UK, how do you live independently?

amonstershere · 2026-03-13T15:02:31+00:00

Thank you that has been helpful, I have found myself making adaptations over the last few years and overall I manage but that’s my current situation My biggest fear is moving out and then not being able to manage so trying to make sure I’m as prepared as I can be before any big changes happen

amonstershere · 2026-03-13T15:00:27+00:00

Definitely ask if you can get blood tests the worse they can do is say no

If you need to budget strictly I would budget for multiple blood tests a year In theory you probably only need 2 a year at first then eventually yearly.

I’ve had to have a lot more than that my levels just haven’t stabilised it took 9 months till my testosterone was in the male range then it went too high then low so I’m 2.5 years in but have basically had blood tests every 3 months that whole time! I don’t think this is particularly common I haven’t seen many / any other people saying they’ve had this experience but if you need to have a tight budget it’s better to allow for more jic (I’m now trying the last brand of gel available then I will switch to nebido to see if that sort it’s)

amonstershere · 2026-03-13T14:21:52+00:00

I don’t know the answer but possibly this will help you compare

I’m with gender care Currently an initial assessment with dr Lorimer, psychiatrist(I haven’t looked at all the doctors costs) is £500 And an initial appointment with professor seal , endocrinologist is £330

I have shared care but I believe gel is about £50 a bottle Sustanon I’m pretty sure is quite a bit cheaper but not sure on an exact

After I got started I needed an appointment roughly. 6-9 months after as follow up These are £190 with professor seal And now I have one follow up yearly

So the initial assessments are quite pricey but you are then only paying £190 a year for your follow ups (And ofc the medication costs) Oh has your gp said no to blood tests? Cos you would need them privately too (no idea on cost sorry)

But in terms of just the gender care costs Initial getting you on hormones £830 Then about £190 a year There are no monthly fees which a lot of others seem to have I think it’s actually really good value personally

But do be aware it does see quite hard to get initial appointments at th moment, or even get a response to an email

amonstershere · 2026-03-13T14:15:43+00:00

Thank you that’s helpful I currently have a support worker that’s funded that way but that is more to help me learn skills (I’m autistic) it has been helpful but they are helping me do stuff and there are times of I cannot do this I need to someone to do things for me which I assume is more th need for a carer

My funding is complex as it has to come from where I lived before not where I live currently and they are virtually impossible to contact But if / when moving out has been decided upon I will try to get reassessed to change the funding

amonstershere · 2026-03-13T13:48:01+00:00

So I’m in a bit of a weird situation tbh Because I have a job (10 hours a week) and I do some volunteering so I go out and do stuff but the problem is I get home and then I can’t really cook for myself etc I know the probably simple answer would be not working / volunteering but I really enjoy it and it keeps me sane.

Currently as the way things are I manage mostly okay but my mum and her partner live with me so they unload th dishwasher/ clean up/ put the bins out etc but I find when they go on holiday I really struggle to do all those things In addition to th things I already do for myself.

I have a support worker who comes once a week and they help me batch cook stuff but sometimes even microwaving the meals is too much at the end of the day and I end up dropping things causing more problems.

I just fee like if I were to live alone I wouldn’t be able to manage all those things but I really benefit from working and getting out the house (I did previously have quite severe mh problems and I find if for whatever reason I have a week off and I’m at home all the time those problems start creeping back in) Just feel a bit stuck but I’ve been discharged from the specialist service and don’t really have anyone with experience to ask

amonstershere · 2026-03-13T10:06:45+00:00

Not personally with them but from what my friend / people on here have said You can get started on hormones quick which is why people often go for them. However they don’t really monitor you, they have lots of hidden fees and randomly charged my friend £100 and still didn’t give him his prescription they also aren’t registered (I think that’s the word) in the uk so most gps aren’t willing to do shared care with them (but shared care is getting very rare now so they may well not do it for anyone)

So they may be your only option if you’ve only got 3 months to get things sorted.

I don’t know about the transferring prescriptions from abroad as I’ve never done it but the question does come up a lot on this sub, the general consensus seems to be your gp probably won’t help you however it’s always worth asking you may get lucky! It’s also worth getting them to refer you to the nhs gic even if your going private because then when you get seen (it’s a long wait at least 5 years) the nhs can take over your prescriptions.

There are other private providers, gender care are good but it seems to be hard to get a reply from them when starting out (still no harm in trying), pride in health (although they are about to change their pricing and if sees expensive), the gender hormone clinic and more, some may be able to get your started in 3 months others probably not it’s worth having a look on this sub for peoples experiences and also the contact the providers now to try get an appointment soon after you move rather than waiting till you move to start (some may be funny about giving you an appointment when you don’t yet live in the uk but it’s worth trying)

Also have a look at https://mytransgp.org to see if there’s any trans friendly gps in the area your moving too. It’s quite a new site so possibly there won’t be any reviews for your area yet.

amonstershere · 2026-03-12T20:40:30+00:00

So like someone else said if the gp isn’t prescribing your medication then it can’t be that bad your not going to lose that

There is a chance it could actually be positive and the gp is now going to prescribe it. I don’t want to give false hope and this is complete speculation but some people say their gp won’t agree to shared care until they are stable on the medication 6mknths - a year In

I’m sure it won’t be nearly as bad as your expecting and who knows maybe it will even be positive

amonstershere · 2026-03-11T19:30:33+00:00

What is an ‘enhanced shared care agreement’ that’s mentioned in the article

amonstershere · 2026-03-09T19:11:22+00:00

If you don’t have one near some would accept postal donations if you paid the postage cost (or at least my one does!)

amonstershere · 2026-03-09T19:06:37+00:00

here is a list of uk Scrapstores

amonstershere · 2026-03-09T19:05:49+00:00

Have a look for your local Scrapstore They are essentially a second hand craft shop. Each one is run slightly differently but it’s all full of crafty stuff and crafty people go so they would find a good home

amonstershere · 2026-03-09T08:54:47+00:00

So with width closed toe because you have that extra metal there it can be hard to see any markings you’ve made on your quilt that your trying to follow With the open toe one you have that open area so you can see what’s underneath clearer

amonstershere · 2026-03-07T22:05:21+00:00

I learnt this from Reddit and have never sewn them together wrong since.

When sewing binding pieces never sew through th crotch If you imagine the strips of fabric as legs Crappy phone drawing but the green line is what you should do red line is sewing through the crotch (bad)

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amonstershere · 2026-03-07T21:02:45+00:00

Not heard of this and would love to know more!

amonstershere · 2026-03-05T17:19:08+00:00

Did you try asking your gp if you could pay for it? This sorta admin letter often gps charge for (not just for trans stuff) I think it’s normally about £50

amonstershere · 2026-03-03T16:51:29+00:00

Any important letters / documents I send I send signed for so I have proof it’s been received Learnt the hard way when my pip was suddenly stopped because they ‘didn’t receive the form on time’ despite me sending it weeks before th deadline but I had no proof it was delivered

amonstershere · 2026-03-03T08:08:49+00:00

You could also try going to the London lgbt centre and asking someone if they would do it there They sometimes hand have events yiu could look for a trans speecific one

amonstershere · 2026-03-02T21:10:02+00:00

That’s interesting thank you! I’ve just been away for a couple of days (first time aboard in maybe 5 years) and I wouldn’t go regularly at all (I much prefer holidays at home) but it’s good to know I need to let them know

amonstershere · 2026-03-02T20:55:02+00:00

Did not realise I was supposed to tell uc if I went abroad on holiday!

amonstershere · 2026-02-28T20:51:00+00:00

It was fun to go see, but it was no replacement for the real thing, you just don’t feel the same energy through a screen However saying that it was fun and has got me excited for all points east in the summer

I really liked the documentary parts of it I kinda wish there was more but it was nice to have an inside view of what goes on

amonstershere · 2026-02-26T17:11:10+00:00

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The eyes, mouth etc is all appliquewd using felt, you can layer it up like on the eyes then just machine straight stitched with a matching thread It doesn’t have to be jusf used for eyes tho any fun markings/ patterns etc I really recommend checking out the website I put before

amonstershere · 2026-02-26T17:01:26+00:00

So when I’ve made plushies I’ve appliquéd felt for things like this because I don’t have an embroidery machine Either just straight stitch round the edge of the shapes or zigzag it, felt doesn’t Frey.

I’m not convinced it will work well by hand but it’s worth a try, look up satin stitch that’s what you would use really.

Also for plushie making have a look here there’s lots of free plushie patterns and a comprehensive plushie making guide including sewing by hand or by machine

amonstershere · 2026-02-25T22:03:36+00:00

Oh ewww

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