Quote:
|
Originally Posted by mr sticky
I have found this to be very informative, and enlightening, and I appreciate the baring of several souls, most of which aren't here to defend or define themselves, as the case may be.
|
I only hope I'm doing a good job being an advocate for them. I ran your other questions by my wife, Grace, who is a nurse/paramedic.
Quote:
|
I have only one question. I work in healthcare and we had a MTF transgendered individual who was listed on her chart as a female. My only issue with this is that there are a few diseases, i.e. hemophilia, color blindness, that are gender specific. Also, diagnostic workups are often gender specific. Am I wrong to say that this patient should have been registered by their birth sex, in accordance with the diseases that they are most likely to present with?
|
Good point.
You're right that medically, an identification of transsexual would be the best pragmatic choice. I also agree that the person's status as a transsexual should be revealed to medical personnel treating the person because it makes proper treatment and diagnosis more efficient.
Add to this that during the time when the MTF is on a feminizing dosage of estrogen, progesterone, and androgen blockers, there are a bunch of risks associated with these medical treatments. High dose estrogen raises the risk of pulmonary thrombosis (blood clots), testicular cancer, and breast cancer, and can cause fatigue, migranes, and weight gain, thickening of the cornea, and half a dozen others. Androgen blockers hold the potential to cause a whole raft of side effects. Progesterones sometimes cause greatly increased prolactin levels, sometimes to toxic levels.
A primary care physician should know their patient's medical history, and the fact that one is transsexual should be revealed as part of the medical history, as it can have a big impact on treatment. Indeed, finding a primary care physician who knows how to treat transsexuals is an important part of the transition process, unless the MTF is self-medicating.
Emergency personnel should be notified so they'll be able to adjust treatment accordingly.
So as a medical issue, I agree that MTF transsexual is the best designation.
However, there are only two boxes on records forms, M and F. For someone who is legally female, like Sissy, there are good legal and privacy reasons to want her medical reconds to list her as female, and for insurance purposes, she has to be listed as female. She has insurance for the regular stuff, but it doesn't cover transsexual services.
Medically, Sissy's only remaining male concern is her prostate; all of her other male equipment is gone, or more accurately, repositioned. Her blood chemistry and endocrine system are about the same as a post-hysterectomy female, and medically that's who she most closely resembles. She has more female specific medical concerns, specifically side effects of HRT and breast cancer, than male.
The best solution, and the one she uses, is to list her legal sex, female, and give the details in her list of medications and medical history to those who need to know.
So though I understand and sympathize your concern, I think the best solution is to list one's legal sex, and give details in the medical history and medications being taken. Grace says any emergent care worker (paramedic or doctor) who knows what they're doing would recognize the combination of medications Sissy is taking as indiciative of her being transsexual.
The key here, I think is the medical history. If that is done adequately, and the patient is honest, an M or F on the records should make little difference.
Quote:
And love to the girls.(all of them )
|
Thank you. It is appreciated.
Gilda