UK: Transsexual blames doctor for 'regretful' sex change surgery
http://www.24dash.com/health/12163.htm
UK: Transsexual blames doctor for 'regretful' sex change surgery
Publisher: Ian Morgan
Published: 25/10/2006 - 14:58:52 PM
A man spoke today of his bitter regret and confusion after he underwent drastic sex change surgery following consultations with a leading authority on gender identity disorder.
The male to female transsexual, identified only as Patient B, told the General Medical Council in London that 63-year-old consultant psychiatrist Dr Russell Reid had been "too nice" in encouraging him to seek a sex change operation.
He said: "I find life very difficult because - how can I explain it? - I don't want to be female any longer, I am not gay and I will never be able to have a full relationship with a female again and I don't want a relationship with a male.
"I get very confused when ever it comes to even simple things such as choosing which conveniences to use. It is very hard," he told the GMC fitness to practice panel.
His remarks were made on the seventh day of a 30-day disciplinary hearing into allegations that Dr Reid, of West London, rushed five patients - including Patient B - into irreversible hormone treatments and sex change surgery against international guidance.
Dr Reid, who is present at the inquiry, has denied charges of inappropriate care in relation to the patients and has denied acting contrary to guidance given in the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association standards of care.
He has further denied a charge of serious professional misconduct.
The panel has been told that Patient B underwent surgery to remove his penis and have an artificial vagina fitted in 1989. He first consulted Dr Reid in January 1988 and was prescribed hormone treatment by the psychiatrist at the first consultation.
The panel was told that the consultation took place after a series of stressful events in the life of patient B which has left him "distraught."
This included the break up of two marriages, redundancy and the death of his mother.
Patient B dressed in a beige jacket, trousers and trainers, told the panel he had been advised by a trans gender self help group before his first consultation in London in January 1988 with Dr Reid.
Although an "occasional" cross dresser, he changed into a black dress and put on make up at Victoria Station before the appointment, changing back into men's clothes in the hospital afterwards.
He said he had told Dr Reid that he crossed dressed 50 percent of his time on the instructions of the self help group.
Patient B added: "I am not sure whether it was 100 percent true."
Patient B said he was the second of six brothers and had been born shortly after the death of his two year old sister.
He said that although he had not been definitely aware of his mother being disappointed that he was a boy he had "thought that".
"I was told by my father that she was depressed over the loss of my sister and I feel that might have had an influence on my feelings."
Patient B said that in 1985 his 10 year marriage ended in divorce and in May 1986 he met his second wife. But in June that year his mother died followed only weeks later by redundancy from his job as geologist assistant, he said leaving him "distraught".
By the time he consulted Dr Reid his second marriage too had broken up.
He said cross dressing had become "more important" to him because he felt as though his reasons for masculinity had been "taken away" in the light of these events.
He said he had been attempting to replace the mother he had lost, saying: "I was never homosexual just a sensitive person. It is very unfortunate really that all this happened in the same year to me."
The panel was also told that Patient B had made a suicide attempt in 1982 by driving his car into a lamp post.
"I cannot remember my exact words but I was at the time I saw Dr Reid feeling very anti male, I must admit, especially after I had lost my job and my second wife in a very short period of time and I was feeling very confused in my role."
Asked by Richard Tyson, for the GMC, whether he had seen any other psychiatrist other than Dr Reid in relation to the surgery before he underwent the operation in July 1989 Patient B replied: "No definitely not."
Patient B told the panel how he had emerged from hospital in London after undergoing the surgery and was transferred to a nursing home where he recovered for around four days.
He said he was picked up by a friend after he was discharged but on the first day of his stay with his friend he was called to say his father was dying.
He said he caught the first train home but when he arrived his father had already died.
He said: "That was the beginning of my period when I thought what the hell have I done. I was brought back to reality within a week of my operation. I had to face my family and I felt so ashamed of what I had done. My brothers criticised me for what I had done."
Patient B said he had later started a course at London University and developed a partnership with a male friend. At the time he had been trying his best to live as a woman, he told the panel: "I had no option really I had no male genitals so I was trying very hard to live in role" he said.
He said his partner died in 1992 leaving him without any reason to live as a female.
"I didn't seem to have any more reason and I just bitterly regretted what had happened to me" he said.
In May 1999 he was referred to the Charing Cross Hospital gender identity clinic following hospital appointments for depression.
He said after his partner had died he gave up.
Asked about how he felt about Dr Reid given the current situation Patient B said: "From a personal point of view I don't dislike Dr Reid but I felt that he was too encouraging in his treatment of myself, and I can only speak for myself, he was too encouraging in my desire or supposed desire for a change of sex.
"I was too nice a person really."
He called for a "tightening up" of the system for dealing with people suffering from gender dysphoria.
Copyright Press Association 2006
----------------------------------------------------------
This message comes to you from Press for Change, the UK's Trans rights campaign.
More info & online archives: http://www.pfc.org.uk/pfclists/
You cannot post to UKPFC-NEWS. To submit a news item for distribution, please send e-mail to news.intake@pfc.org.uk
The list administrators can be contacted at listadmin@pfc.org.uk
UK: Transsexual blames doctor for 'regretful' sex change surgery
Publisher: Ian Morgan
Published: 25/10/2006 - 14:58:52 PM
A man spoke today of his bitter regret and confusion after he underwent drastic sex change surgery following consultations with a leading authority on gender identity disorder.
The male to female transsexual, identified only as Patient B, told the General Medical Council in London that 63-year-old consultant psychiatrist Dr Russell Reid had been "too nice" in encouraging him to seek a sex change operation.
He said: "I find life very difficult because - how can I explain it? - I don't want to be female any longer, I am not gay and I will never be able to have a full relationship with a female again and I don't want a relationship with a male.
"I get very confused when ever it comes to even simple things such as choosing which conveniences to use. It is very hard," he told the GMC fitness to practice panel.
His remarks were made on the seventh day of a 30-day disciplinary hearing into allegations that Dr Reid, of West London, rushed five patients - including Patient B - into irreversible hormone treatments and sex change surgery against international guidance.
Dr Reid, who is present at the inquiry, has denied charges of inappropriate care in relation to the patients and has denied acting contrary to guidance given in the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association standards of care.
He has further denied a charge of serious professional misconduct.
The panel has been told that Patient B underwent surgery to remove his penis and have an artificial vagina fitted in 1989. He first consulted Dr Reid in January 1988 and was prescribed hormone treatment by the psychiatrist at the first consultation.
The panel was told that the consultation took place after a series of stressful events in the life of patient B which has left him "distraught."
This included the break up of two marriages, redundancy and the death of his mother.
Patient B dressed in a beige jacket, trousers and trainers, told the panel he had been advised by a trans gender self help group before his first consultation in London in January 1988 with Dr Reid.
Although an "occasional" cross dresser, he changed into a black dress and put on make up at Victoria Station before the appointment, changing back into men's clothes in the hospital afterwards.
He said he had told Dr Reid that he crossed dressed 50 percent of his time on the instructions of the self help group.
Patient B added: "I am not sure whether it was 100 percent true."
Patient B said he was the second of six brothers and had been born shortly after the death of his two year old sister.
He said that although he had not been definitely aware of his mother being disappointed that he was a boy he had "thought that".
"I was told by my father that she was depressed over the loss of my sister and I feel that might have had an influence on my feelings."
Patient B said that in 1985 his 10 year marriage ended in divorce and in May 1986 he met his second wife. But in June that year his mother died followed only weeks later by redundancy from his job as geologist assistant, he said leaving him "distraught".
By the time he consulted Dr Reid his second marriage too had broken up.
He said cross dressing had become "more important" to him because he felt as though his reasons for masculinity had been "taken away" in the light of these events.
He said he had been attempting to replace the mother he had lost, saying: "I was never homosexual just a sensitive person. It is very unfortunate really that all this happened in the same year to me."
The panel was also told that Patient B had made a suicide attempt in 1982 by driving his car into a lamp post.
"I cannot remember my exact words but I was at the time I saw Dr Reid feeling very anti male, I must admit, especially after I had lost my job and my second wife in a very short period of time and I was feeling very confused in my role."
Asked by Richard Tyson, for the GMC, whether he had seen any other psychiatrist other than Dr Reid in relation to the surgery before he underwent the operation in July 1989 Patient B replied: "No definitely not."
Patient B told the panel how he had emerged from hospital in London after undergoing the surgery and was transferred to a nursing home where he recovered for around four days.
He said he was picked up by a friend after he was discharged but on the first day of his stay with his friend he was called to say his father was dying.
He said he caught the first train home but when he arrived his father had already died.
He said: "That was the beginning of my period when I thought what the hell have I done. I was brought back to reality within a week of my operation. I had to face my family and I felt so ashamed of what I had done. My brothers criticised me for what I had done."
Patient B said he had later started a course at London University and developed a partnership with a male friend. At the time he had been trying his best to live as a woman, he told the panel: "I had no option really I had no male genitals so I was trying very hard to live in role" he said.
He said his partner died in 1992 leaving him without any reason to live as a female.
"I didn't seem to have any more reason and I just bitterly regretted what had happened to me" he said.
In May 1999 he was referred to the Charing Cross Hospital gender identity clinic following hospital appointments for depression.
He said after his partner had died he gave up.
Asked about how he felt about Dr Reid given the current situation Patient B said: "From a personal point of view I don't dislike Dr Reid but I felt that he was too encouraging in his treatment of myself, and I can only speak for myself, he was too encouraging in my desire or supposed desire for a change of sex.
"I was too nice a person really."
He called for a "tightening up" of the system for dealing with people suffering from gender dysphoria.
Copyright Press Association 2006
----------------------------------------------------------
This message comes to you from Press for Change, the UK's Trans rights campaign.
More info & online archives: http://www.pfc.org.uk/pfclists/
You cannot post to UKPFC-NEWS. To submit a news item for distribution, please send e-mail to news.intake@pfc.org.uk
The list administrators can be contacted at listadmin@pfc.org.uk