happening, so whether it's deliberate or not is irrelevant. I know I can get the forms, and I don't need a lawyer for this, so I might as well do it.

[kiwimusume]

Yeah, whether it's deliberate or not it's bloody bad service.

[jackandahat]

Piece of advice, from someone who has changed his name (though in England, so I know it's not entirely the same) - get everything in order first. Anything you have in [birthname] - passport, driver's license, whatever, make sure it's up to date, spelled correctly, basically perfect. I got screwed because my passport expired, and I didn't renew it before I changed my name. So now it's going to take me forever and considerable expense to get a new one - all of which could have been avoided if I'd had it up to date when I changed my name, then I could have just got it re-issued.

[seishun]

Good advice! I need a passport for our trip next year to Japan, but when I resolved to change my name I decided to wait until after to get it.

[jackandahat]

*nods* Yeah - I thought "Well, I'm going to have to change my name and address and picture, it's easier to do all in one go when I get a new one" (Because I had a child passport issued at age 15. So it has my parent's address, and a picture of me age 15, fat, and with red hair - not really recognisable!) Except it turned out if you try and change that much information, they decide you're a terrorist and can't have a passport. *roll eyes*

So in your position (or if I could go back to mine), I would get it issued/renewed/whatever in your former/legal name, then change your name to your proper one, then file for a change of name on your passport. It's paperwork, and it'll cost more, but it should go easier for you.

[mikotokun]

This is exciting stuff! :)

[seishun]

Well, it is for me, anyway. :)