I hope all is well out there in flat land… I mean internet land. This year so far has been very wild for me. I have been doing a lot of work and learning that the medical system is screwed up(I already knew it was but I got to see it in action).
I have been single for over two years and have been dating off and on during those two years. For some reason, people get shocked and appalled when I tell them that if someone interests me(girl or boy), I will go out on a date. Since I started transitioning, I began looking at my sexuality differently, and that is legitimate. Everybody has the right to date and love whomever they want. I have not had too many dates and to be honest, until January of last year, I was scared. What would happen if I got into a relationship? What happens if I contract a disease like syphilis or AIDS? I told my gender-affirming doctor about my concerns and he told me that I should look into Prep and Doxy Prep(I will provide links below). Prep is a pill you take daily and is about 98% effective in preventing AIDS if you have unprotected sex or exchange any bodily fluids. Doxy Prep is similar to the Morning After Pill. You take the pill within 72 hours after unprotected sex and it is effective(unsure about the percentage) in preventing STDs such as syphilis.
I found a company called Q Care Plus and I was able to get both medications for free. The downside is that I have to test for STDs and kidney functions every three months but it is worth it for peace of mind. It is a little over a year since I started taking the medicine and I have not had much use for the medications because I don’t date too much and almost all dates end with no sex.
Fast forward to December of 2024, I had to switch gender-affirming care(GAC) providers because my hormones were out of wack and the earliest time I could see my provider was late January. When I met the new provider, I provided her with all my medical records and I told her that I needed her for GAC only. Before I tell the rest, I will let you know I am super involved with my care. I go over all my medical notes. I was shocked that I was given a diagnosis code of High-Risk Heterosexual Behaviors. When I saw this code I was pissed. I complained and eventually, she told me that she did not have control over that code and that it was used for billing purposes. The following link explains the coding in detail. https://neurolaunch.com/high-risk-heterosexual-behavior-icd-10/. I have done more research and I feel other codes could be used but the provider did not seem willing to help me and I could not reach anyone in billing or compliance. To make matters worse, during my last visit she said she wanted to give me an RPR with Titer. This test is for syphilis. I told her that I get tested with Q Care and that I would share all the results. She then said she would like to have a result from her own lab this one time. I eventually agreed but when I got the results she had also ordered an AIDS test which I did not authorize. Needless to say, I called them upset but they have yet to return my call.
The moral of the story, I decided not to use that provider anymore, and that I will be more forceful with my next provider. They will be GAC only. It is a shame that some providers do not look at us as equals but we are equal. Because someone spends years studying medicine it does not make them the end-all expert in my health. I make my providers explain everything and I tell them to use their terms and I can ask questions if needed. Most of the time, I will agree with them but sometimes I will not allow something. My doctor may know more about medicine but I know more in other areas and I am also a good researcher. If the provider cannot accept the terms then that provider is not the correct one for me.
The above paragraph may sound rough but I have two other providers who agree with me and we go over everything. One of those providers, I even told her that we would not do something and she said OK. Afterward, she told me I made the right call based on the follow-up visit and she then said that she wished more people were as involved as myself.
This post probably does not mean much but I hope it is a little informative.
Alla Davis
