English
Nederlands
2008-03-19
The doctor is angry
Last week I went to the VU-hospital again. It was a long time ago I had been there for the last time. This time I did not come to see the plastic surgeon, but the endocrinologist (hormone doctor). I had not seen him in a year. And even this tyime it was my own initiative to go there. Ever since my operation I had not heard a word from the gender team any more. What a difference with the period before the operation when they seemed so involved with my well-being.
Well, it is a good thing I went there. The doctor was quite angry I had not been taking any hormones for months after my operation. But hey! The plastic surgeon told me I was not allowed to take hormones until he told me it was OK again. And he did not say anything about it, for months, until I enquired about it myself. Now it turns out I would have been allowed to resume taking hormones as soon as ten days after to operation.
The body cannot live without any sex hormones (male or female).
"you must have felt pretty lousy indeed", said the doctor. Well, I did indeed, but I thought that was all part of the normal process.
And, apart from "feeling lousy", there is a chance of all kinds of complications if there are no hormones in your body. It is particularly bad for the structure of your bones.
So I left the hospital with a recipe for nine moths of hormones and for extra calcium and vitamin D. My blood was tested again too, so finally I was under good medical observation again.
Well, it is a good thing I went there. The doctor was quite angry I had not been taking any hormones for months after my operation. But hey! The plastic surgeon told me I was not allowed to take hormones until he told me it was OK again. And he did not say anything about it, for months, until I enquired about it myself. Now it turns out I would have been allowed to resume taking hormones as soon as ten days after to operation.
The body cannot live without any sex hormones (male or female).
"you must have felt pretty lousy indeed", said the doctor. Well, I did indeed, but I thought that was all part of the normal process.
And, apart from "feeling lousy", there is a chance of all kinds of complications if there are no hormones in your body. It is particularly bad for the structure of your bones.
So I left the hospital with a recipe for nine moths of hormones and for extra calcium and vitamin D. My blood was tested again too, so finally I was under good medical observation again.
Labels: medical
2008-03-01
Transgender Info Day
We had been working on it for many months, but today was the great day: "Transgender Info Dag" in community center De Rondweg in Eindhoven. We had a busy schedule:
Main hall:
10.30 – 17.00 Information center open: Possibility for conversations with transgendered people. Information stalls: T&T work group Partners, T&T work group Transsexuals, COGIATI test, photo exposition, media library on travestism and transsexuality, make-up and photo studio
Upstairs: Presentations by specialists
12.30 – 12.50 Alice Verheij Transgender sports still a thing of the future.
13.00 – 13.20 Paul Vennix NISSO researcher and author of the report “Travestie in Nederland en Vlaanderen”
13.30 – 13.50 Jos Megens Gender team co-ordinator, VUmc hospital Amsterdam
14.00 – 14.20 Els Elaut psychologist/sexologist from the university hospital in Gent, Belgium
14.30 – 14.50 Winkie Sandberg member of the VUmc Gender team, specialised in gender problems in children and teenagers
15.00 – 15.20 Tanja van Hengel psychologist specialised in transgenderism
15.30 – 17.00 Catherine Keyl Forum discussion chaired by a well-known Dutch TV-host
17.00 uur: Hans-Martin Don Final speech by a member of the Eindhoven city council
Grafiti hall: Cees van der Pluijm interviewing:
12.30 – 12.50 Jeanine Trip chair of the LKG T&T on travestism and relationships
13.00 – 13.20 Paulien Benschop secretary of the LKG T&T on her personal transition
13.30 – 13.50 Yvon Kraaijeveld T&T Eindhoven host for 25 years on travestism and children
14.00 – 14.20 Vera T&T Amsterdam host in search of freedom
14.30 – 14.50 Jeanette Kos T&T Rotterdam host on the T&T evenings
15.00 – 15.20 Loes Vlaming author of Leven Tussenin (disires and frustrations of a transsexual) on her transition and the family
Classroom:
13.00 – 15.00 Anne Lever & Tim de Jong Life as a transgender: pros and cons
Main hall:
20.00 - 01.00 normal T&T evening
I was not able to visit any of the presentations myself, because Julia and I had our own stall in the main hall. We were offering the guests a possibility to do the well-known COGIATI test. About a dozen people took the test.
To be quite honest: I am not enthousiastic about the COGIATI test. (Made by Jennifer Diane Reitz, 1998.) It consists of 65 questions that seem very much based on the idea: "Women are from Venus, men are from Mars." Simple questions, based on old prejudices about men and women. A positive element of the test is, that it is not trying ot divide people into two classes (Male or Female), but instead uses a scale of gray tints where people get located comewhere on a continuum between male and female.
Personally I am more in favor of the idea: "Women are from Venus, men are from Thursday-last-week". I.e. even a grayscale does not give a complete view on the distinction between male and female. People can have both male and female traits at the same time.
Fortunately it turned out that the test worked mainly as a vehicle to start detailed and personal conversations with the people who took the test and also with people who did not take the test themselves, but were just showing an interest in it. Never before have I been able to support so many people in their search for their own gender identity in a single day.
The day was a great success: We received more than 200 guests, there was a good atmosphere, the presentations were interesting [people told me]. This is really something we should do more often in the future. Fortunately video recordings were made of all the presentations, so I would be able to watch those later.
At about half past six we left for dinner in a Surinam restaurant nearby, where we had a wonderful meal. It took quite long before the food was served, because the restaurant was really flooded with guests who had been to the Transgender Info Day and now wanted a quick dinner, before returning to the community center for our regular T&T evening. When we arrived at the restaurant all the tables were empty, but within ten minutes they had a full house!
When we came back, I immediately went on where I had stopped: There was still someone working on the COGIATI test, so we finished that. And again I had a long and interesting conversation with the person who filled out the test. I love it to be able to help people this way. I am not very good at starting conversations with people and that often hinders me in giving the support I have to offer. The test every time proved to be a great way to start talking.
Previous T&T evenings: February 2008, December 2007, October 2007, October 2006, September 2006, August 2006, July 2006, June 2006, May, April, March, February, January, December, November, October, September, July 2005, June 2005, May 2005, April 2005, March 2005, February 2005, January 2005, December 2004, November 2004, October 2004, September 2004, August 2004, July 2004, June 2004, May 2004 and April 2004.
Main hall:
10.30 – 17.00 Information center open: Possibility for conversations with transgendered people. Information stalls: T&T work group Partners, T&T work group Transsexuals, COGIATI test, photo exposition, media library on travestism and transsexuality, make-up and photo studio
Upstairs: Presentations by specialists
12.30 – 12.50 Alice Verheij Transgender sports still a thing of the future.
13.00 – 13.20 Paul Vennix NISSO researcher and author of the report “Travestie in Nederland en Vlaanderen”
13.30 – 13.50 Jos Megens Gender team co-ordinator, VUmc hospital Amsterdam
14.00 – 14.20 Els Elaut psychologist/sexologist from the university hospital in Gent, Belgium
14.30 – 14.50 Winkie Sandberg member of the VUmc Gender team, specialised in gender problems in children and teenagers
15.00 – 15.20 Tanja van Hengel psychologist specialised in transgenderism
15.30 – 17.00 Catherine Keyl Forum discussion chaired by a well-known Dutch TV-host
17.00 uur: Hans-Martin Don Final speech by a member of the Eindhoven city council
Grafiti hall: Cees van der Pluijm interviewing:
12.30 – 12.50 Jeanine Trip chair of the LKG T&T on travestism and relationships
13.00 – 13.20 Paulien Benschop secretary of the LKG T&T on her personal transition
13.30 – 13.50 Yvon Kraaijeveld T&T Eindhoven host for 25 years on travestism and children
14.00 – 14.20 Vera T&T Amsterdam host in search of freedom
14.30 – 14.50 Jeanette Kos T&T Rotterdam host on the T&T evenings
15.00 – 15.20 Loes Vlaming author of Leven Tussenin (disires and frustrations of a transsexual) on her transition and the family
Classroom:
13.00 – 15.00 Anne Lever & Tim de Jong Life as a transgender: pros and cons
Main hall:
20.00 - 01.00 normal T&T evening
I was not able to visit any of the presentations myself, because Julia and I had our own stall in the main hall. We were offering the guests a possibility to do the well-known COGIATI test. About a dozen people took the test.
To be quite honest: I am not enthousiastic about the COGIATI test. (Made by Jennifer Diane Reitz, 1998.) It consists of 65 questions that seem very much based on the idea: "Women are from Venus, men are from Mars." Simple questions, based on old prejudices about men and women. A positive element of the test is, that it is not trying ot divide people into two classes (Male or Female), but instead uses a scale of gray tints where people get located comewhere on a continuum between male and female.
Personally I am more in favor of the idea: "Women are from Venus, men are from Thursday-last-week". I.e. even a grayscale does not give a complete view on the distinction between male and female. People can have both male and female traits at the same time.
Fortunately it turned out that the test worked mainly as a vehicle to start detailed and personal conversations with the people who took the test and also with people who did not take the test themselves, but were just showing an interest in it. Never before have I been able to support so many people in their search for their own gender identity in a single day.
The day was a great success: We received more than 200 guests, there was a good atmosphere, the presentations were interesting [people told me]. This is really something we should do more often in the future. Fortunately video recordings were made of all the presentations, so I would be able to watch those later.
At about half past six we left for dinner in a Surinam restaurant nearby, where we had a wonderful meal. It took quite long before the food was served, because the restaurant was really flooded with guests who had been to the Transgender Info Day and now wanted a quick dinner, before returning to the community center for our regular T&T evening. When we arrived at the restaurant all the tables were empty, but within ten minutes they had a full house!
When we came back, I immediately went on where I had stopped: There was still someone working on the COGIATI test, so we finished that. And again I had a long and interesting conversation with the person who filled out the test. I love it to be able to help people this way. I am not very good at starting conversations with people and that often hinders me in giving the support I have to offer. The test every time proved to be a great way to start talking.
Previous T&T evenings: February 2008, December 2007, October 2007, October 2006, September 2006, August 2006, July 2006, June 2006, May, April, March, February, January, December, November, October, September, July 2005, June 2005, May 2005, April 2005, March 2005, February 2005, January 2005, December 2004, November 2004, October 2004, September 2004, August 2004, July 2004, June 2004, May 2004 and April 2004.
Labels: TandT
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