Here are some of the answers I received:

“They do have therapists, as well. It’s usually interns that stay for a few months, and then leave (at which pint they put you on a waiting list for a new one).”

“ Callen Lorde does not do regular therapy long term. They will refer you out. You can call them and get a list of people they recommend. Also the center.”

“ They do indeed! But I think it’s just for patients receiving medical care as well. They have group counseling for others.”

“ I go to Callen-Lorde but I’m in the HOTT (youth) program and don’t know about the adult program. But I do get regular therapy there, in addition to other health care.”

My prescription was sent out to the pharmacy in Wisconsin without the “quantity” or “maximum daily dose” sections filled out, thereby causing a delay in my prescription renewal. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take, but the idea of being off of my daily dose of T, even for a week, makes me feel frustrated. My buddy is going to give me a T shot to last me two weeks, as he has done in the past when Callen-Lorde makes an error.

Callen lorde no longer requires a certain number of sessions for its HOTT patients. Folks under 24 also now use the informed consent model, if I’m not mistaken.

Actually, the HOTT program has moved to informed consent as well. I have a friend who just went through it if you need more info.

Dr. Biel at Montefiore Medical Center also does informed consent and has a sliding scale

Thanks so much for the info, everyone!

I talked to my doctor at Callen-Lorde today and she said I could save some money (and hassle) by renewing my testosterone cream prescription for three months instead of one. Done.

She asked how I was doing on the testosterone cream and I explained some of my concerns about the lack of changes during the past two months. On June 23rd, I’ll have a lab done and on July 6th, I’ll have an appointment with her to discuss the results.

Today I spoke with Gal Meyer, the physician from Callen-Lorde who contacted me a week ago after reading about my difficulty in accessing my testosterone patch prescription. He explained to me that Androderm recently changed their dosing regimen, were on back order, and would only be available through Callen-Lorde’s pharmacy in the future for hundreds of dollars per month rather than the $12 I had previously paid. I asked about testosterone gel and he informed me that it would cost me about $60 per month. I expressed my desire to continue using affordable transdermal testosterone rather than injections, and we decided that I would resume my testosterone cream prescription through Women’s International Pharmacy, but this time at an appropriate dose. Dr. Meyer was friendly, patient, and helpful.

I’m not sure how long it will take my new prescription to be sorted with the upcoming holidays and such, so for practical measures, I’m going to have my friend give me another testosterone shot tomorrow and hope that within two weeks I will have testosterone cream in my hand.

I’ll miss using my testosterone patches. I found them to be less time consuming than the cream, but I will be glad to be creating less waste from packaging and such when I’m back on the cream.

For those of you who don’t know, Callen-Lorde is the clinic I go to in Manhattan to get testosterone. I am so grateful that this LGBT-friendly center exists at such a convenient proximity to me and will forever be appreciative of how they helped me access testosterone when I had no insurance and was making just above minimum wage to get by.

That being said, it’s unfortunate that Callen-Lorde has become notorious for errors with appointments and prescriptions. I was told yesterday that the prescription for my testosterone patches was ready and to come in and pick them up today. This afternoon, I traveled to Callen-Lorde only to be told that the patches were out of stock and I wouldn’t be able to acquire them until at least Tuesday. This made me feel very frustrated; I need my patches on a daily basis to keep my testosterone levels within transitional levels. The idea of my testosterone levels dropping and then having to experience the side effects of such (mood, energy, sleep) was upsetting.

Since I left Callen-Lorde empty-handed, I got in touch with a friend of mine who said he would give me an emergency T shot if I ever needed one due to a Callen-Lorde error. Today was the day. There’s a Band-Aid on my ass and I am feeling thankful for my friend Seth. He gave me a 50mg (.25mL of 200mg/mL T) injection that will last me two weeks.