Hubby was trans. During transition he had a primary doctor and a surgeon. The surgeon cut and pasted his body till it looked more like his brain intended it to look. His primary doctors, in 10 years at his clinic, never once did any kind of naked exam. He was happy that they never did. But why didn't they do their duty as doctors? who knows?
He was the first trans person they worked with. I mean wouldn't you want to look if you were the doctor just out of curiosity? They treated his diabetes and diagnosed his fibromyalgia - all without his even taking his shirt off. No amount of pushing on my part got him to ask for "privates" exams. The docs did not push at all.
We moved to Florida, had a couple of false starts with dostors, and then he found a female internist who in the very first appointment examined him internally and minus clothes. No problems in the remaining original parts. Score one for him; earlier exams avoided with no consequence. But in that very first exam minus clothes she noticed something about his legs that led her to believe he had PAD (peripheral artery disease) She scheduled tests. The big test, cardiac catheterization he delayed out of fear since we had a friend who had a stroke during the test. It was finally scheduled for the first week in January. He died in his sleep three days after Christmas. He was only 52.
It's my opinion that his earlier primary doctors were guilty of malpractice im their treatment of him. The PAD did not develop overnight. Had it been found earlier, he might still be alive.
Thank you to all of you for talking about these subjects that are more uncomfortable for some among us than it is for most women. (for lack of a better term)
Smooches,
Keri
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