I've just been to the pharmacy to collect my prescription. Its for HRT, high blood pressure medication and an asthma inhaler. The pharmacist as usual could not leave me in peace to deal with the assistant and had to butt in with the usual "do you pay for your medicine?" type questions. Fair enough, but I said quite quickly that I did, but she persisted, as if she thought I might have forgotten. Then as I was paying, she suggested I get a pre-payment certificate. I said thank you, but I couldn't be bothered. She persisted once more and said, somewhat patronisingly, that she would "just give me the leaflet to look over when I was at home anyway, so I could make up my mind". I told her that I would do it online if I wished to, but since I didn't and I don't get that much medication anyway, I wouldn't be bothering.
Appreciate she is trying to be helpful but it came across as patronising and interfering.
The prescription itself is a wonder. A couple of years ago, I was surprised to find that I had high blood pressure while suffering from a kidney stone. Medication was prescribed and after taking a minimal dose every day for 3 weeks, I passed out after suffering blurred vision and weakness for some days. Went back to the GP, blood pressure still high according to the readings in the surgery but when I take my own measurements at home it is consistently normal - low, and has been as low as 85 over 55. The reasons for this will be explained below.
My smear test last year. The nurse couldn't find my cervix, announced that it has shrunk as "this is common in ladies your age" and also told me that I could expect to suffer dryness.
Now, lest you think I am an aged pensioner with these experiences, I am not. I am in my late forties with a troublefree menopause, an active sex life and participate in a competitive endurance sport. I look young and fit, certainly more so than the health professionals dishing out this unwanted advice. The low blood pressure is typical for me after a race, when I'm relaxing in the evenings. If I took the medicine in the way originally prescribed, I would have suffered ill health. Thankfully the GP has suggested I take 1.25mg every second day and not at all if I have done particularly strenuous training that day. It took over a year, a change of requested GP, a letter to the surgery complaining and being talked down to by the original GP to get to this stage.
I used to live in another European country until 2 years ago and the contrast with expectations in the health service was stark. I find the NHS approach that I have experienced patronising and depressing in equal measure. Am I unreasonable?