So this week had a few other types of medical appointments and each, of course, will lead to a conversation that I have, in all honesty, been waiting to have.
Sounds like an odd thing to say, many of us are not necessarily awaiting the moment, but for some reason I have been. Both practices, dental and optometrist, are ones that have been going to for over 20 years and I think I am their longest running patient in both cases. So they've known me for a very long time.
The first appointment this week was for my eyes and, as a result of the pandemic, I did most of the usual paperwork online. One of the questions that gets asked on the form is for a list of current medications and, of course, I have a couple and I listed them. There was no context to them, however.
So, when I arrived, my eye doctor asked me how I was feeling, and I mentioned that I was feeling great and asked if she had read the chart. She said that she had, and then commented she was very unhappy. At first I was taken aback, assuming for the moment that she knew the exact purpose of the medications, but then realized that it didn't seem in character for her and so I mentioned that I was on hormone therapy because I was trans.
The sense of relief from her was very visible. She said, "I was so worried, I had to look up one of the medications and so I thought you had prostate cancer!" She said she was very thrilled and happy for me, as well as quite relieved that I was okay.
The second appointment was for the usual cleaning and checkup. My hygienist is very chatty and usually checks health, asks about medications, etc. So, of course I told her what I was taking, but she didn't also immediately put it together and so I explained why and for how long. She was really interested and asked a bunch of the usual questions that cis people do, so I was kind of expecting that and I know she means well.
What was funny, though, as you could tell she was processing the information and she was also trying to be careful about how she said things. She was definitely trying her best to figure it out and I think, more than anything, I appreciated that she cared enough to be conscious of needing to learn and take the time to consider.
In both cases, super positive responses, so definitely helps to buoy up my willingness to discuss. I don't plan on willy-nilly talking about my transness to anyone who happens by, but these are medical professionals I see regularly and, one way or another, that conversation was going to happen.
All in all, I'm feeling pretty positive about the week and, as an added bonus, I have a cute pair of eyeglasses on the way.
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