R4 Trans Hormone News Headline

[Mossyrock]

Did anyone else hear this? In the headlines at 6am news summary.

Report that some trans people are ordering hormones online because of need to wait for NHS treatment. Report about Victoria Derbyshire (I think?) investigation. NHS announcing initiative in spring to speed access to gender clinics, currently 1-3 years.

My immediate reactions:

This is 'balance' for increased GC reporting in recent days

What about women? Current HRT shortage for menopausal women, long waiting times for gynaecological treatment

Focus was specifically on access to hormones not general exploration and therapy for trans identifying people. Hormones should not be the presented as the logical first step.

Irresponsible politicisation of suicide. One person interviewed apparently said that they were forced to buy hormones online as an alternative to suicide

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51530274

You're right. This could be all about dangers of self-medicating and self-prescribing, and how much mis-information abounds. How we need good balanced sources of information for trans people and their families.

Not 'overstretched NHS failing the most vulnerable'

The take home message for a trans teenager or vulnerable adult listening to this would be 'you can buy hormones online', 'I might become suicidal if I don't', 'the NHS sees access to hormones as necessary for people like me' and 'I am entitled to this'.

It's incredibly irresponsible reporting.

I saw this on tbe app. And remembered traipsing around trying to find the hrt I had been prescribed. Then sitting on the phone calling pharmacies to no avail.
Then I remembered how abandoned and shit I felt after dd was born - traumatic birth; failure to bf.
Then I remembered how my late dad struggled to get a proper diagnosis of the cancer that killed him.
Then I remembered how I spent every day trying to progress my mum's cancer care before she died.
That's the scandal. Poor underfunded healthcare.

And the hospital that told me I was constipated. I was having an MS relapse. And the nurse who syringed dh's ear and complained about how horrible it was for her.
I could go on but it's too distressing. I mean that.
It's not a fucking game of top trumps.

This bit really concerned me. Sounds like some kind of fast track service which could remove the very few safeguards left in place (i.e. mainly the time it takes which allows for reflection and an easy way out)

NHS England told the BBC in a statement: ..."From the spring a new service will be piloted in London that will increase capacity in gender identity services."

(Also, why was the Tavistock "unable" to provide figures for the graph? What sort of out of control circus are they running there?)

Good luck to them buying the hrt online. Maybe they could link to a few pharmacies that have stocks in. I could bloody do with some.

for DDs medical condition, the average length of time to get a diagnosis (never mind any treatment) is 10 years. Her six monthly appointments after diagnosis turned into two yearly. Her GP couldn't prescribe the medication (and the local pharmacies were reluctant to stock it) so I had to travel to a London hospital to collect it every three months.

And yet, people with this condition (some of whom are bed-bound, lots use wheelchairs, and unknown number are on heavy duty but inappropriate meds) don't seem to be any more suicidal than anyone else, nor do they have a state broadcaster providing weekly reports about how dreadful it all is.

Hmm, now why could that be?

*The take home message for a trans teenager or vulnerable adult listening to this would be 'you can buy hormones online', 'I might become suicidal if I don't', 'the NHS sees access to hormones as necessary for people like me' and 'I am entitled to this'.

It's incredibly irresponsible reporting.*

This was exactly my thought.

There's no appreciation that the individual is more likely than the flue real population to have comorbid mh conditions.

Giving the impression that suicide is the other option is irresponsible and offensive to those who have transitioned or actually have been dealing with their GD in other ways.

It also highlights the fact that this is a mental health condition and so requires medical assistance (be it therapy, support, or medical routes) and so how on earth can self I'd work?

It also highlights the danger of the drugs without actually stating that they're not to be taken lightly. I read of a TM in twitter recently who has had to come off testosterone as it was affecting their heart too much. So now they're left in limbo.

I agree that waiting times are a huge issue. Especially for young people. If appropriate support and counselling were offered to young people, there may not be the issue for the adults in the first place.

Thomasin, a detransitioner, noted that as soon as she was in adult services, you get what you ask for medically. The only gatekeeping seems to be time, and time isn't a healer or helper in this case.

The clinicians appear to be unable to comment either. A Gp friend mentioned that he didn't feel 'confident' about one patient he had, he really wasn't sure they were trans, but obviously couldn't comment.

Also, anyone else notice the timing of this?

It's like there's a bot analysing media and twitter and then churning out opposing articles that always mention suicide so be kind.

And the timing of and article on suicide around this is rather debatable given recent sad events.

That's the scandal. Poor underfunded healthcare.

Yes. That should absolutely be the story here.

A person who is suicidal needs urgent MH support. Not a fast track to life changing decisions.

Also, anyone else notice the timing of this?

Exactly. How stupid do they think people are?

Social engineering from the BBC.

One of the best thing about all this is the amount of people who have suddenly clicked and can see it at work.

I also saw this on the app.

I am very concerned with this suicide narrative. It may be true that some people are feeling suicidal, for which they need urgent help, but I strongly believe that this constant talk of suicide without treatment hugely influences the way people feel and the way they say they feel.

I've also seen people on Twitter talking about self-prescribing. I came across a young trans man by accident as they were interacting with a famous person. They had recently started taking testosterone they had purchased. They presented in a fairly feminine way in terms of their hair and jewellery. Their feed was full of this male celebrity they are obsessed with. It made me sad to think what was behind their need to change and what life was ahead of them as a trans man interested in men. They needed therapy before taking such a huge step.

Taking time out from work to call from the office toilet to see if the local pharmacy here has any of the HRT on my prescription. Which is, otherwise a useless piece of paper that I might as well shred.
I haven't been given the prescription for a laugh.

It's on Victoria Derbyshire now. Typical propaganda piece from this "journalist".

TBH, this really pissed me off. It could a load of conditions on the NHS that have massive waiting lists.

Glaucoma has massive waiting lists for treatment resulting in patients going blind. My DH has lost a load of vision he will never recover, and is currently spending an inheritance on private treatment to try not to go blind. He is lucky to be in this position as many others would not have the cash.

Do we see headlines about blindness - no we do not, but there have been investigations about it in the NHS so it is a well known problem.

I am sure there are many other conditions that could do the same.

If your mental health is so poor that you are feeling suicidal then you are obviously in no fit state to be making life changing decisions. Your mental health should be addressed first. Though from second-hand experience (friend’s son attempting suicide) it seems attempting suicide is not enough to get you help.

The reality is this (give me CSH or else) is emotional blackmail.

So part of the problem is the unprecedented demand for NHS services for transpeople over the last 5 years. Victoria Derbyshire, how about trying to find out what has caused this massive and sudden increase.

I waited 7 years being in absolute agony 24/7 for someone to diagnose me

Had to go private to get someone to look at me.

I had been walking/shuffling around with a slipped disc.

I feel people shouldn’t complain because their “group” can’t get treatment.

No one can.

Why are they so special that makes them think they can go to the top of the list.

What about women? Current HRT shortage for menopausal women, long waiting times for gynaecological treatment

I'm actually furious. I have a cervical cyst discovered in December and cannot get a gynaecological examination till APRIL. That is the earliest I could get. And don't get me started on HRT or bio-identical hormone treatment for women. You have to be dead to be offered it. Go to your doctor complaining that you can't remember your last name and every muscle hurts, and you will get nothing except anti depressants unless you get that rare breed: an actual doctor.

I am now having to go private as the NHS doesn't think women are a priority, whilst pseudo women are having their needs funded and fast tracked. I guess the health of actual vaginas are too expensive to invest in.

I can point out that I wanted a smear and that is how the cyst was discovered meaning I have not and cannot have a smear test at all until the cyst is dealt with. But I guess I'm just expected to be jolly with it.

The constant pushing of the suicide narrative is infuriating. The posters above and everyone else with long term conditions who feel shit and scared on a daily basis: do they group together with other people with similar conditions and collectively threaten to kill themselves if they are not prioritised immediately? No of course they don't.

I had to wait months and months for an operation that might save the sight in my left eye. Despite it being my only functioning eye the hospital had to wait until the sight had deteriorated enough so they could operate. When they finally got round to doing the surgery it was a waste of time as I was completely blind in that eye, which until a few month prior had been the only eye through which I could see.

Then when I had glaucoma in the same eye, now completely useless, I had to wait months in horrendous pain to have the damn thing taken out. The pain was like somebody stabbing me in the eye with a rusty blade, surrounded by a severe burning pain. From my chin, up around my face and all around my head ached like hell and I had flu like symptoms. This went on for months, and is very common with the aggressive form of glaucoma I had.

When I finally had the eye out there was only one nurse on the ward I was in. The doctor tried to send me home the next day, despite me being in horrendous pain and throwing up because of the morphine I was virtually unconscious on.

I won’t even start on the state of the MH services who won’t step in unless a person is in crisis, and even then they don’t do much.

The entire NHS is on its knees, so forgive me if I’m not that fussed about healthy people who are struggling to get medication they don’t really need.

That is awful Whatisthisfuckery. So sorry. I cannot believe your experience. I'm actually shocked. Utterly appalling and disgusting frankly.

@Whatisthisfuckery that is awful. We are contemplating negligence litigation for DH as he is now on his 3rd surgery privately and possibly needing a 4th, when the NHS just was doing nothing.

We know that delays in treatment is the leading cause of payouts for his condition.

I think if you asked the average person in the street 'The NHS has a limited amount of money. Would you rather spend it on stopping people going blind or trans services?' They would pick people not going blind. And you could substitute quite a lot of other illnesses - cancer, childrens treatments, mental health, loads which they would also think were higher priority.