Suzi's open house

Chapter 10: My 'treatment'...continued

In the late 90's I started to see Dr Russell Reid at the London Institute, and was able to get a letter from him to my GP. This explained my condition, and from then on I was able to get my hormones through the NHS.

By this time I was dating guys and I decided that I had to go through with GRS surgery. I just instinctively knew that this was the right decision for me and so I started research on surgery and surgeons. I decided to undertake a year's 'real life trial' to ensure that I would be able to function in society in the female role.

I officially advised my boss in January 2000 of my plans, and developed a 'roll-out' plan leading up to transition from the beginning of April 2000. This gave me time to speak to as many colleagues as possible on a one-to-one basis, which although time consuming and emotionally demanding, paid off.

I eventually developed a web page on the company's internal intranet site, to which I directed colleagues and acquaintances to read an abbreviated background to my transition. For the first few months of 2000, I prepared myself with regards to appearance and clothes, arranged a legal name change, changed bank details, and wrote dozens of letters to companies, organisations, etc about my name and gender change.

After going 'full-time', I felt more comfortable, confident, and more 'myself'. After a year or so of this 'real life trial', I underwent Gender Re-assignment Surgery - inaccurately referred to by the media as a 'sex-change' - but the main focus now was on integration back into my life.

As I discovered from others who had been on this secret journey, I realised that the clinic in Manchester was a rip-off - apart from the drive up there and back in a day almost killing me. Seeing Dr Reid at the London Institute made a huge difference. He is one of the leading experts in the UK on Gender Identity Disorder, and is often on television when gender issues are discussed. He is a consultant psychiatrist and this was his view of my case, which he included in a letter to my GP, back in March 1999:-

"At interview, Suzi appears attractively feminine with stylish women's clothes and accessories. She is personable and gave a good account of herself. There is no sign of co-morbid psychopathology. (your guess is as good as mine!)

My impression is that she has long standing gender dysphoria with the awareness of her essential female self-identity expressed from time to time as Suzi. She has largely adapted to her gender situation by compartmentalising her male and female selves, and may well continue to do this. She is aware of the sacrifices, difficulties and legal disadvantages of changing gender role, as well as the practical difficulties of living as a transsexual woman, although if she opts to do this the timing and decision of this is hers alone; I urged caution."

End of biographical chapters.

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