Transsexual Road Map Notes

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Ontario moves to end CAMH death grip on trans health services

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the infamous Toronto facility known for regressive and humiliating treatment of transgender clients, is about to lose the monopoly that allowed them to become the most notorious “gender clinic” in the world. A Provincial Trans Health Project Advisory Committee is being formed to address this problem that emerged in Ontario over 40 years ago and has been a problem ever since.

Loralee Gillis, Coordinator of Research and Policy at Rainbow Health Ontario, has just made the following announcement:

Request for applications for membership on Provincial Trans Health Project Advisory Committee

We are seeking trans people from across Ontario to be members of a Provincial Trans Health Project Advisory Committee.

Sherbourne Health Centre, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Trans Health Lobby Group of the Rainbow Health Network, the Trans PULSE research study and a number of trans community activists have been working with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care over the last two years to develop a plan to improve trans health services in the province of Ontario for trans people. Through this process the Ministry of health has agreed to:
Establish 3 additional assessor sites for trans people needing approval of OHIP funded SRS
Provide training for health care providers across the province in trans health care
Conduct an evaluation of aforementioned initiatives
Establish an advisory committee to oversee the development and implementation of these three projects.

This call for applications is to find four members of the trans community from diverse communities across the province to be members of the advisory committee for these projects. We are searching for people with particular skills to work with us to co-create improved services for trans people across the province.

We welcome applications from trans people with diverse backgrounds and experience to be part of this ground breaking imitative. We would like to especially encourage applications from:
people of colour & people from racialized communities;
immigrants and refugees;
Aboriginal and Two Spirit people;
people whose first language is not English
people living with (dis)abilities
people living outside of the GTA – particularly people from rural and northern areas of the province;

Application Process
Click here to link to our website and the application form (NB—you will need to scroll down):
http://www.facebook.com/l/eb87dID3L6lvSJblhVIY2k_s5tg;www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/about/whatsnew.cfm?startRow=1#aec572d74-3048-8bc6-e8ee-cad0372460ed

Email or mail your completed application form, including references and a brief résumé to us by 5pm, August 18th.

Email: jkeystone@RainbowHealthOntario.ca
Mail: c/o Jen Keystone
Rainbow Health Ontario
Sherbourne Health Centre
333 Sherbourne Street
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 2S5

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted for a telephone interview. Applicants, please be sure to include a telephone number that we can use to contact you.

Loralee Gillis
Coordinator of Research and Policy
Rainbow Health Ontario
Sherbourne Health Centre
333 Sherbourne Street
Toronto, ON
M5A 2S5
http://www.facebook.com/l/eb87dvRjo8Kr_0htJ5kYJT-K0FA;www.RainbowHealthOntario.ca
Tel: 416-324-4100 x5263
Fax: 416-324.4262

Any Canadian citizens seeking trans health services are urged to avoid CAMH at all costs. Please contact one of several alternatives, including the Sherbourne Health Centre listed above.

Further information:
Close the CAMH Gender Identity Clinic
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=72087499258

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) vs. sex and gender minorities
http://www.tsroadmap.com/info/centre-addiction-mental-health.html

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Injected silicone removal: medical resources

A reader notes:

You have an informative area about silicone injections on your site, listing the cons on why not to get pumped.  Well many girls were stupid and went ahead and did it anyway.  If I could suggest, adding more information for girls who got pumped and are dealing with issues due to silicone injections. 

Recently I have been looking for a doctor to remove the silicone I stupidly had pumped in my ass and hips.  I went to many doctors and they all said they couldn’t help me.  I even had one doctor laugh and rudely say “why would you do something so dumb, I don’t know what to tell you”; I left the office in tears.

Meanwhile my butt was hard, lumpy, with red blotches and was hot when you touched it.  I had a fever, and was sweating with the chills; it felt like I had the flu.  I was physically sick and in major pain, but I couldn’t find someone to help me.  It was so overwhelming I honestly wanted to die.

Long story short….I eventually found a doctor with experience to treat me.  I had a major infection in the area where the silicone was.  I treated the infection and was told if I let it go much longer the infection would have spread and made me very sick.  I still get reoccurring swelling.  I take a steroid to reduce the swelling when it occurs but it always comes back a few months later.  I am eventually going to have it removed and don’t care about scarring, my life and health are more important.

In doing my research to find a doctor for myself I found countless other girls who didn’t know where to turn.  There are so many girls out there with all kinds of problems from silicone injections.

I am emailing you to suggest that you have a link with doctors who will treat girls with issues due to silicone injections.  There is no such list on the internet.  I could help you build a list of doctors.  I could also help build a list of pumpers who have had bad results.  I went to one of the best around, Joann Layne; she was the supplier of silicone to the late Kelly Harper. 

Certain steroids will work to reduce the swelling.  I went to Dr. Norman Schulman in NYC here is a link to his website http://www.normanschulmanmd.com/.  He has removed silicone from many different people; he says my problems are minimal compared to what he has seen.  He doesn’t want to remove mine; he feels that in my case it can be treated with steroids.  If you need any other info or help building a section on medical professionals that treat silicone complications just let me know.  There is also another doctor I know of in Maryland; Dr. Samir Shureih here is a link to his website http://www.cosmeticsurgeryforme.com/

Silicone injections: injuries, deaths, and disfigurements
http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/silicone/index.html

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Rectovaginal fistula: first-hand report

Amy Hunter has posted a sobering account of her vaginoplasty complications.

Chronic pain, heavy narcotics addiction, and bouts of deep depression are the hushed legacies I have battled. Left with a possibly permanent colostomy and a painful, fibrous lump between my legs where a vagina should be, it is nearly impossible not to revisit the devastation daily. It is now two and a half years later.  [...] A slight tear in my colon from a retractor, was all that was necessary to compromise an otherwise flawless procedure. I had developed a rectal-vaginal fistula. This problem happens to natal women too, often as a complication from difficult childbirth or certain cancers. Frankly, the success rate for repairing the defect in natal women is not good either. It often takes multiple surgeries for them too. What makes it even harder for the transwoman?

Full article:
Sex Reassignment Surgery: When things go wrong
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/sex_reassignment_surgery_when_things_go_wrong.php

See also:

Potential complications of vaginoplasty
http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/vaginoplasty/complications.html

Living With A Rectovaginal Fistula (via Anne Vitale)
http://www.avitale.com/Rectovaginal_Fistula.html

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Facial feminization patient guide from Agave Clinic

Maxillofacial surgeon Dr Bart van de Ven, director of the Agave Clinic, notes:

Attached I send you our brochure about facial feminization surgery that contains lots of information about FFS.

http://www.tsroadmap.com/notes/images/uploads/FFS_patient_guide_en.pdf

Further reading:
Facial Feminization Procedures
http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/face/facesurgidx.html

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Update: FFS surgeon Douglas Ousterhout no longer planning to retire

I had previously reported that FFS surgeon Douglas Ousterhout was in the planning stages of a 2011 retirement. Those plans have now changed. Dr. Ousterhout notes:

Mira just brought to my attention that I was going to retire and you added it to your web-site.  That was a nasty rumor that was started by me.  Well, I got smart.  [My wife] Nancy probably couldn’t stand me around the house that much.  So, I am NOT going to retire.  I repeat, I am NOT going to retire.  At least not in the foreseeable future.  Could you please eliminate all rumors.

Be sure to check out Facial Feminization Surgery: A Guide for the Transgendered Woman, his excellent 185-page overview of available procedures, with many illustrations and images. I highly recommend it for anyone considering these procedures, as it is the definitive consumer guide. It includes an introduction by Donna Rose, who, like me, had life-changing results from these procedures. Both of us are among the many patients who consented to having our results included in the book.

Chapters include:

- Overview
- Preparing for FFS
- Scalp advancement
- Forehead feminization
- Temporal fossa augmentation
- Cheek contouring
- Nose reshaping
- Lip reshaping
- Chin reshaping
- Lower jaw tapering -angle reduction
- Thyroid cartilage reduction
- Lower jaw (mandibular) surgery
- Upper jaw (Maxillary) surgery
- Other facial procedures (ten other procedures that can feminize the face)
- Also includes resource lists, glossary, and list of relevant medical publications

As I have said since I had FFS in 1996, it is the best investment I have ever made, period. I strongly urge everyone planning a transition to consider the benefits and potential issues of FFS.

Related reading:
- Facial Feminization Surgery: A Guide for the Transgendered Woman
- Facial Feminization Procedures