I've been putting off making this appointment for about three months now because every time I sit down to think about what I'd actually say, I end up going blank or convincing myself it's nothing. Like, what am I going to tell her? That I'm tired? That I'm a bit anxious? That my periods are a bit weird? She's going to look at me and say I have two children and a full-time job and ask if I've tried getting more sleep. Which, yes, I have thought of that, thank you. But I finally started writing things down properly this week. Not just a list in my head that dissolves the moment I walk into the surgery, but an actual notes page. And honestly, seeing it all written out in one place was a bit of a moment. It's longer than I expected. Cycles that have gone from 28 days to anywhere between 22 and 35 over the past year and a half. The sleep thing, which I kept dismissing as stress but has been going on longer than any particular stressful period. The anxiety that arrives at about 3am for no reason I can identify. The brain fog that made me re-read the same paragraph four times last Tuesday and then just give up. The hot flushes I kept calling 'feeling warm' because I thought I was too young for hot flushes at 44. A few other things I've written down and then nearly deleted because they feel embarrassing, but I've kept them in because I read somewhere that the things you skip are sometimes the most useful ones to mention. I'm also trying to think about what I actually want from the appointment, which I've never done before. I usually just go in and answer questions and come out with whatever I'm given. But I want to ask about bloodwork. I want to ask whether what I'm describing fits a pattern she recognises. I want to ask what would change if it were perimenopause versus if it were something else. I want to not feel fobbed off. I'm not going in demanding anything. I just want to have a conversation where I don't forget half of it the moment I sit down, and where I don't minimise everything because I'm worried about wasting her time. Has anyone else done this? Made a proper list before a GP appointment about this stuff? Did it help? Did you actually hand it over or just use it as a prompt? I'm genuinely unsure whether to print it out or just glance at my phone. I don't want to look like I've self-diagnosed off the internet, even though I absolutely have spent several evenings doing exactly that. x