Charing Cross gets it wrong again

[ganimede]

Yesterday I got a copy of a letter from Dr Lenihan at Charing Cross to my GP about my last appointment. This is the most pertinent section:
"Mr [lastname] had a private bilateral mastectomy carried out in San Francisco by Dr Brownstein on 28th March 2006. There was no psychiatric/psychological endorsement for this surgery... This surgery would

Comments

[nobmouse]

Charring Cross have a long and sordid history of this kind of heavy-handed, bully-boy behaviour. Your best bet at this point would be to contact Press For Change and as their advice.

It's also worth remembering that denial of medical treatment for a recognised condition is illegal in the UK untill there is a wealth of irrefutable medical data to support such a denial (which is why primary care trusts can't deny treatment based on cost).

Good luck.

[kellineil]

(which is why primary care trusts can't deny treatment based on cost)

they still do though, and just dare patients to go to court to force them to pay

[nobmouse]

Yes they do try - and not just for transpeople, remember that stuff on herceptin? They back down when challenged, though. Hence why it's always a good idea to look at Press For Change's website and get help there.

[anonymous]

Can you prove that you've been living as male since September 2004 ie. do you have a change of name document with that date on it and/or a work or study reference showing you've been in 'occupation' from that time? If so, then forward copies of the relevant documents to Charing Cross, and Dr Lenihan should eat her words!

[ganimede]

Unfortunately I don't have any records to prove it. I was signed off sick for 6 months because I was so frustrated with the way my transition was being held up and was then unemployed. I didn't legally change my name till June 2005 but I can at least show I've been living as male for a year now.

[anonymous]

Charing Cross base the start of their Real Life Experience from the date on your change of name deed, unless you can make a truly compelling case for having presented 100% as male before June 2005 (this would include having changed all documents, having worked full-time under a male name, etc.). If you can't provide this, then Dr Lenihan will have had to take June 2005 as the start of your transition, not September 2004.

Even taking June 2005 as the start date, it's unclear how she's arrived at the "3 months into RLE" thing. As far as I can see, you went for chest surgery 9 months after changing your name - which is still less than a year, but not 3 months. Perhaps she's insisting the RLE means full-time occupation, and discounting the 6 months you were signed off sick?

[ganimede]

I was signed off sick from November 2004 to the beginning of June 2005. I was then unemployed (and claiming benefit as male) until December 2005 but have worked since then. My name change was June 17 2005 so it would have been just over 9 months after that that I had my surgery. I really don't know where she got the 3 months from, unless she's counting how long I'd been on T as I started that in December 2005.

[thursdaily]

I've been seeing Penny Lenihan for a while now, and she's always been very reasonable. It's possible that their record-keeping has got confused somehow, so I'd suggest writing straight to Dr Lenihan to correct the factual errors as a first approach. She's not generally one of the more antagonistic doctors there.

[thursdaily]

Oh, and I should add: confused record keeping isn't unique to Charing Cross. I discovered today that the people at the PCT who are supposed to be deciding about my funding think that I'm asking for surgery to be paid for having had everything else privately, despite their having been paying for treatment at Charing Cross for me for the best part of three years...

[nobmouse]

Oh, and I should add: confused record keeping isn't unique to Charing Cross.

That is, unfortunately, true. Poor record keeping is like the common cold, it's everywhere. Most people dismiss it and only remember the trully awful examples though, like the time my local hospital lost all my blood test results, causing me to be in A&E for seven hours while they redid them then told me they were all clear so I'd wasted my time. Grrrr!

[ganimede]

I had reason to write to Dr Lenihan once before, I was concerned I was having an allergic reaction to Sustanon so I faxed her about it. I didn't get a response for a good 6 weeks and even then it was from someone else. I hope that won't be the case this time.