NHS gynae have refused to see me.

[Mindovermatter45]

Hi,

The GP has wrote to me saying gynae (at an alternative hospital/trust) refuse to see me for a fibroid. They just need to change my HRT.
I not surprised as the surgery just wrote "perimenopausal female on HRT wishes to consult with you about fibroid" and that was it.

Is there anyone I can complain to about why the process for diagnosing peri and menopause seems so different up and down the country?

I forgot I've paid into Beneden Health for 2 years now - can I not ask the GP / surgery make a referral there? (accept they now don't carry out hysterectomy as an option)

I thought I'd complained to my GP surgery and the practise Manager but actually just see my email copied into patient notes.

I can book another private scan - but really.

I have history of blood in urine and frequent UTI's for as long as I've had this fibroid, all on my record can I not ask to go to Urology? Menopause clinic?

Should I go near PALS for the original hospital who put me under ga for hysteroscopy and chose to wake me up saying no fibroid? I did read somewhere the hysteroscopy machine only goes into the womb so won't pick up anything outside it. I'm so confused.

Sorry I'm so sad.

I would contact Benenden and ask what is required for a referral to a gynaecologist. Your GP surgery should give you a referral letter.

I had a fibroid that grew massively due to starting HRT. I was referred to gyni because it was causing pressure on my sciatic nerve. While waiting for gyni appointment I was diagnosed with breast cancer, had to come off HRT and by the time I saw the gyni the fibroid had shrunk back resolving the sciatic pain.

I also take Anastrazole which is being trialed as a treatment for fibroids. I’m afraid that HRT is not brilliant for fibroids, something they don’t warn you about and is glossed over by the evangelists.

The sciatica was debilitating for a good 18 months. And with the breast cancer I do regret taking HRT. I’m healthier now but have to take antispasmodics to prevent my sciatic nerve from flaring up.

Im now on a serious weight loss diet, 1stone down and two to go to further improve my back problem. Just losing a stone has improved my bladder control after years of excess pressure from my bulky uterus. Current practice is to avoid hysterectomy due to the complications and side effects it can lead to. Fibroids are benign and don’t pose a general risk. They shrink naturally post menopause because they are hormone dependent.

I get that they shrink and just what I'm hoping for but this could be years away. In the meanwhile I'm being pumped full of HRT with no blood test or any other medical sayso with a GP writing very little else. I did wonder how does a private scan or two get past an nhs department.

I've forwarded back to the original complaint lodged with the surgery reiterating my symptoms, asking that they give me antidepressants in treating me as the crazy one as I've reached that stage, this is sending me over the edge.

I just do not get how other parts of this country have full bloods done and test for every concevible little thing for every other condition before jumping straight to HRT. Yet here I'am battling them to look after an under active thyroid properly on occasion but couldn't be bothered to mention that in a referral. I cannot see that I've missed anything in the notes when the previous gynae ever gave the go-ahead for HRT.

If weight loss was the answer then why I am struggling 4 stone down, 3 years on.

I'd still ask GP to follow up on nhs refusal. Ask for a follow up letter to be written with a lot more info on why the referral is required.

Is fibroid causing you pain/massive blood loss during periods? I had some massive ones that grew when I was pregnant and then sort of shrunk again but were cause of pain and blood loss. Then no problems when entered menopause at age of c48. Apart from the pregnancy, not really any interest from NHS as I don't think they can do much - was offered hysterectomy aged about 44 (can't remember exactly as about 10 years ago) but didn't go through with it as concerned about not being able to remove through keyhole so major surgery.
Just re-read and think your concern is that frequent UTIs and blood in urine might be caused by fibroid?
Have you spoken to Benenden (although they might not help as poss classed as 'previous condition')?

Do you want surgery, instead?
Have you/GP previously tried the HRT adjustment being recommended?

Gynae has some of the worst wait lists in UK, it makes sense to try to speed up your treatment (GP can treat you now) rather than wait up to 18m to see the specialist when they might prescribe the same initial treatment.

If the regime change doesn't work, then you can ask to get the referral again, the delay this introduces is likely to be max a few months... which is small when existing wait lists are around 18m.

Yes it has caused massive symptoms, history of hpv that disappeared a year after testing, just the feeling there is a lump or something there, and I'm so sad I cannot be intimate with someone. I've paid out money for scans privately to which I'm getting really ignorant advice at 43 I can go and get pregnant no problemo to the other extreme they can see peri changes. Of course these private sonographers never commit to this in proper written text the last one told me only women after menopause get cysts oh my days that is not what I've come by on this forum, just insistence that there is a fibroid which at one time could easily have been missed by the nhs and this is ok.

I've had a male GP after the whole hysteroscopy say well dear you might still have a fibroid (even my Mum wanted to handbag him) beggers belief this report said if hormone treatment fails go to ablation - then another procedure - then hysterectomy.

I've brought the whole bundle of ladies products by that Yes co. but is it making things worse. Again a sexual health clinic who tried to help get the coil out commented you have vaginal atrophy but of course they've never put it in writing.

To me the peri card will just come out every time, need help with water infection or UTI, feel sore down below, have tummy ache, that'll be peri, peri, peri. Not one of these female GP's has come near me in examination or taking a urine dip I'm so sick of hearing peri and now I feel like a third class citizen. I've wrote it all out to Healthwatch Suffolk but there is such a history it is now so long-winded, it's banged on about how important a smear is, but actually when's women health is so ill treated that is a contradiction.

Really sorry I feel sore, got a banging headache from crying, I'm at a loss I've paid for the weight loss injections to help myself, got weight off and still the nhs refuse to see me.

I'm sorry I really will try and get happy as Mum wants and try see the good side they ain't going to get the chance to stick another coil in me.

I just really wants these periods to go after 33 years.

All Benenden needs to open a benefit claim with them is a referral letter from your GP, doesn’t have to be to Benenden specifically, to an NHS consultant is ok. And the number of weeks waiting list it would be, which for gynae will far surpass their requirements. they may want you to have diagnostics with them first before treatment. The list of CCSD codes they cover for treatment has reduced somewhat, but still worth having a go and seeing how far you get.

This probably isn’t what you want to hear, but you could be fighting this battle with the NHS for years. Women are treated as (less than) shit by GPs and gynaecology departments. After five years of being fobbed off, made to jump through hoops, and then finally put on an interminable waiting list (that would have been another 28 months, it turns out), I borrowed the money to have a hysterectomy privately. The relief (even recovering from abdominal surgery) was immediate. Throwing out my period products was literally the most joyful day of my life. I was also able to resume my career which, if I’d been left in the hands of the NHS, I’d have had to give up, so the expense was worth it.

You don't need blood tests for HRT over 45. It is symptom led.

I have a huge fibroid too. I was told that I need a coil in order to stop.the bleeding I was having. So I had one fitted and it stopped ( I had tried everything else, different doses of progesterone etc)

Benenden do offer hysterectomies- I had one with them last year. Push for a referral to one of their gynes and see what they say. They were excellent with me.