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[Peacegirl]

Hi all, well I finally had my referral appointment (having gone through a whole range of horrible symptoms and side-effects and 3 different hrt regimes over the past year). I'm currently on femoston-Conti 1/5 and it has fixed my debilitating insomnia but now I feel a bit groggy all day, so I've dropped some of the doses out, there's no pleasing some people eh?
So the referral was to my local gynae not an hrt specialist as I'd thought and she was strongly anti-hrt. these were some of her unhelpful comments. Upon me asking if I'm now getting enough estrogen (I think its less than with the other meds I've had) and is it likely to fall again as this gives me horrible symptoms she said "i'm not even going to talk to you about changing your hrt its been changed far too much and your bodies probably flooded with estrogen as it is. She said my estrogen receptors have come to expect the estrogen (just call me an addict  ). She said within two minutes of me being there that "women should only ever be prescribed the lowest dose of hrt for the shortest time and you're already way beyond that". (I've been 6 years on prempak c, and then 5 months on evorel conti and sequi but changed back to prempak and Premarin because of hair loss and then had to drop that after 5 weeks due to quite extreme insomnia). She then said "your hrt's a mess, it's been changed far too much in the past 6 months, I'm referring you on" I asked about utrogestan and oestrogel and she refused to discuss it at all. I was in there 5 minutes at the most. Anyway despite this news, I was so assertive and that's how I'm not feeling totally shite now. My empowerment was from a crash-course and lots of support from here!  :)I respect her right to her opinion but she should own it As her own, oh and listening to her patients and crediting them with some intelligence might be a better approach. My referral will be to mr hillard in Poole. If anyone has had experience of him positive or not and could pm me, I'd be most grateful as I'm not sure I want to go down this 'expert' 'specialist' route any further. May just go back to the one hrt friendly gp in the practice and discuss it with him.

[Tinkerbell]

Sorry your appointment was rubbish!
I had a similar experience with a gynae referral for meno problems, I ended up going private and I have vowed if I ever need to be referred to gynaecology again I shall request another hospital. He was so condescending and obviously thought himself superior.

[Peacegirl]

Sorry your appointment was rubbish!
I had a similar experience with a gynae referral for meno problems, I ended up going private and I have vowed if I ever need to be referred to gynaecology again I shall request another hospital. He was so condescending and obviously thought himself superior.

God save us from superior medics!

[abbyH]

Surely the point is to find the regime that's right for *you* and the lowest possible dose for shortest time is not now in the NICE guidelines. I suppose she might have been trying to be helpful in suggesting you have a break from hormones to let your system settle, but I find this attitude completely bafflling. How can a gynae be 'anti' HRT? It's either safe enough to prescribe - in which case we should all have access to the right regime for us, or totally unsafe and therefore not an option (which obviously will never happen)  This kind of attitude does nothing to help women

[CLKD]

It is the 'attitude' that gets me.  Rather than explaining to the patient that although NICE guidelines have changed, "You may find stopping all HRT helpful in finding out where you are and how symptoms will react" a better approach. 

Another 'expert' to cross off the list and make sure that you let Dr Currie know  (send a snail mail letter maybe?).

Take a list to Mr Hillard?

[Peacegirl]

Surely the point is to find the regime that's right for *you* and the lowest possible dose for shortest time is not now in the NICE guidelines. I suppose she might have been trying to be helpful in suggesting you have a break from hormones to let your system settle, but I find this attitude completely bafflling. How can a gynae be 'anti' HRT? It's either safe enough to prescribe - in which case we should all have access to the right regime for us, or totally unsafe and therefore not an option (which obviously will never happen)  This kind of attitude does nothing to help women

Oddly, I don't disagree with her and I do plan to try and cut down again at some point, but I think it was telling when she asked 'have you ever thought about trying to ween yourself off them?' Anyway - pointless waste of my time but thanks for pointing me to the NICE guidelines. I'll inform myself a bit more! 😊

[Peacegirl]

It is the 'attitude' that gets me.  Rather than explaining to the patient that although NICE guidelines have changed, "You may find stopping all HRT helpful in finding out where you are and how symptoms will react" a better approach. 

Another 'expert' to cross off the list and make sure that you let Dr Currie know  (send a snail mail letter maybe?).

Take a list to Mr Hillard?

Yes, exactly! What kind of list do you mean.?

[CLKD]

Symptoms, sleeping pattern, food/mood diary ……..

[Peacegirl]

Symptoms, sleeping pattern, food/mood diary ……..

Ahh, yes, good idea thanks.

[Hurdity]

Sorry to hear your gynae appointment was no good Peacegirl - what awful things to say and from a specialist too. Sounds like the sort of thing my female GP would say ( the not nice one - there are two others!). Sorry can't help with the Poole clinic - that's my closest NHS one too but it's over 60miles from here and fortunately haven't needed one due to nice gynae GP

From reading the posts I CLKD was referring to two lists - the list of gynaes who are not sympathetic and are out of date, and a list of things you want to talk about eg your HRT history etc, how you reacted etc

CLKD - has Heather Currie asked to be informed about problem gynaes? If not, I'm not sure she has any jurisidiction over this sort of thing and perhaps would not welcome letters and messages naming and shaming. - I can see why we would want to compile a list - perhaps we can do one although might be subject to libel allegations!? 

peacegirl - yes do try your friendly GP in the meantime!

Hurdity x

[linz57]

I had the same experience a week ago peacegirl, a total waste of my time and so will now be sticking with my new and lovely GP. Good luck with yours!

[Peacegirl]

Thank you linz57 and hurdity. Poole is a huge trip for me too, so I will probably try nice GP- though it's extremely difficult to get an appointment with him. I am adjusting my attitude, expectations and self-talk too which we'll help stop me falling into despair. I.e 'it's difficult to get an appointment but I will keep trying' or 'the femoston Conti is making me drowsy but I can bear that for a while and see if it settles down'.

[samweller161]

I really think its worth spending the money and getting one appointment with a specialist (I found one on this site - it was in Kingston which is not far from me) and she was great, gave me a prescription and then the GP just followed it with repeats when it was found to be effective.  It's not the cheapes thing in the world, it wa £95 and it was 2 years ago nearly - but definitely worth it.  Good luck

[Mary G]

Peacegirl, I agree with samweller161, why not seek help privately if you don't get anywhere with your GP?  You might find it easier in the long run to find a menopause/HRT specialist who offers telephone consultations and who is willing to write to your GP with their recommended prescription - this would mean you could get all your medication on the NHS.  By the time you have travelled to Poole and taken time off work etc. it might not turn out to be prohibitively expensive.  You would need to have blood tests in advance which you could email prior to the consultation.

[CLKD]

If those who want to help ladies with menopausal problems are un-aware of the bad responses that patients get then how can the medical profession improve?

Libel?!? ……. how would anyone be sued, it is passing on information to Dr Currie who can quietly have words if words are required.  Otherwise women remain in the Dark Ages due to these types of GPs, Consultants etc..