If you're raiding as a healer then your only hope is taking an item as OS (that is, if none of the dps want the piece, you have a shot). Needless to say you have no chance of winning any of the sweet items like Choker this way. However you will have a much much easier time getting into raids to begin with, which is quite helpful. Can collect some junk epics, better than greens from leveling.
If you're raiding as shadow... then you still won't get Choker
probably, anyway. You do have a chance though. Raids will often want to prioritize "real dps" but some pieces are contestable if you're MS shadow. This has the downside of having to work your ass off to actually get into the raid.
ALL THAT BEING SAID... your best advantage is that most of the gear you need isn't from raids
Let's see. You can get by with the following:
- headpiece - Crimson Felt Hat is good enough until you have R10 helm
- neck - Anastari Heirloom is more than good enough
- shoulders - Felcloth will do, next stop is priest T1 or R10
- cloak - AV rep (honored)
- chest - R8 is your goal, sucks until then but MC doesn't have any alternatives to offer either
- wrist - Sublime Wristguards
- gloves - Felcloth or R7
- belt - AV rep (honored)
- boots - Maleki's are decent, then R7
- rings - Songstone / Eye and the WSG honored ring
- trinkets - briarwood but you'll probably use PvP trink and net anyway
- wand - Stormrager is already great
- MH / OH / staff - Anathema, hands down; that's from MC but the required item is for healers as well as shadowpriests so go with whichever spec
Easy. Spend some gold and you only need to hit MC for Anathema (maybe Lucifron neck if you insist).
Now, if you want real BiS... fighting for gear in BWL is unpleasant