Hi Dandelion - oh dear, you are in a bad way!!
Your GP practise should be able to give you a double appointment if you ask - this is often necessary when there is a need for discussion.
I don't think you are quite understanding about what I am trying to tell you about the different HRT types. You are on a good dose of oestrogen with Femoston but the patches may not give you any more relief from the flushes or sweats as you will probably be getting the same about of oestrogen. What will be different will be the progesterone(norethisterone) which could give you problems with PMT type symptoms.
You have become convinced that Utrogestan (micronised progesterone) will solve your problems when in fact it won't make any difference to your sweats and flushes. Utrogestan would be a good idea if you were getting bad side effects from the progesterone in Femoston but you are not.
You need to find out why you are constantly sweating and still so anxious despite being on HRT. I believe there are other reasons.
Writing everything down and maybe printing off the stuff from this site and highlighting the section you would like them to read, actually saves time when visiting the doctor as they can quickly read through your concerns and questions and answer them in order of priority - I find it makes the best use of the time and the appointment goes much better.
Count how many flushes you have in a day - or are you simply too hot all the time?
How many times do you wake in the night as a result of a flush or sweat - or are you simply too hot all the time? If you are seriously sleep deprived this will be making you more anxious and tired - solutions to this need to be discussed.
You are on a good HRT that is not giving you side effects. Increasing your dose may actually give more problems at this stage. I think it would be reasonable to ask to test your hormone levels to see whether the HRT is working. If your Oestrogen level is still low then this would indicate it is not enough. At the same time the blood tests can look at other things that could be the cause of the sweating.
I think you should simply ask to have your hormone levels checked to try and understand why you are still sweating. If you need more oestrogen because your levels are still too low then they can tackle this in a different way - with possibly Oestrogel or oestrogen patches together with a Mirena or Utrogestan.
Print off this page and highlight the section about Utrogestan:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php
- your doctor can read about it in their own time if need be and get back to you if they feel it would be something that would be appropriate for you.
Ultimately GPs are responsible for your health and wellbeing and whilst we can ask for certain drugs /medications, any doctor has to be confident it is the right thing for their patient. If you can be referred to a meno clinic or gynae for further advice that may also be a good option. Blood tests first though.
I hope that helps. Dg x
Hi DG Sorry this is a long one, but I need to get it out, I have had failure at the doctors regarding hrt.
I went and spoke to a different GP today, she was very thorough.
She did give me extra time.
She says that I am not allowed any more oestrogen as it is unsafe over 2mg.
She did check this with another doctor also, so I cannot fault her for not being thorough.
I said that I just cannnot go on with the flushes and sweats anymore so I may consider buying my hormones privately out of my DLA.
Since menopause, my mood has also been horrible. Before menopause, I did have mental health challenges, but I also used to enjoy good moods some of the time.
Menopause took that away from me.
I don't really know what to do now.
I cannot go on with uneffective femoston 2mg and I cannot go without hrt cos without femoston it would be even worse, but I need something to take away these flushes, sweats and meno induced low permanent mood.
This new doctor looked in her book to see if micronised progesterone was there, and it wasn't. My other main GP also looked for it under utrogestan and it wasn't there, so, as far as my surgery is concerned utrogestan aks micronised progesterone does not exist.
The doctor also noted that I suffer from migraine auras from time to time and that put her off too.
Will not having enough oestrogen put me at risk of heart disease and osteoporosis?
I'd go to the private clinic, in bristol which will cost me loads to get to on public transport. It costs £84 for an initial visit, I think, but if I need follow ups I will have to pay more. This is the nearest meno clinic to me. I would have a train and possibley 2 buses to get there.
I'm hot most of the time and if I exert myself slightly, i.e, walk slowly to the shop, 5 mins away, I end up drenched in sweat.
I sleep with a fan on and the heat does wake me up, so I get around six hours of sleep a night. I wake up sweating but if I didn't have the fan on, I would wake up soaked.
I live near some trees and a field, and I get a lot of wildlife around. I have always loved listenig to the wildlife and the owls while laid in bed, but the noise of the fan drowns out the sounds of nature by night. Listening to the wildlife was something that I did for my mental health also, because I find it very healing to listen to nature before I sleep, but I feel deprived of that, as I get too hot and need a fan.
I've got an apointment with my own GP on the 9th October.
Whenever I have brought print-outs in, even if I have highlighted the main text, my doctor just switches off. I used to be addicted to valium, doctors wean people off too quick causing more troubles, I brought printouts from a professor and psychiatrist who devised a slow weaning off, but my doctor said she had no time to read the prints.
I am well off valium now, luckily, my GP did give me the time to taper slowly, so I got off on 0mg with no post withdrawals thanks to the GP co-operation.
I cant complain about the doctor today, she is just doing the best she knows, but she is going on out of date information, saying the oestrogen is risky. She did take more time. She was a trainee, but she did better than some of the established GP's cos she was thorough.
As most if not all women do well on the max dose of oestrogen 2mg, I am also beginning to wonder if my sweating and flushes are a result of another medical problem.
I might go and ask my GP for a thyroid test, althogh I did have one.
Since menopause, I have gained a few stone. I look well on it, but it is weight gain, and it, together with sweating flushes is a symptom of something.
I know hyper-thyroidism is weight loss though, so maybe not thyroud.
I am just guessing at the moment, and suffering really badly, not knowing why 2mg oestrogen is not helping me like it does other women.
Now that my doctors have nothing, hormone wise to give me, due to the risks they perceive, I dunno if there is any point having another blood hormone level test, as they are unreliable anyway, but I await the advice of this site.
To be honest, I feel a bit too intimidated to go back and talk about my sweating and flushes and I feel even more scared to say I am not getting enough oestrogen. I am only peri so I find it hard to believe that 2mg is not enough.