Sixty Seventh Republic - under temporary guardianship

[Hercisback]

In the absence of staff and her fabulous thread titles and witty openers here is a 67th thread. The broom cupboard is overflowing so time for another Republic. Hopefully we hear from staff soon.

Stolen from thread 66.
'You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff only – a sort of room of requirement for school staff to let off steam.

Baiters, haters, goaders, and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are NOT staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

Do not give the staffroom password to non-staff as it attracts the wrong sort of crowd.

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes, and the ability to sniff out where the booze is stashed - Thirsty Tuesdays, Fizz Fridays now in operation.'

That’s awful. I was astonished at how good our specialist practice nurse was, even able (and willing) to refer me to the London clinic. Can you switch GPs?

There was no GP involved at that point. A GP just called me to talk to me about me wanting to increase oestrogen. Her English wasn't great and she was misinformed about available treatments eg. she thought that you could only use a gel for your vagina - err no I'm looking on the nhs page now and the gel is rubbed into your arms and very different to the 'cream' that is applied to the vagina just for dryness (not an issue not that I'd have much cause to know). She got very flustered then said she was going to talk to a pharmacist and call me back shortly.

Then the receptionist rings back on her behalf to say she needs more time to look into things and had asked her to tell me she will call me back on Thursday.

You'd think you were talking rocket science rather than hrt.

I'm happy with the patches but she seems to think you can't get higher dose on cyclical hrt - I asked could I not use gel to top up the estrogen whilst continuing with the cyclical patches or alternatively I could think about getting a mirena and then use oestrogen only patches. Her head exploded sometime around that point because she didn't have any knowledge and was trying to work it all out from a webpage presumably with a flow chart that didn't allow for deviations.

Just need a ffs! This on the phone business doesn't work because someone can say they or someone will call you back and then they don't and you've wasted a whole lot of time without any resolution and are back to square one. Sorry - been through a few loops of this circle for various issues during covid. Very much bored of it and can't see why a GP can't see someone and do a proper consultation and deal with all of the issues that have been left undealt with in over 18months of not seeing you.

eg. my thyroid levels are not right nor have they been for a while, need to get hrt working in a format and dose that actually deals with hot flushes, there was something wrong on my last blood tests but no receptionist or today's nurse is able to explain what it is and whether there's anything I should be doing etc. I just want my old GP back, the ability to book a double appointment and go sort it all out face to face and know it's done or underway. Not all this bloody switchboard circuit from hell talking to people who can't prescribe, can't read lab results and don't know anything about conditions or me.

Sorry - foot stamping and pointless but hoping venting will get it out.

Oh and I started suffering from asthma again in Feb/March of 2020 but have never seen anyone about it, no one has listened to my chest, no peak flow or anything just got prescribed inhalers over the phone.

I was really tolerant but at this point it just feels like a bit of a piss take that they're not really doing any proper routine patient care or management of long term conditions.

Right. Will sit on my hands and stop ranting.

That does sound very inadequate Honey. I’m sorry.

My BP is often 90/60, sometimes I have to be a bit careful when I stand up, too.

They used (some of) my question this morning although didn’t have the DPH on. Prof of Nursing tried to say community rates are probably as high as teen rates, they’re just not testing.

Noble helped me counter that by pointing to ONS figures which completely disprove that theory. I therefore emailed the presenter again, and will listen with interest tomorrow morning (possibly fruitlessly).

The roving reporter happened to be in a secondary at other end of the county (Sponne in Towcester) for a schoolboy chef feature, so they did have a good interview with the Head about current conditions in schools.

Oh well done Jan!
I am recently on HRT so available for any patches/gel queries probably knowing more than your GP Honey

SEN people-roughly how many behaviour incidents do you log a day, please?

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/oct/05/children-aged-12-to-15-may-not-get-covid-jab-by-half-term-in-england

Head in hands, piggy

You must know more than the GP Mistress. My patches have 50mcg of oestrogen for two weeks and then that plus some progesterone for the other two weeks (still have periods so have to have the progesterone). She claims you can't get higher doses of patches for sequential hrt - not sure if that is true, seems daft if it isn't but anyway... I thought if that's the case then continue with the patches which I'm tolerating well and add an oestrogen gel. From my research one pump of gel is about half the oestrogen dose of the patch so an effective increase of 25mcg a day.

This seems common sense to me but a) she didn't know the gel exists (only the vaginal cream which is just for local symptoms so not appropriate) and b) she seemed fixated that I'd have to switch to tablets if I wanted to increase dose which I said I didn't want to do as they are higher risk plus I don't tolerate progesterone in tablet form.

Have you ever heard of supplementing a patch with gel?

[quote Piggywaspushed]www.theguardian.com/education/2021/oct/05/children-aged-12-to-15-may-not-get-covid-jab-by-half-term-in-england[/quote]
We've already been told they won't be in our school till at least the end of November and we're apparently in the county where it is urgently needed due to soaring case rates in teenagers.

Guessing we'll see the vaccine team before the carbon monoxide detectors arrive though. No mention of them yet.

It’s a bit pointless supplementing HRT patches with gel as you’d get a better result with gel alone but adjusting the number of pumps.
You need progesterone as long as you have a uterus, not as long as you have periods. Progesterone stops the endometrium becoming too thick, which can lead to problems.

HoneyB I didn't tolerate the patches well, affected my skin. GP started to talk about tablets (no) and then a different GP suggested I stop taking it and go on antidepressants! Which is not what NICE recommend at all. I have now got gel every day and utrogestan tablets for two weeks out of four. I use two pumps but am thinking of increasing by one. I can't think of any reason why your plan would not work.

My progesterone comes via the Mirena, which is why I had mine replaced at the ridiculous age of 68. They won’t give me a hysterectomy.

I don't know when our kids will get their covid vaccines. I do know all the consent forms were sent out a couple of weeks ago and the deadline for them coming back in has passed. So if you missed the deadline you won't get your jab in the first day/week of jabs and will have to wait for a catch-up.

In other news, I had my flu jab at school today. Our friendly local pharmacists (who happen to also be parents of some of our kids), come in one day a year and set up in the conference room for lunchtime. Anyone who wants a flu jab can just turn up, fill in the voucher from the lea, and get a jab. It's really convenient, and I think every workplace should have vaccination day as an annual event.

I should clarify: if you take supplemental oestrogen, and you have a uterus, you need supplemental progesterone as well to prevent the endometrial layer building up with the associated cancer risk.

That's very helpful Born. I'm glad you're still getting it if it's helpful. I think mine is helping me, but would also benefit greatly from a holiday and a decent work life balance!

born you actually know more about HRT than a lot of GPs (I wish I was joking).

Women’s health isn’t a key priority for the NHS, it is utterly neglected.

Hope you get some decent treatment soon honey

Well that's annoying @MsAwesomeDragon - we can't use the LEA vouchers here because none of the pharmacies will take them

I'm sorryMrsH. That sounds crap. You need to investigate whether any of the kids have pharmacist parents who might be willing to do a similar vaccination day to ours. Surely it must be worth their while, as they do get paid by the lea for each jab they do. It might not be worth doing in dribs and drabs but a bulk lot in one go seems much more efficient. I love it!!

I'll have to enquire. I paid for mine last week but it would be a selfless thing to do for my colleagues 😂

This HRT chat is double Dutch to me. Why is it so complicated??

Cos it's a woman thing. If it was a bloke thing it would be simple, easy to get, and free.

If you are perimenopausal, or menopausal, and suffering with a combo of various symptoms, or have had your periods messed about, then HRT is great if you can take it.

Oestrogen - gel is the easiest/least hassle, but doesn't suit everyone.
Progesterone - I have the mirena coil too. Next time it's due for renewal, I'll stop because I won't need the birth control anymore.
Testosterone - I use a gel meant for men. Hasn't improved my libido much, but stops me aching as much as I used to.