4 Tips for Transgender Patients Facing Postponed Surgeries
The effects of COVID-19 are being felt around the world and across all demographics, creating both direct and indirect health impacts. With increased need for hospital beds, procedures classified as elective are being cancelled or postponed.
For transgender patients, this includes nearly all gender-affirming surgeries. In spite of these procedures' proven impact on patients' well-being and reduction of psychological ideations, transgender patients will need to stay patient and rely on alternate resources to support their needs during the pandemic.
Transgender surgery pioneer Dr. Sherman Leis explains, "our office has been doing our best to maintain high quality care for post-op patients and those I can consult with digitally, but so much that's happening is beyond all of our control. My goal at this time is to support my transgender patients who have been saving and planning for these surgeries, sometimes for their whole lives, and again have to find the strength to wait until it's safe to proceed."
For those who may be struggling due to the virus's impact on their treatment, Dr. Leis offers the following four suggestions to stay positive about their new surgical schedule:
Communicate with your medical team.
Feeling stressed is natural in circumstances like these, but being able to express your fears and emotions is important to move forward with life and treatment. Dr. Leis requires that his patients also work with a mental health professional, endocrinologist, and others before scheduling surgery, and with more providers offering telehealth options, no one should worry about facing these delays alone.
Focus on what you can control.
While many things feel beyond our control, there are direct actions we can all take to flatten the curve and help return life to normal. Staying home, washing our hands thoroughly, cleaning/sanitizing our surroundings, respecting social distancing, all have positive effects on our own health and others'.
Set new goals and stay flexible.
With health recommendations and the impacts of COVID-19 changing daily, we must be prepared to adjust along with them. Postponing a surgery merely means setting one's sights on a new date when hospitals can safely reopen to elective surgeries.
Develop a community perspective.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 is an immediately pressing health concern which is taking precedent over many elements of life. By abiding social distancing recommendations and reserving resources for those facing the most urgent need, we do more to protect ourselves and each other.
"It's important for transgender patients to remember that this virus and its effect on their treatment are only temporary," notes Dr. Leis. "Part of providing the best care for patients means respecting the recommendations for community impact and also ensuring the safety of all involved, including support staff. Just remember that we know these procedures being classified as elective doesn't mean that they're not important to someone's life."