Disappointing menopause appointment

[SpamhappyTootsie]

I follow the threads on here and I thought I was all prepared for an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner this morning (my first).
Had the usual gatekeeping oh you need a smear…..hmm, you haven’t had your bloods done for a while……blood pressure a bit high, buy a monitor to use at home and come back in a week or so
She would not listen to anything I said so now I’m a menopausal sobbing mess at home because I can see my 50s just vanishing in a fog of forgetfulness and joint pain. I’ve already turned down a fantastic job because of my energy levels. I have to choose what social and leisure activities I do because of the joint pain and fatigue.

Give me a kick up the arse, please. I’ve just spent £62 on a blood pressure monitor so I can play along with her stupid game, but I feel like next time I go there will be some other hoop to jump through.
Do I go private? Change GP ? How to combat the White Coat Hypertension because if HRT is riding on some magic number in her office then how will I ever get past that? HRT is proven to lower blood pressure ffs!

Can you afford private?

Our local GPs is running a private menopause clinic on the side. You could get an appointment within days, if you can afford it id do that for my sanity.

Go and get your bloods done anyway might be useful to see your ferritin and thyroid readings.

Send back the £62 BP monitor, mine was £15 off amazon and does the job!

And I'm so sorry your app was shit.

You could try ringing back today and explaining how you feel to the receptionist.

Yes, I would be able to afford private. And if my blood pressure is high then that does need addressing, I know. But I would prefer to do that via exercise, which is getting increasingly more difficult the tireder and more achey I get. I used to run and go on 10 mile hikes.

Try magnesium supplements. Takes a while to kick in but does wonders for your energy levels

Make another appointment, take your BP when you wake up and haven't started your day, in bed if possible. Record this morning and evening and you'll get an average. My BP goes sky high in a clinical setting.
Go back asap with these and a firmer approach, you have these symptoms and you need support as you're going down hill fast. Have you done a POAS menopausal test? You get these on Amazon.
Good luck and don't let them fob you off.

Ironically, I phoned last week to ask if there was a GP who specializes in menopause and the receptionist was absolutely lovely, recommended the Nurse Practitioner instead. I went in with such high hopes. Not of a miracle cure, but just of someone listening to me and not dismissing me.
The smear test thing was the trigger for the hypertension, I think. I have PTSD from a traumatic birth, so they are extremely difficult for me. She brought that up first, and said she couldn’t proceed with HRT until I’d had one.

So she wants you to have a smear and make sure your BP is ok, then she will discuss HRT? Hmm, any GPs on here confirm/deny whether that’s protocol?

I started quoting NICE guidelines and they got the idea. I think now you've got a bp reading, write down all the symptoms and don't let them fob you off and maybetry and lead the conversation... "I'd like to leave with a clear treatment path for menopause because I've had symptoms for x months years etc now. I'm thinking HRT but unsure what might be the right combibation for me". They're going to ask aboit bloods, weight, family history so just be ready to remove those barriers from moving th le convo onwards. I channelled my meno rage into efficiency... good luck.

I will get some magnesium, thank you. I take VitD, joint supplement and a probiotic, but I can add that.

Will look into the POAS test, thank you. I did tell her how dreadful I’ve been feeling over the last year or so, but she didn’t seem to listen. She actually said “well, you’ve been waiting a while to make this appointment so you can wait a bit longer until you’ve had a smear and we’ve looked into your blood pressure “
I am still having regular periods, although they have changed a lot in the past couple of years (intensely painful, flooding for the first couple of days) so I wonder if she dismissed my symptoms because of that?

I think it's pretty standard to make sure your BP is ok before prescribing HRT. Send your monitor back and get a cheaper one, take 4 days of reasons at home 4x a day and make another appt.

I agree that they need to get your Bp sorted first

The smear thing isn't right at all, that is a separate issue and you shouldn't feel bullied into having one if you don't wish. You can get an HPV test from Superdrug and do it at home .

To be fair she was doing her job but I would ask to have an apt with the menopause specialist GP in the practice.

If you have high blood pressure or even if you’re taking medicines to lower your blood pressure, you can still take HRT.

channelled my meno rage into efficiency.
Yep. That’s where I’m heading!

Honestly though, I went in with a clear plan, notes so I didn’t forget anything, including steps I’m taking to safeguard my own health etc. NICE guidelines firmly in my head. Nope. She wasn’t having any of it, once I said no to a smear.

I specifically asked if I could do that and she said the results wouldn’t be acceptable.

My bp went up when I went on HRT so I had to go on beta blockers as well.

The nurse practitioner has an obligation to get your bp down before they offer you other treatments. A friend of mine had to wait 6 months before they would allow her to go on HRT because her bp was high and they needed to get it sorted first.
Also I agree with others my bp machine was £20 on Amazon it's absolutely great at doing what it needs to.

Acceptable for what? That's ridiculous, shears are by invitation, you can decline.

Surely you only need smear if it's time for your 3-yearly one? And if so, they ought to have called you anyway through the national screening programme.
why did she ask you now?

Taking your BP is normal BUT the modern types of hrt don't raise BP- it's not like The Pill which many drs don't seem to 'get'.

I know it's hard when you're put on the spot, but you have had good advice upthread, about going in for another appt and stating what you want.

Wanted to add you will get there op. Get your bp sorted and a smear done then HRT will be next. It will make a huge difference to your complaints.

I totally get that, cushioncovers but I’m locked in a Catch 22 situation with the blood pressure. Can’t lower it with diet and exercise because of menopause, not allowed HRT until it’s lowered. And I would prefer to do it without blood pressure medication.

I’m just so tired and hopeless about it all. So much I want to do but so very exhausted.

There seems to be this 'thing' in the NHS that for some reason smears have to part of screening before HRT. It's nonsense. HRT doesn't affect cervical changes AFAIK. They are 2 separate medical issues.

You have a smear when you want one/ need one.

I only have high BP when in a GP situation. Get the monitor, take the readings to reassure yourself.

Then go private if you can afford it. You'll get a 45 minute appt, be taken seriously and you'll get the HRT you need. It will change your life.

What is your BP? How high is high?
It should be under 120/80

Take it twice a day at home.
You can take it 3 times each time (leave about 5 mins between each reading) and use the lowest reading as your record.

So she’s not giving you HRT because you refused a smear ?