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[Dorothy]

Hi

I'm 39, been having a few odd symptoms for a while.  Like lots of my friends my age, we tend to say 'oh dear, hope it's not the change' without really thinking it could be so soon.  Talking to a 38 year old friend last week and she has just been told she has started when she didn't think she could so early and when she was talking about the symptoms it started sounding scarily familiar...

[honeybun]

 

Browse around, have a read of the menus on the left as there is lots of information.


Honeyb
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[Dorothy]

Beginning to think ignorance is bliss    The more I read, the more familiar it sounds.

But as I had started to wonder if I was going batty, I suppose this is a better option - just don't feel like I'm ready for it.  But I guess no one ever does.

[honeybun]

You really need to see your GP. It's so important at your age to start on HRT. It will help to protect your heart and bones and also help prevent vaginal atrophy.

Sorry that all sounds horrible when it's perfectly manageable.


Honeyb
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[Dorothy]

Ha, ha, that will be fun.  My GP is not the best on the planet at dealing with these issues - I can just hear her telling me it is my imagination!

[CLKD]

Change your GP then.  Go the Practice Nurse for a well-woman chat.  Browse the menus left of screen.  At least you know what you GP might say so be prepared! have a response ready.

 

[Dorothy]

Live in a rural area so can't change GP, but I will try to get an appointment with the Practice Nurse who is usually much more sensitive and actually bothers to read my notes, though I guess I will have to see the GP eventually.    

[CLKD]

……….. by which time you will be more informed  .  Keep a food/mood diary too as well as any hormonal 'upsets'.  You will then have something to show your GP to justify what HRT etc. you decide upon.  In the meantime, ask away >wave< ……..

Thyroid function is the other issue to consider.  Your Practice Nurse can help and may be highly qualified enough so that you don't need to see the GP, we have prescribing nurses in our Practice.

[Dorothy]

I didn't realise it might be possible to get help without the GP - hope I can!  I've never had much success getting gynae issues sorted.  I have had awful trouble since I was 12 and was either told 'this is life for women - get used to it' or given ever stronger prescription painkillers that didn't help.  When I was 30 I worked in another part of the UK for a year, and went to a lovely GP there and she told me what I was dealing with was well beyond the bounds of normal and why on earth hadn't I been put on the pill?  It totally changed my life within a month.  But since I moved again,  I'm back to pushing, demanding, nagging because the doc can't get it into her head that I am not on the pill for birth control.  She keeps trying to take me off it, saying there are other methods of birth control that will be better for me though they may cause increased pain and bleeding...if she bothered to check her records, she would see those were the reasons I went on the pill in the first place so why would I want to take something that would make my symptoms WORSE and that 'birth control' is a bit pointless for someone who can't have kids.

Sorry about the rant...but I do feel better now for having let off steam!!!   

[CLKD]

Is your GP close to retirement age ? or so young she has no experience?

You can ask for a referral to a Gynaecologist if you feel it necessary.  I too had period problems from age 12    so went on The Pill quite early, around 16.  PMT followed, mid-30s   

[Dorothy]

I reckon she's in her 40s, just not much use. I used to have terrible pain when my flow was heavy in addition to cramps - really embarrassing as I never knew when it would happen so I'd end up bending double in pain in public!  All she could do was ask if I'd ever been abused as a child and did I have 'hangups' about my body image - she wouldn't believe it was physical pain.  Then I bled continuously for a year which involved a couple of hospital appointments - at one of these, the gynaecologist asked if my symptoms were making it difficult to conceive - I said I was single and couldn't even think about relationships while I had all this going on and she said 'why are you bothering us then, if you're not trying to start a family'.

And yes, I do know I should have complained - but I was so devastated, I couldn't face it.  I did keep pushing for something to be done though, as I couldn't face being like that for the rest of my life - eventually I had a D&C which dealt with the bleeding and they found a number of other issues, not all of which were fixable, including one which was causing the pain when I had a clot, which they could deal with.  Fortunately, there was a last minute change and I had a different gynaecologist for the op - he was brilliant, very caring and helpful and couldn't have been kinder telling me what was wrong and how far they had been able to sort it.  But when I went back for my post-op checkup, the nurse assumed I was there for a pregnancy checkup...really tactful    So now I tend to avoid doctors and hospitals unless totally unavoidable.   

[Dorothy]

Oh, forgot to say I went back to my GP and waved the op results under her nose proving that the pain hadn't been in my imagination and do you know what she said?

"I'm pleased you think it's made a difference'.  Arrrrrgh!

[CLKD]

Crikey - sounds very Victorian!  Complaining would have got you no-where because the medical profession have the habit of closing ranks 

How far are you from another Surgery? GPs like their patients within 10 miles of the main Surgery apparently …….

[Taz2]

Hi Dorothy - welcome to the forum.

Sounds as if you are having a right old time with your doc. What menopausal symptoms are you experiencing? Peri (before) meno usually lasts between eight and ten years which takes a lot of us by surprise as it feels that late thirties/early forties is far too young for these changes to begin.

Taz x 

[Millykin]

 Peri (before) meno usually lasts between eight and ten years
Gosh Taz I've only been peri for about 2 yrs that I've noticed at  (age 41) now 44 hope it started few years before noticing 
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