Getting my Surgery Date

I figure it makes the most sense to start this blog off by describing what the process was like for me to get my top surgery date. Of course, this is just the specific process that I went through and it may differ for other people. I am located in Ontario, Canada, so any specific regional guidelines are going to differ from province to province, or country to country.

When I first started my transition, the only way to get OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) to cover your surgery was to get approval from CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). The process for that could take years. I got my doctor to put me on the wait list. I’m pretty sure this happened before I started taking testosterone. From my understanding, with CAMH I would be waiting about two years to hear back from them and make my initial appointment, followed by a few more appointments while they decided whether or not I was actually suffering from gender dysphoria and would finally put me in contact with a surgeon at which point I could finally book a consultation. From what I had read from other people’s accounts, this whole process would take anywhere from 2-4 years on average.

Thankfully, in March 2016 the Ontario government made some changes to streamline this process as the wait list was getting longer and longer. It was now possible for a doctor or nurse-practitioner to refer a candidate for in-country top surgery. For some reason, my clinic decided that they would be referring people only after they had been on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) for at least one year. This meant I had to wait until October 8, 2016 before they would set me up with a referral. I was aware that this went against WPATH (World Professional Association of Transgender Health) guidelines, but the idea of even trying to find another doctor who would refer me for top surgery in that time frame seemed exhausting, so I opted to wait.

In October 2016 I requested that my referral go to Dr McLean, as after comparing results I had found through numerous sources online, his were the most aesthetically satisfying to me, and his clinic is only about an hour’s drive away. I got my Confirmation of Approval very quickly. I don’t remember the exact timeline, but I believe it was no more than a couple weeks. As soon as I got the letter, I called Dr. McLean’s office to book my consultation.

At this point I want to clarify where my expectations were sitting as far as surgery goes. Earlier in 2016 I had two local friends both have consultations with Dr. McLean, and within a few months also have their surgery. I so I was anticipating a consultation date later that year and surgery some time early 2017. I knew the wait list may have grown some, but I did not anticipate my consultation being booked for April 4, 2017.

In March, with the consultation date coming up, I realized that despite working two jobs, my finances were not yet in a place where I would be able to pay for surgery, let alone cover my expenses for the several weeks of recovery time after. I started a fundraiser on YouCaring to help cover my upcoming costs.

My consultation began great. Dr. McLean was very friendly and answered any questions I had. I then sat down with someone else in the office as we discussed expenses. OHIP does not cover the male chest contouring that helps ensure an overall masculine appearance of the chest, which is very important to me. The costs for that will be $2000+tax. Otherwise, everything is OHIP funded. After that discussion, she dropped the bad news. The wait list had gotten so long, with OHIP only funding a set number of surgeries per year, so my estimated surgery timeline would be around March of 2019. Almost two years later. I was devastated. Pretty sure I didn’t speak a work on the drive home or for several hours after getting home.

The next couple months I spent assuming I was going to be waiting for years. Positive news started to slowly trickle down, however. The McLean Clinic took on a second plastic surgeon specializing in top surgery, Dr. McEvenue. I then heard from a friend that one of their friends had gotten his surgery date this year, after originally being told mid-2018. The clinic had been petitioning the government for the funding to perform more surgeries. I was becoming more optimistic, but doing my best to just not think about it to avoid disappointment.

Then, on October 20, 2017, I got a phone call from the McLean Clinic. They had gotten the approval to perform 20 more surgeries this year, and I was one of the top 20 spots of the wait list. The dates I was offered ranged from November 15 - December 21. As much as I would have loved a November date, there is just so much going on in my life that I opted for the first December date available. This would give me a bit more time to get organized and try to raise a bit more money to cover expenses. So now, after months of doing my best to avoid thinking about surgery, it is on the forefront of my mind as I get to spend the next two months getting ready for the big day.