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[mags4691]

Hi, I found this site and had to join, it seems it has appeared as a bit of a light.  I have recently been at my total wits end with the menopause symptoms and can find no help or ease of it at all.  I am in my second year now since my last period and at first the symptoms were easy enough to bear, but these last few months/weeks/days have almost been unbearable.  I must have at least 30 to 40 sweats/hot flushes per day and night, no let up, at the weekend I had joint pains, a migraine that had lasted three days, no energy, pale skin and the heat that radiated from me I could have warmed the whole house with!! not to mention bouts of crying and stupidly feeling sorry for myself.   I have visited my doctor.. twice and asked her to start me with HRT.  She does not believe in it and says I should ride the storm, I am only putting off what will inevitably happen.  But I told her the symptoms were particularly severe and she said that the anti-depressant (that I have been on for quite a few years now) had something in it that would help with the flushes and if they weren't helping she would up then.  This I refused, I don't want a higher dose of antidepressants!!! I then visited another doctor within the practice and he said he could not override what I had already been told and I should go back and ask her yet again.  This lady doctor is adamant that it is not good for you, even though I said it is surely my choice and I just want to be able to live my life again.

I work full time and after such a terrible weekend I was unable to go into work yesterday and again today, just beginning to feel slightly better today.  This is taking over my life, affecting my work, and I am in the middle of a house sale which I find so difficult to cope with.  I dont have family or a partner here so I am very much alone.  I would like to know if you know of anyone or who I could turn to who would actually listen to me about my symptoms and try me on HRT.  Are there specialists? Private Doctors?  Clinics?  I would change my doctor but at the moment I do not know where I am actually going to be moving to and cannot do this until I will be in the right catchment area.   It is lovely to see so many people experiencing similar things to me and to know I am not going mad!!  But oh to find someone who will actually help!! Thank you for reading this and for letting me get it all off my chest so to speak.  I also suffer with hypothyroidism, which is sometimes difficult to control too, even though I have had this for about 18 years now. I am 49 and live in East Sussex, nr Eastbourne.

[meno lesley]

Hi

Welcome, this is a really good site and saved me from being carted off to the funny farm. Can truly empathasize with all that you are going through. I had been a few years from last period when was hit with every meno symptom going. My doc at the time did not believe in hrt but managed to get it off another doc in the practice. I have tried a few but have settled on gel and utrogestan. My original doc was like yours in that he said I would ride the storm and if I did go on hrt I would only have the symptoms again years later when I came off. This may be so but I had to hold down a job and was about to become a grandma and just couldn't cope.

If you look in the green menu at the side and go back to docs armed with a lot of info about low hrt and just try to hold your ground and insist.

Take care and hope this helps a bit.

Lesley x

[Taz2]

Welcome mags. I have only one piece of advice which I am sure will be echoed by other members.. You need to change your doctor!!

Taz x 

[mags4691]

Thank you.. I will indeed be changing my doctor but as said before, I need to be moved first.  I guess its the feeling of wanting something NOW and not weeks ahead and yes I will definitely insist, one thing I am not is a quitter, but it does seem a one way struggle sometimes.  What is wrong with GP's don't they get updates on things?!! 

[Dancinggirl]

Hello and welcome.
You are having a very tough time and you need a better doctor.  I agree with all the other posts on this thread. I am outraged by the lack of understanding and knowledge of some GPs.  Your doctor is a women as well - either she is young and idealist or she floated through her menopause with no problems - either way she should know better
At 49 you are still too young to be without oestrogen.
I did a google search for your area and there doesn't seem to be a Meno CLinic in Eastbourne.
Do you know where you will be moving to?
Can anyone else looking at the thread suggest a private doctor for mags4691?  What about Professor Studd?  http://www.studd.co.uk
Good luck and keep us posted.
DG x

[bev567901]

I also did a bit of research on docs & our local private hospital have an NHS gynae doctor (turns out he delivered my last 3 kids as one was sadly a stillbirth & we stuck with him as obv the next 2 where high risk.)  It was £200 for first appt but I guess getting your mum back is well worth the £. I've not taken the plunge yet as would hate him to say the same as the GP. So might be worth a quick try as they do menopasue stuff too not just all things birth just private in his case sadly. Bev x

[Kathleen]

Hello mags 4691.
Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear you are suffering so much.
I just wanted to add that I think for some of us the meno symptoms really seem to kick in when we've been without periods for a year or two. That has certainly been my experience and wasn't what I was expecting to happen.  My GP is of the opinion that after three period free years we should start to feel better and frankly at the moment I'm hoping he's right!
Wishing you well.
K.   

[mags4691]

Thank you to all of you who have replied to this.. It has made me feel better as a person knowing I have people out there sharing similar emotions.  I am not moving far enough.. only 5 miles where I am at the moment so will still be in the Eastbourne area effectively.  It is a shame that there is nothing in East Sussex, Brighton, Hove, Hastings.. what do all these menopausal women do?? There seems to be no menopause/well women clinics anywhere in this region.  Hopefully they have better GP's than I do.  My doctor incidentally isn't English but Dutch I believe, perhaps that has something to do with her outlook.  I promise to keep you all informed and if anybody does know of anyone locally, private or otherwise I would be so glad to know.   take care lovely people .xx

[Dyan]

  mags4691

You will get lots of support on here.

[Taz2]

Is your nearest one Portsmouth mags? My nearest was Oxford which was about 120 mile round trip but it was worth it.

Taz

[bev567901]

I have to say my GP's have been next to useless. I started going February this year backwards & forwards going downhill slowly until a month ago when things got so bad I was at crisis point. I'm not even sure if the AD's & benzos they now have me on are a sticking plaster & its hormones I need.  I really don't understand why things are so bad with the NHS, I wrote it all down for them but were testing me for things like pylori which is to do with stomach ulcers which came back negative of course after weeks of them loosing samples etc. I feel really let down by my GP practice. B x

[Dancinggirl]

Hello and Welcome bev567901
Tell us a bit more about yourself.  Age? Are you still having periods? General symptoms?
There are a lot of girls posting on this site who have a wide variety of experiences and expertise including Dr Currie, who is the gynaecologist who started this site.  Maybe we can offer a little common sense help & guidance.
Stay with us.
DG x

[mags4691]

Taz..I saw the Oxford clinic on Google but I think the nearest to me would be London!!.

[Taz2]

Go for that one then. I guess it depends on which part of the "Eastbourne area" you are as to which is nearer - there's probably only about 20 miles in it but I would prefer to drive Portsmouth rather than London and I'm not great on public transport - I like to leave when I want and not when a timetable says I can 

Taz x

[andius]

 I don't feel bad about changing doctors.....I had one doctor I saw once a year until I was 49 who delivered my kids.  He died from a heart attack right as I was becoming menopausal.  I have since seen 8 doctors in the last 8 years, only 3 were willing to discuss HRT and 2 others offered vaginal estradiol (which I took).    The ignorance of menopause and the symptoms that need to be handled just to maintain a livable life for some of us is not on most doctors' priority list...the 2 OB-GYN doctors I went to both refused HRT and said menopause is not a disease and could be managed naturally...both younger women  !!

Keep up the persistence to get what you need for yourself!