I’m just trying to summarize my thoughts because I’m dead inside. Just slap the like button or something.
AMAB 37 Sweden. All I want is to " :3 " 😭
My local clinic, where I have my family physician, told me about three weeks ago that they cannot refer me to a gender identity clinic, because they “lack the knowledge. Please ask your psychologist (WHICH I DON’T HAVE?!) to refer you.” So I did something called a self referral (direct translation from Swedish), which entails writing to the specialist (in this case, gender identity) clinic on my own. Three weeks later, today, I received a letter from the specialists saying “we cannot accept and evaluate self referrals, no matter how well written it is, because it often lacks vital information necessary to place you in queue for evaluation. It falls on your local clinic to acquire the necessary information to refer you to us.” Fuck me from every direction, including the fourth dimension. I immediately called my local clinic to book an appointment with their psychologist. On Thursday, over the phone, I’m expected to explain myself, my dysphoria, once again. Tomorrow I’m meeting a person who could potentially become my first new friend in like ten years. I don’t have the emotional capacity to have anxiety over this shit now. 😭🤮
Done. Thx.
I don’t have dysphoria BUT I do have the pain of explaining my chronic issues to every. Single. New. Doctor. Again. And. Again. And it’s a 50% chance they even believe me (because it’s chronic and basically invisible because I’ve learned how to mask and hide the pain).
It’s so rough to be tossed around and to have to endure all this pain. But I’m happy you got an appointment for Thursday and tomorrow. Silver lining.
I want you to :3 in peace too. You will get there!
Thank you, that last line was fucking perfect 😭🩵🩵🩵
And thank you for sharing 🩵 after all that being passed around, have they been able to find you something that helps?
The fact that a gender identity clinic doesn’t take self referrals when the only way I know of doctors diagnose gender dysphoria is making sure you understand what dysphoria is and asking if you feel that way is wild to me. I’m Canadian and the only barrier to a diagnosis I had was my doctor wasn’t knowledgeable enough about it, so he referred me to another family doctor who specializes in gender identity. My new doctor started me on HRT at my first appointment with him.
Sweden is awful about GAHT. The hurdle for me as an immigrant was just nightmarish. I eventually ended up just giving up and going with some telehealth company and eventually landed on Imago.
It sucks to pay out of pocket, but I thought it might be worth mentioning if you’re just looking to get started while you wait in the god-awful Swedish healthcare system.
Thanks, that’s really great advice 🩵 I’ll do some research.
I feel so terrible for how we treat immigrants 😭 fuck this government and all the entitled ignorant racist fucktards for real… I hope you have found a supportive community? 🩷
I have also just started with imago after being told to go fuck myself my public health service. I’m sorry you’re going through this.
I did until I was kicked out, haha. But I’m tough! I’m figuring it out as I go. I wish you all the best with your treatment! 🖤
The Swedish system sure is a removed and a half to manoeuvre as an immigrant. I have had quite my share of struggles with the availability of English information or English speaking personal. Which is baffling to me because whenever and where ever Swedes are really good in English. Local corner store, perfect English. A random person on the street excellent English. All the while the local commune doesn’t even adjust the English telephone robot to the summer schedule and hangs up or if you get through the line, you ask your question and are connected to the person in charge who does not speak English.
Despite that, don’t give up. I managed to get past the first hurdles and have my meeting with the local clinic soon in June. I just hope that it doesn’t stagnate thereafter… wish me luck :3
The self contradicting madness of nordic trans care is really something 😵💫
There’s a risk they’ll ignore it, but you might be able to find a guide for clinicians on your gender clinic that explains what a referral must include. I’m danish, but that helped my clueless (but friendly) doctor write a proper referral.
Hi, fellow swede here going through the same process, luckily i had another therapist who could refer me to the right person. However, heres the general outline of what you need.
You need a “remiss” from your health center to a special therapist that can determine whether they should actually send another “remiss” for a gender dysphoria evaluation. Not every therapist is allowed to send that apparently. Gender dysphoria is a required diagnosis to actually get help and only a limited amount of teams can actually do that evaluation.
You can always change your health centre on 1177 if they refuse to send the initial one but that might include more wait time before you can actually get in contact with them. Also, do remember, the current government has ruined the waiting queues for health care in general but trans care is especially fucked, worst case ive read is 6 years before an evaluation and then you havent even started or planned any treatment yet.
We do have “vårdgaranti”, dont forget that, which means if youre in queue for over 6 months you can ask any other clinic on the country that is allowed to do the evaluation to take you in, cutting the queue times if youre able to travel. I dont know how this affects costs though, you might have to pay for the visit then.
I wish you all the best of luck friend! Hopefully we can both get the help we need ❤️
Also, if anyone has any information on the private health care and if they can speed things up in any way id be very thankful. I thought they couldnt do anything in this situation but reading through the other comments it seems like they might?
Trans healthcare is a bad joke with no punchline I swear to god
Hej, so i have just started the process in Sweden as well. If you want to have a detailed chat hit me up with a pm.
I will meet with the clinic in my town beginning of June. Short version was the curator at Vårdcentralen had to write the referral for me, as the clinic doesn’t accept the referrals from private psychologists which is where I went to. The curator was nice enough and did write a rather good referral. Which you also should double check then on 1177, I asked them to adjust two things that were lost in translation.
I understand the frustration because no person within the healthcare system Actually knows how the process works. It is frustrating because I have to tell them what I learned through googling without google. It is further made difficult because my Swedish isn’t the best either and I constantly find that people within the system do not speak English all that well.
what kind of care are you looking for? at least for hrt you do not need a clinic or physicians approval.
i wish you the best of luck for thursday <3 this stuff is rough but i am sure you will get through it and get what you are looking for
To be eligible for any government funded gender affirming treatment or the likes, this “specialist clinic” needs to stamp my butt with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria or incongruence.
Thanks 🩵
