Phoning the doctors in 10 mins. Just need to talk it through first.

[GreyCarpet]

I'm phoning the doctors this morning.

The system at my surgery is that you phone at 8. A doctor calls back between 9 and 11 to speak to you and they book you in for afternoon surgery if they feel you need to see someone. It's a crap system but the way it goes. I can't have my phone anywhere near me at work so I've had to take a day off work - which I won't be paid for - so it's important I get seen if I can. I haven't actually seen a doctor since this system was brought in. It's all been dealt with over the phone - including being prescribed the mini pill after a phone conversation without any health checks a few years ago and a cocktail of pain medication for a back issue.

So.

I don't really know what the matter is. I suspect perimenopause - heavy periods that leave me ill and drained, total lack of motivation, apathy, total loss of confidence, my libido has plummeted, I feel anxious and self conscious all the time. Constantly tired, sleep loads but also have insomnia and sleep is generally poor quality. Work is becoming unmanageable. I cry for no reason. I'm just not enjoying life in any sense at the moment and i can feel myself checking out.

I just don't know what to say to the receptionist when I call - because the system states they triage the calls. And don't know want to say to the doctor if I get a call back. I hate talking on the phone and prefer to talk face to face anyway.

I just hate this system 😕

Any suggestions?

Early not nearly

I think you need to decide what you want out of the appointment as that’s how gps tend to work nowadays

I'm probably too late, but I'd just say that you have peri menopausal symptoms and you want to try hrt. As you're over 45, NICE guidelines state that hrt should be prescribed in the first instance.

I had dreadful periods - I bulk bought super tampons. My hair thinned and I slept on towels. My romantic holiday in Paris was mostly spent buying more super tampons. I can't tolerate hormones so something like the mirena was a disaster for me because I couldn't stop crying. I had an ablation and they discovered a fibroid that was actually the cause of the awful bleeding. it didn't show up on the scan I had before. Everything got much better after that - I could give up wearing black trousers or skirts for 7 out of every 28 days. I could sleep through without bath towels underneath. Hope you get things sorted.

all good advice here.
Asking fir the HRT now would be good as otherwise you'll have to go through all this again when the inevitable request for blood tests is
made and then checking fir the results.
The blood tests are good as they'll also check for things like thyroid issues which can cause loads of problems for people.
Also maybe clarify with the doctor how difficult it is for you to take time off etc.
My GP allowed email consultations which was much better as i also can't answer the phone at work.
Good luck you sound like you are really struggling xxx