Sick of being dismissed because of pregnancy

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I'm so fed up with the healthcare system. Currently 35 weeks pregnant with my second, both pregnancies have been awful full of hg, heartburn, dizziness, headaches. Every time I tell my midwife she says speak to the gp and every time I speak to the gp they say speak to the midwife. Other than that I just get told all these things are normal in pregnancy and basically just heels like I'm being dismissed and complaining for nothing. I waited for an appointment with the dr for a week to get a telephone appointment where I was told to contact the midwife and that's it! I basically have to just suffer for the next 5 weeks like I have for the last 35. I'm so let down by the system. If I broke my leg they'd say pain is normal but here's painkillers, so why when your pregnant are you expected to just get on with it without any help!
Been upset this morning about it and dh just says it's pregnancy hormones which again just dismissed any feelings I have! Thoroughly sick of it!

But what actually can be done medically?

I get its hard going not feeling well, but what can really be done? I suffered with awful migraines when I was pregnant, plus heart burn, indigestion and back ache. I hated all 40+ weeks. But pregnancy causes symptoms, not all symptoms can be treated without causing more harm, and ultimately in a few weeks it will be over.

Plus the NHS is in such a state they could refer you (not sure to who or for what) and you would have given birth by the time you get anywhere near that appointment. Drink lots of water, rest when you can and eat small meals often. Your almost there!

I agree, healthcare in pregnancy is crap!! Had an awful time last pregnancy with my foot which was potentially broken/ very severe tendinitis. They wouldn’t scan it (even an ultrasound!) just gave me crutches and told me to go away. Once I’d had the baby they were much more helpful and sorted it out quite quickly! Not that that was much consolation for the previous 3 months suffering.

Sorry to hear you are having such a rubbish time. Are you on medication for the HG? Could the dizziness and headaches be a side effect of the medication? Have they done blood tests to rule out iron deficiency? Have they checked for pre-eclampsia?

I had truly shit care during my recent pregnancy. When I was struggling to walk and breath a GP told me I was clearly just anxious and I should Google mindfulness.

Turned out I was very, very anemic - but that was missed initially as my routine blood tests were screwed up three times.

IV iron sorted me out quickly, and I’m so angry that I was left to feel dreadful for months before this simple thing was done.

I strongly feel that I was dismissed several times as ‘just a pregnant woman with baby brain’ rather than anyone actually assessing me medically.

I think that even if there is not much medically that can be done, it's really hard not having your feelings validated when you've been feeling unwell for so long. It's a bit dehumanising, like you're not a real person any more, just a pregnant one.

I had dreadful heartburn and was prescribed omeprazole, which was literally life changing for the last 4 weeks so I would push the GP for that even if they can't do much about the other symptoms. And, as my lovely GP said to me, if you're 35 weeks now then, one way or another, by hook or by crook, in a maximum of 7 weeks time you will not be pregnant any more!

This. They can’t magic the problems away.

Have you actually googled usual treatments for your problems whilst pregnant and requested the solutions? Ie... I have x problem, I've read online that x medicine helps, can I have it please? If they are refusing, YANBU!! But if it's just that there are no pregnancy-safe treatments for your particular issues, what is it you want them to do?
I have to admit I've found them very quick to help out with anything they can actually solve, but if it's stuff they can't fix, I just get sympathy and told it'll go away after delivery. That's fine. If they don't have a solution, then that's that. Pregnancy is uncomfortable, painful, and tiring.

I had PUPPP all through my pregnancy. I wanted to tear my skin off my body. The cure? Giving birth....

It’s frustrating but what do you expect them to offer, medically? Unless you need a prescription I don’t really see why you need to talk to GP. Speak to pharmacist or look into home remedies.

Unless you need iron tablets or something they can prescribe I’m not sure what they can do anyway. Frustrating as it is, these symptoms are a normal part of pregnancy for a lot of people. Particularly as you had the same symptoms in your last pregnancy, you can be confident it’s the pregnancy causing it.

There are prescription drugs for heartburn that are safe in pregnancy, for one.

For my first pregnancy I had a male doctor. I had terrible constant heartburn that stopped me sleeping. He was like 'oh well, thats pregnancy'

For my second pregnancy I started to get bad heartburn and my female doctor immediately prescribed medication and I was completely fine for the rest of the pregnancy.

I remain furious that the male doctor just decided unilaterally it was fine for me to be uncomfortable just because I was a pregnant woman, without even telling me there was treatment.