(Private Care) Who to choose? All-in-1 or look around for diagnosis/prescription/etc.? and related questions
Hi. I'm a 25yo (26 tomorrow!) identifying as fem and needing advice/guidance on getting started. I'm asking because I feel significant pressure figuring things out quickly (I don't think it's safe to wait any longer) and I'm struggling with choice paralysis and other things on my mind + ADHD. So, here's what I'm dealing with:
- I am trying to get HRT started ASAP through private care (And, on a broader scope, go through surgery ASAP afterwards). Price itself isn't a massive concern, but I'd still like to not splurge (I'm making the choice to sacrifice my plans for a degree to fund this.) The overriding priority is to get started quickly and not have to poke around a second time because that's more time spent waiting/pushing paper.
- I am not expecting anything at all from the NHS, not even shared care. I will probably switch GPs as there's a few that are reportedly trans-friendly nearby, but that's only a bonus and not something I feel comfortable banking on. I moved here less than 2 years ago so the waiting list and anything to do with it is not happening.
- Informed consent would be ideal, but as long as the fact that I don't talk to anyone IRL that I can refer to for supporting evidence isn't a problem (Living with mom: She doesn't know enough English to be confident about her in an assessment.), I am very confident in securing a diagnosis.
EDIT: I am living in Sheffield, in the event that matters.
Where would you recommend I go? Would you say it's best to use separate clinics or services for each step of the process? Is there maybe a few rules of thumb or more important considerations you can list otherwise so I can check that I haven't missed anything (and not keep going in circles)? If I am taking an assessment, is there any things that you'd say I need to very specifically have in mind beforehand? Most importantly, why are you telling me what you're saying? I would like to know so I can weigh my (probably bad) options and make my own decision. I just need help really narrowing down where to look. If there's a better place to ask, I'd also love to know.
Also yes I already looked at TransActual, I'm still getting stunlocked because I can't make up my mind ever please send help