Hi Nik
You poor bugger!! You really have been through the mill - your story sounds very similar to mine 18 months ago, only the anxiety almost had me in hospital!! And how nice that you now have a more sympathetic gp...but sad that you can't get the patches she's prescribed
You may need to go back to her to get a different patch - I'm not sure if they have the sequential Estalis where you are? (I'm in Australia, and whilst most of our hrt is identical we sometimes have different names for them) I believe Estalis is similar to the Femseven patch. Or you could try an oestrogen patch such as Estradot with a separate progesterone that you take for 12 - 14 days of the month. There are also tablet forms - Femoston 1/10 is a very good one I believe.
In any case, it would be a good idea to go back to your doctor, explain about the patch shortage and look at another option - you could speak to your pharmacist and ask them what a good substitute for Femseven might be.
As for the libido problem, lol...sorry if tmi, but mine came raging back once my oestrogen levels came back xx
If you have any problems with dryness, Vagifem pessaries are excellent and you can use a good lubricant too if you need to.
And Hurdity is right about the long term use of strong antacids - because they neutralise stomach acid, food isn't digested properly, and this can lead to poor nutritional absorption, as well as ibs and other gut issues. When I get indigestion (man, that burns!) I put a teaspoon of bicarbonate soda in a half glass of water and scull it....tastes disgusting, but the relief is almost instantaneous - you'll do a massive burp (just like the ones we did as kids with fizzy drinks lol) and then that's it. No more pain or belching. And cheap and 100% natural.
Anyway, thought I'd touch base and give you a couple of alternatives to think about xx
