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Home / Surgeon Search / A third response

A third response

Written by Sean on Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Ah ha! Another answer. Another negative answer that is. But at least, it’s not being trashed and dismissed, they are offering considered answers, which is good. This particular doctor raises some good points that I’m sure anyone who’s been around this transabled "community" of ours has heard or seen before. But let’s see what he says.

You should note that he is not a native English speaker, hence his "bad" English, and the apology for it.

His response:

Sean. Really I understand you position and I believe in all informations of your e-mail. At first I apologise by may english. I’m afraid its difficult explain my point of view:

1. Transgender M/F people has a anatomic problem in the hypothalamus. Some cells are completely female, and the origin of the gender desidentification occurs in the utherine life. In this way, remove parts of male genital is’nt crime.
2. A lot of people like you has the same sensation without deseases: blindness, diasbilities of talk, ear, etc. The doctors believe its possible these syntoms desappears in the future.
3. Doctors are prohibited to realise harm in the healthy body, even when the patient allows amputations.
4. Section at L2-L3 results in dangerous to the motor and sensory areas and serious disturbs in the urinary system, and it is unreversible.
5. So I d’ont imagine to perform surgeries in the healthy body. I’not neurologist, only plastic surgeon.
6. I suggest you try continuous therapy an see the life with new eyes.

I’sory

My thoughts on his response:

Regarding point #1

This is a point we’ve heard a lot. You can’t compare GID to BIID (transexuals to transabled), because GID is a true physical problem. People are born that way. It is a "natural" condition. Implied in that is the fact that we, poor buggers who are transabled, don’t suffer from something "natural". But Disability *is* a natural condition. People *are* born that way.

It’s tempting to dismiss that argument, but I fear it may just be the most solid leg they have to stand on. Would love for anyone that has a good "counter-argument" to share it with me :)

Regarding point #2:

The doctors may believe that the symptoms will disappear in the future, but there have not been any studies that show that properly. In my experience, and corresponding with several dozen people with my condition in the last decade, the symptoms don’t "just disappear", even with therapy/medication.

Regarding point #3:

Yes, that is a problem. It is illegal for surgeons to perform such an operation as I request, at least, in most countries that I know of. This is a risk for them, and I fully understand their hesitation. One may even think that they may be hesitant about responding to such a request from me, because it might be someone trying to entrap them into an illegal action to get them stripped of their medical licenses. Who knows?

Regarding point #4:

For what it’s worth, regarding the physical damage at L2-L3, I am aware of what they are. Is it worse to have paralysis and neurological damage, or to live in constant emotional pain? I believe the second is worse.

Regarding point #5:

I don’t imagine this surgery would be complicated, even for a plastic surgeon. We are not talking about being careful to avoid damage to the spinal cord. It could be as simple as giving me anesthetic, opening my back, inserting a scalpel between the L2-L3 vertebrae, and closing me up.

Finally, regarding point #6:

If I believed therapy was going to help me, I would continue on that path. But I have lost that hope.

It is also worth noting that I sent the email version of my letter to many surgeons not really thinking these letters would bring positive results. I was thinking more that it was worth sending the emails, "just in case". I am hoping snail mail will be taken more seriously, but snail mail takes a long time…

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