Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Anglichanka]

hello, first I should say I really like my GP surgery, they are great. But sometimes I wonder, will it ever stop feeling like a fight? Over the years I've had to fight for:
-- testosterone
-- oestrogen
-- a specific oestrogen dose
-- annual scans. I have grade 4 endometriosis and I'm on 200mcg patches (because I don't absorb much) and they're always telling me to be wary of thickening my endometrium but then every year when I ask for a scan I have to fight for it.

Yesterday: yet another HRT review. The young GP, perfectly nice woman, started by saying, "how long do you think you will want to stay on HRT?" I said, no idea but definitely another two years. Then I said, "dunno, I may stay on it forever." Her face was a picture. Then she told me I should be careful of blood clots, until she noticed I've been on patches for like, ever. Then she said HRT gave me a slight heart risk. Oh, I said, I thought HRT was protective of the heart. "Well it depends what you read." I pointed out I was a marathon-running teetotal vegetarian non-smoker and she checked my cardiac risk and said, oh, OK.

But why must it always be a battle? She has only renewed my HRT for another year and then there will be another battle again.

I don't get the resistance. HRT is clearly making my life better. My lifestyle reduces my risk factors to barely anything. Yet still I have to fight.

SIGH.

[CLKD]

She is following guidelines.  If she's young she won't have much knowledge about perimenopause.  All of us are on learning curves.  Pity that medics won't read patient notes prior to each appt., with them being on computer rather than written in hand, makes it easy to become lazy rather than turning the pages!

HRT certainly protects heart and bones and isn't dependant on 'what you read'! 

Such a frustration but new GPs have to cover their backs.  It's about time that patients had longer to discuss issues, I never feel rushed in our surgery. 

[Bella247]

I honestly find it outrageous how little knowledge most GPs have about the menopause. I’m not sure if you watched the davina McCall documentary but I believe on it they said GPs get a half hour optional E-learning module on it. It’s so mysoginistic. I’m absolutely certain if men had to go through this it just wouldn’t be the case. I think it’s the same with a lot of things in medicine. My lovely young work colleague suffered for years with endometriosis and nobody believed her.
One GP practically bit my head off when I suggested the metallic taste I’d been experiencing could be menopause related. It’s really tough because I have awful health anxiety so have to put a lot of effort into not googling what’s wrong with me but their lack of training makes it very hard not to. Sorry that’s not much help but I well and truly feel your frustration x

[CLKD]

It shouldn't be a battle  .  Some GPs don't like patients who know more than they might.   .  Which is where Consultants should be supportive, if they don't know 'enough' about a condition, then discussion between colleagues would be useful.

If 1 has been on a regime that works, no GP should query the why's/where4s.  Reading the patient notes should be a starting point!