I'm 53 and in menopause. In March this year I thought I was handling it ok then as lock-down started to ease I realised that I couldn't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep, woke up not aching or had a day when I hadn't shouted (or cried) at my son, not to mention that fact that most days I can't remember my name or what day it is. Two years ago I had the HRT conversation with a doctor at my surgery and told her of the problems I was having and we discussed the options of HRT and decided that patches were what I wanted. She couldn't presecribe them as she couldn't find anywhere that had stock so she prescribed pills instead. I took them home put them in my bathroom and cried. I didn't want pills. We decided on patches. It had taken every once of energy to make the appointment in the first place and now I had something I didn't want.
I never took the pills and subsequently the world found COVID.
So to March and I telephoned the GP surgery and asked to speak to someone about menopause and this time spoke to a nurse practitioner. I explained what had happened, how I didn't want the pills and how the moods, aches, brain fog, night sweats and other symptoms had got worse and how I wanted patches. She was amazing, she prescribed (once I'd had a blood pressure check) and I got Evorel Conti 50 patches which have been great for my night sweats, they've gone completely! I now sleep through the night again which helps with my mood and my life in general.I still have the aches and the brain fog and mood swings though (not as extreme) and so my question to anyone else with this treatment is:
When I talk to the nurse in a couple of weeks time at my follow up should I be asking for the levels to be changed? Should I have stronger/weaker patches? Does anyone else have a similar story?
Feel free to share.
Thanks