Hi Albert,

Thank you for trusting us with this question. I can imagine based on what you’re describing that it must be very scary. It’s understandable that you would be freaked out / freaking out, and that you would want to get more information about what is going on in terms of what you are experiencing as soon as possible.

Without giving medical advice, the symptoms you’re describing could be a lot of different things (i.e. other than cancer), but I understand that it can be really hard not to fear that it may be something like cancer given that you don’t know what is causing what you’re experiencing. Being outside of Montréal does unfortunately limit one’s options in terms of trans-informed and respectful care. This is a link to a list of gynaecologists in the Lanaudière region who have specifically been identified to have more respectful practices (some have been identified as feminist, some are specifically identified as being providers of care for LGBTQ+ people): http://gynecopositive.com/page14.

I can’t personally attest to any of the providers listed in the Lanaudière region or make any guarantees about how they might behave as care providers, but I can tell you that the providers listed on this website was put together with the aim of compiling a list of providers who have been reported to give more respectful and more informed care. If you’re feeling anxious about going to a regular clinic (which is very understandable), it might be an option to try one of the providers on the website listed above. Again, without giving medical advice or trying to suggest what you “should” do, if you find that what you’re experiencing gets worse (for example, you start experiencing a lot of bleeding when you pee) or you develop new symptoms that are concerning you, you may want to consider going to a clinic or to hospital. It’s of course your choice as to whether you do so, and again, very understandable that you would want to avoid going to a clinic if you can. If you do decide to go to a clinic (either because of what you’re describing in terms of what you’re experiencing, the anxiety about it, or some combination thereof), if you have a friend or someone you feel comfortable with and trust to be there with you, that can often be a really helpful thing even if it can’t change the fact that most generalized clinics are not well-informed about how to respectfully and appropriately care for trans people.

I hope you’re able to get the care you need. Thank you again for trusting AlterHéros with your question. You’re very welcome to write to us again whether regarding this situation or whatever else.

Noah, for AlterHeros