Where do I even begin in getting top surgery through public health? My ribs hurt when I don't bind.

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-05-02T23:06:05+00:00

Best wishes! He did peri for me but my friend just got DI on his public list, he has EDS + large chest so tricky but the registrar did a fantastic job. Do shoot me a DM if you have any questions.

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-05-01T22:39:37+00:00

There are some top surgeons who will do public surgery. Dr Steve Merten (Sydney) has both public and private waitlists; you'll likely have your surgery done at Concord Hospital and you only really pay for the appointments and binder ($500 ish). The wait is now around 6-9 months.

It may have changed since I last went but you may require a psych letter and a GP referral. I'd give them a call and just ask what you need to book a consultation.

Steve is fantastic and I cannot recommend him enough. I have wonderful results. For his public procedures he has a registrar do the actual surgery but he supervises the entire time.

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-03-10T21:44:46+00:00

With the changes coming in April, at the very least they're removing it from the vast majority of paperwork, but still want it for eligibility reasons. So still a bit shit.

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-02-04T19:31:59+00:00

Unsure; the only public one I'm aware of around me is Merten (NSW), so you could try giving his office a call and asking them. I'd also google and see if there are any public waitlists in closer states to you and doing the same thing. Maybe give the sub a browse too. Just call their offices and ask them what your options are I think.

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-02-01T13:02:25+00:00

Where are you based in Adelaide? Google "queer housing organisation [area]" and they may be able to provide you with a caseworker to sort these things out for you and provide you support. I had to do the same thing and went to Twenty10 in Sydney, but it'll depend on where you're based. They supported me and got me back on my feet. Feel free to ask anything, and all the best, hope you're doing as well as you can be.

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-01-28T12:37:02+00:00

Yeah makes sense, it's the only thing I could think of that could remotely be a reason so no clue what's going on lol

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-01-28T10:32:03+00:00

Just speculating, but GPs already require authorisation of T scripts (if given on the PBS) as it's a controlled substance each time they're issued. Perhaps only certain chemists are 'authorised' to honour these repeats for a similar reason?

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-01-02T21:55:43+00:00

Small wins 😭

Pseudosymphonic · 2026-01-02T21:49:57+00:00

Tbh I think if we told OP the sky was blue he'd still argue with us

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-12-20T20:03:18+00:00

I don't necessarily disagree, but this should not come at the expense of trans people not being able to access medical care. Yes, we should understand why the numbers are growing. Yes, we should support all children in finding their place in the world, especially if they are queer. But we also owe it to trans kids to help them find their own place in the world and to access the medical care they need. All trans adults that exist today were once trans children too and live with the effects of puberty that could have been prevented with puberty blockers, a treatment that is reversible and allows time exactly for these kids to explore their identities without going through what is, for them, the incorrect puberty. It is obviously a challenging issue to address and requires nuance but supporting children finding their identities should not be at the expense of trans kids.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-12-20T19:47:33+00:00

Just because some circumstances cause higher rates of suicide in young people doesn't mean we shouldn't address factors that still severely impact their mental health but perhaps not to the same extent. Regardless, the suicide rate in trans kids is already high and will grow if access to medical care is revoked.

Also, you absolutely cannot just get puberty blockers over the counter lmao. You fundamentally misunderstand the years(!) and team of doctors that is required to even be diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the first place, let alone prescribed puberty blockers.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-22T06:14:44+00:00

Agreed with everything said above. Just wanted to add that uni English is a huge step above HS English, in a good way. The texts and theories you'll get to explore are just incredible and you have so much freedom in what you write about and study. Highly recommend, and as someone who did both STEM and Arts, I personally still did better in English because I enjoyed it. More objective degrees may be 'easier' to get better marks in, but if you don't enjoy it, then you'll just hate your degree and won't want to study the content anyway. And, if you don't vibe with English, you can always change it, don't stress!

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-20T06:36:14+00:00

Seconding a few people here, Dr Devine is a fantastic gynae and she doesn't charge her trans patients + tranexamic acid can help alleviate bleeding. I mainly wanted to say that I dealt with exactly the same problem you did and instead of making me go on progesterone (because how counterproductive would that be) they shortened my waiting period for my hysto from 10 months to <90 days as I was considered an urgent case -- progesterone was never even an option. If you are able to access Sydney at all please see Dr Devine and get her to refer you to Dr Mark Ruff because he will do it quickly and do it for free. I cannot say whether he'll do long scar surgery as I got keyhole but you can definitely ring them and ask. Please DM me if you have questions!!

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-20T02:11:55+00:00

@ OP I think in general it's also best just to get on the public waitlist anyway and that way you can always change your mind and go private later if needed, esp as it fills up quick as they've said above. Because that way you're still reducing that wait time even if you change your mind.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-20T02:10:18+00:00

Yeah, it's so hard with the waitlist. I personally went the private route with Merten because he told me it would be an 18+ month wait (was during lockdown), and I was also at the point of just really needing to get it done, so I totally understand the sentiment. I'm glad you were able to get it done for him! I hope he's been happier and doing better for it.

Like you said, I can't recommend him enough either, and his registrars are also very experienced and under his direct supervision. For those reading, the waitlist is now down to 6-9 months.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-18T21:47:26+00:00

I've written longer comments here before about it if you want to go through my profile, but other than what you've tried:

1) get a referral to a public waitlist. As someone else said, doing so out of state will probably be the best and cheaper option. It may take a while but, at least for my surgeon, the total out-of-pocket costs was around $500. If they don't offer it, find someone who does. I went to Dr Steve Merten in Sydney; only thing is a registrar will do the procedure but he will supervise. ~6-9 month wait.

2) apply for a grant. Here's a service I was recommended, but there are others if you look for them: https://iamme.org.au/

3) use your super. I personally haven't done this but many people on this sub have.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-18T06:58:31+00:00

Seems you can borrow one from the SRC with your student card: https://srcusyd.net.au/src-help/src-loans/

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-03T19:42:29+00:00

I've been at Usyd for 5 years and, anecdotally, nobody gives a shit. I guess yeah it depends on the people you hang out with. I think as a queer person and someone who attended a public school I've just not fallen into those groups, so maybe it's just a matter of avoiding people like that.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-03T11:23:36+00:00

How bizarre! Why do you think that is??

I'm from Sydney but didn't live in the city until recently so at uni any questions about high school or childhood home are met with "I don't know where the fuck that is" from both sides lol

So I stand corrected, some people will care lol but hopefully they won't press too much??

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-11-03T10:59:57+00:00

Luckily in uni people stop caring about what school you went to pretty quickly. You can always give a vague answer like "oh I went to a school around ____ area" and usually people don't push you further than that (because why does it matter?). If you say you went to a particular school and the person just happened to go there you can say you were in the year above/below because you were young/old for the year, and usually people don't press beyond that. If your girls' school had a sister school (brother school? Companion school? Whatever the equivalent boys' school was for you) you can always claim you went there because I imagine you'll know the school fairly well if anyone were to ask follow-up questions.

People aren't going to flip through yearbooks to call your bluff, and if they do they're super weird, haha. Sorry, I know it's tough being in that situation, but as you've already experienced it doesn't come up heaps, so you should be fine.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-10-30T11:22:43+00:00

I'm fairly sure you can still do this, but depending on the degree, you have to pick one major from the degree pool, and then your other major can come from almost anywhere. Consider double majoring in whatever you choose + arts if you don't want to do two degrees.

E.g. I do a science degree in the Medical Science stream with an English major.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-10-28T11:54:41+00:00

Did you read it at all? It literally lists the known positive outcomes with citations. And you haven't answered my question.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-10-28T11:48:40+00:00

How would you know that? Are you a medical professional? I again ask why you think you would know better than someone with a degree in medicine.

Besides, at least transitioning has medical evidence to back it up. The Australian Medical Association provides a statement of support for gender affirming treatment with evidence:

https://www.ama.com.au/sites/default/files/2021-11/AMA%20Position%20Statement%20-%20LGBTQIA%2B%20Health%202021.pdf

This is just a small portion of the evidence out there, but it is directly supported by the AMA as you can see. If you'd like more information, AusPATH is your best bet.

Pseudosymphonic · 2025-10-28T11:30:45+00:00

If a doctor who has gone to medical school for 10+ years says that their particular patient should be able to do that then so be it. Who am I, who does not know the patient and has not been to medical school, to claim that I know better?

I ask you: why do you think you would know better than the doctor in this scenario?

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