(06-09-2015, 02:58 PM)iaboy Wrote: [ -> ]I am thinking along the same lines. Although I do not wish, nor think I ever would even consider full transition. But hoping to get to a place where my new female doctor would understand why I am not too concerned about meds that help or encourage breast growth.
I think doctor's are binaural in how the treat mental and physical ailment. If I presented myself as wanting to keep, maintain or even to expand my feminizing... I fear that the would automatically think I am in line for SRS and the who Catlyn treatment, of which I am not.
So, if I downplay feminization, they wont be interested in any pliability. But if I do emphasize, they will immediately be thinking of SRS. Make sense?
Iaboy, perhaps you could tell your doctor that you're content with your body the way it is and you don't feel bothered by a condition that half the population already has?
Or if you like using humor, maybe you could joke it's not like you're trying to compete to become a male swimsuit model, so who cares who if you develop some breast tissue?
You could also tell her that sure some people may look strangely at your chest, but you got more important things to worry about.
I think doctors realize patients can have a wide range of reactions to having benign conditions. For instance, some patients may be distraught about going bald, while others may be indifferent or even embrace the positive aspects of their baldness. There's no right or wrong response I think. I think it all comes down to a person's character and experiences.
In regards to how doctors treat physical and mental ailments, I don't see it as an all or nothing situation. Barring extreme circumstances, my experience with doctors is they prefer to administer treatment that resolves the ailment while having the lowest level of invasiveness, risks, and side-effects. For example, SRS is an intense and practically irreversible treatment for gender dysphoria, while therapy could treat mild to moderate levels of gender dysphoria without entailing any medical risks.
If you choose to express your feelings regarding physical feminization to your doctor, I doubt she'll automatically make assumptions about whether SRS is right for you. Instead, I think she'll assess your feelings and thoughts on the matter. For instance, she may ask:
*How long have you had these feelings?
*How intense are these feelings? How frequently do you have them?
*Are you bothered by having a male body?
*Do you wish you were born female?
At some point while seeking help for depression I did admit to having some suicidal ideation. When I did this, there wasn't two burly orderlies bursting into the room and hauling me off to an inpatient unit. Rather, the doctor asked me questions to ascertain how serious of a risk I was. Doctors know suicidal ideation is common amongst people suffering from depression and that not everyone who has suicidal ideation will act on it. Inpatient care is a last resort for treating depression. Just because a patient doesn't need the last resort of treatment doesn't mean their ailment isn't serious or that nothing needs to be done.
When trying to help patients with complex ailments like depression or gender dysphoria, I think doctors want to find a treatment that works best for you as opposed to just utilizing one treatment for everyone.