Now What?

After taken my time to get my master’s in social worker I finally graduated in 2011 and that same year after working to pass a gender inclusive non-discrimination act since 2007 it passed in 2011, so I was left with “now what?” I went through a mild depressions while I found new goals and from many trans people and others who have gone through surgery, a new research study found…

Depression and postoperative complications: an overview
Pub Med
By Ny Mohamed M. Ghoneim corresponding author and Michael W. O’Hara
Published online 2016 Feb 2

Abstract
Background
The interaction of depression and anesthesia and surgery may result in significant increases in morbidity and mortality of patients. Major depressive disorder is a frequent complication of surgery, which may lead to further morbidity and mortality.
In their conclusion they look at a number of causes and found that depression is common and can be a factor in surgical outcome.

Conclusions
The available literature suggests that depression is prevalent in patients before major surgery. Non-alleviated, it may predict increased morbidity and mortality after the operation. It may be associated with greater postoperative pain, higher incidence of postoperative infections, progression of malignant tumors, poor health-related quality of life as well as other complications. Accurate prediction of perioperative risk enables informed consent for patients before surgery, guides clinical decision making in the perioperative period and allows clinical audit. Multiple tools are available, but unfortunately, none of them include major depression among the patient-related factors.

For many trans people they have always been reaching for the brass ring and now that they have it they don’t know what to do next and they go through a minor depression until they reset their goals.

But one thing to remember is that depression and regrets are common for all medical procedures not just for GCS.

---

From an earlier OBE

Last night I went to a small intimate dinner of 420 called One Big Event, I had to leave early because I was beat! This was the first time out of the house all week except for short forays for groceries and a doctor's appointment because of a cold I have had since Monday.

But as usual it was a very good night. A couple of weeks ago Stana asked if she could join me at the table where I was sitting, so I found out if there was an extra seat available at the table and there was. Then a couple a days before the event a couple of other trans women said that they wanted to go to the OBE. There were a number of other trans women there that I know.

It is expensive, $150 a plate but it is worth because of the work that the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective does not only for the LGBT community but also for the people of Hartford that they serve. They have a dental clinic and do STDs and STIs testing as well as other medical testing, but as Ryan White funding and other grants are drying up, along with the uncertainly over ACA make them more dependent on fundraisers like the OBE.

I also volunteer there two days a week.