Refused treatment

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So Gp finally diagnosed me with Premature ovarian insufficiency this morning but still won't prescribe HRT until she speaks with a specialist; who's on holiday at the moment. Apparently she's not 100% sure on what to prescribe so what I want to know is if I go to A & E or a walk in ( believe me this is a last resort ) will they give me treatment? I can't & wont suffer any longer. I'm really desperate and can't function anymore.

A&E doctors won't know what to prescribe.

No idea about walk in centres as they don't exist where I am.

You have not been refused treatment. Your GP is doing the responsible thing, finding out the best treatment for you by liaising with the specialist.

Hope you get it sorted and feel better soon

It's not an A and E problem. Do you have a menopause clinic near you?

I suspect the answer would be
the same as she hasn’t refused treatment - she is attempting to get you the best quality treatment hence why she is seeking advice
A and E would be completely inappropriate and a walk in would refer you back to your GP.

No I'm sorry but I don't agree. This isn't just about symptoms which by the way are absolutely horrendous and unbearable. The fact is I need the hormones now not in 2/3/4 weeks time. This diagnosis has been being put off for 3 years. My heart & bones are at serious risk. So yes I would say refused treatment; I bet no GP would put up with this for the amount of time I've been left to suffer.

You could always try sage tablets while you are waiting for a referral. I take Menoforce sage tablets from Boots.

We know you are angry (symptom of menopause) but what if the GP gave you the wrong medication.

Even if you got the medication, it takes ages to get into your system.

Try herbal medication, you can look online for tablets.

@takeitandleaveit do they help with hot flushes & anxiety? I'm desperate now. The Gp was all about giving me HRT then all of a sudden decided against it and now I'm being made to wait again. There is no point in living I've got no joy in anything my life has became completely empty.

OP, it's not an accident, and it's definitely not an 'emergency' either I'm afraid.

You've waited 3 years for a proper diagnosis (which is what the actual issue really is), and waiting another few weeks won't realistically make any difference to your 'heart and bones' .

I understand your frustration, but that doesn't mean it's ok to use valuable resources and time (neither of which the NHS has an abundance of), just because you're angry and frustrated. Though I understand 100% why you feel that way.

The best you can do is try to persuade your GP to phone the consultant's registrars, as they would likely be able to tell your GP what the 'usual' treatment drugs would be ? (But I'd suggest doing this by doing an e-consult if possible, as it's not an 'emergency' and other patients will rightly take 'priority' with your GP)

I understand how you feel, it took me 5 years to get HRT prescribed, but A&E can’t help you.
The GP hasn’t said no, just to clarify with the specialist, which seems the sensible thing to do.
can you find out when the specialist is back and phone them yourself?

I can understand why you’re not happy about this. It isn’t fair but could you pay for a private consultation? You could likely get booked in within a week or two, and will get an instant answer rather than waiting for a reply from the hospital.

Oh, and as an aside, menopause is something all us women will go through at some point, and although it's totally horrible and debilitating, it's not always possible to even use/tolerate HRT, so try not to pin all your hopes on it ?

Many women simply have to find other things to help them through like herbal remedies/ vitamins/ cold packs/ meditation/ yoga etc etc which can be a great help. (Can also be used alongside any medication if necessary)

It's shit. I've suffered for 10 yrs so far. ( That's something else no-one tells you, menopause can last for decades ! And even if you manage with HRT, they'll only prescribe it for a few years, then say it's 'contraindicated' to use it for too long !)

But fortunately, there's a huge amount of things you can try to help your symptoms ?

Ask other sufferers what they'd recommend. Join online forums etc to get moral support too.

@oobeedoobee Sorry I should of been more clear, I suffer with POI/POF I'm not 40 yet & have suffered for 3 years with this. That's why I put about my heart & bones being at serious risk. I only put it in the menopause section for honest answers. I will be on HRT for a long time until I reach 51 years old; I've already been told that.

I had/have POF - my cycle never came back after having my son. It took me two years to get started on HRT.

In the meantime, there are supplements that help, weight bearing exercise 4-5 times a week (proper heavy weights and really sweating) is essential for bone health and fitness, and I found helped with a lot of the other side effects too.

No caffeine, sugar, alcohol also really helps in terms of symptom management, even now I’m on HRT I have to be careful with them.

You haven't been refused treatment.

You've (correctly) been referred to a Consultant for expert assessment and advice.

@LaMariposa I do weights I also have a very strenuous job. I walk everywhere rather then taking transport. I take numerous supplements Vit D, calcium, mayo inositol, coq10, iron, evening primrose and nothing helps they did a few year back but now the flushes come closer together & last much longer, the night sweats are followed by chills. Because I'm not sleeping properly ( constant Interrupted sleep ) my anxiety is 100x worse. I can't function because of it. I've got hair loss but the hair on my face is getting really bad, migraines, low moods & mood swings. Libidos on the floor. I'm sick of living at this point.

I'm pretty sure that A&E will just refer you back to your GP.

I was at my local urgent care centre yesterday and was sitting near the desk where people were checking themselves in to be seen. Several said to the receptionist that they'd turned up because they either couldn't get through to their GP or couldn't get an appointment with their GP. They were triaged and their GP was contacted and an appointment made, if they were deemed to need one urgently. They were not treated at the UCC unless it was the appropriate place for them to be and I suspect A&E will just do the same.

See a GP privately? That would be a more appropriate use of resources than turning up at A&E with something that frankly is neither an accident nor an emergency.

I understand your frustration but as per pps, wait for advice.Your Great is doing their best by you.A private Gynae appointment with a specialist in this area would work but getting medication is not necessarily going to be any quicker than waiting for your gP to get advice and dispatch the prescription to your pharmacy of choice by the time they have assessed your results etc.A private GP appointment in this situation is probably not in your interests.You have had a GP appointment already and they have all your information, a private care GP is starting from scratch.

It’s absolutely not a long term solution, but I had a spell with Anti Ds which helped with insomnia, anxiety and hot flushes.

it doesn’t fix the hormones, which you should obviously keep pushing for, but may work as a temporary measure.

Something similar happened to me when I said I wanted to take HRT for various issues and the GP was struggling to prescribe because I had had a partial hysterectomy for endometriosis and adenomyosis.

First I was told to do a blood test, then I saw one GP who prescribed something that was not available in pharmacies, then I saw another GP who prescribed an alternative which was not the right type of HRT for me (just a local cream for dryness...), then a 3rd GP wanted advice from a consultant, after that I had an argument with the receptionist who thought I was booking too many appointments and then finally I had yet another consultation once a consultant had given advice to the GP and I was able to get the right prescription and start taking HRT.

Frankly most of these GPs seemed to know very little about menopause and what to prescribe.

I had to make an official complaint to the practice manager to finally get the right prescription and my final appointment. The whole saga took almost 3 months.

Although I would say it your case, like mine, is not straightforward I would wait for the consultant advice to be received so at least you can be reassured that you are being given the right treatment.

@Whitehorsegirl it's so frustrating isn't it, I've been backwards & forwards for months had every blood test going including thyroid, full blood count, kidney function literally everything.
It's like they've put off an official diagnosis of poi.
Originally telling me repeatedly that I had to have a day 3 blood test & 21 day test after I've told them time and time again I don't have periods. I obviously haven't gone to a&e or a Walk in centre ( I was just so angry ) that even after finally being diagnosed I still haven't been given treatment or offered any kind of prescription to ease any of the horrendous symptoms or been put at ease about the impact this could already potentially be putting on my bones & heart.
One blood test actually showed borderline calcium in my blood which had to be repeated. Thankfully I stopped the Vit d in between the repeated blood test and it was normal on the second; which just shows that pumping ourselves full of supplements doesn't necessarily help either.

@2bazookas sorry but no I haven't I'm not actually menopausal/in menopause. I have poi which every GP should be aware of.

@zafferana again sorry but this isn't a case of I can't get an appointment; if anything I spend far too much time at the surgery with repeated blood tests. I myself along with 2 GP's & 3 clinical practitioners have know for 3 years exactly what it was. So the GP surgery is wasting appointments if anything.