Lauren

Jun 19 · Posted

Got a follow-up GP appointment in two weeks and I'm actually writing stuff down this time instead of walking in and saying 'yeah I think things are a bit better' when honestly I'm not sure they are. So I've got a notes page going. Sleep first because that's the one I can actually measure, sort of. I've been logging wake-ups on my phone and there's definitely a pattern around certain nights of the week which I think is connected to work stress but I want to show her rather than just say it. Hot flushes, I'm writing down rough frequency. Not obsessively, just morning and evening check-ins with myself. Mood is the hard one to put into words. I'm trying to write 'low and snappy by Thursday' rather than just 'mood bad' because that's actually more useful I think. And then the things that have genuinely improved, because I don't want to go in and only talk about what's still hard. Energy in the mornings is better than it was eight weeks ago. I'm noting that. I've also written one question I actually want answered and I'm going to say it even if it feels awkward. Last time I ran out of nerve at the end and just nodded along. Not doing that again. Anyone else find that writing it down before you go in makes the appointment feel less like a test you might fail?? x

Jun 16 · Posted

Has anyone else noticed sleep improving before the hot flushes settle? Asking because mine has and I don't want to jinx it 🤞

Jun 13 · Replied

Community post

Thank you Elaine, and everyone who replied. This is exactly why I posted. Reading these has made me feel much less ridiculous, and I am adding a few notes before my next appointment.

Jun 13 · Posted

ok so I said I wasn't going to post until I had something actually useful to say and I'm still not sure I do but here goes I've had a better week. Not a perfect week, not a fixed week, just. better. and I want to write it down somewhere before I convince myself it didn't happen. Background for anyone who doesn't know me: I've been on HRT for about four months now, still finding the right balance with my GP, and about eight weeks ago I started being more deliberate about food and movement. Not a programme, not a plan with a name, just trying to eat something with actual protein before 9am and get outside for even ten minutes after lunch. That's it. That's the whole thing. This week I slept through three nights in a row. THREE. I haven't done that since probably 2022. The hot flushes are still there but they felt less violent somehow, like my body was doing them at a lower volume. Mood has been steadier. I didn't cry in the Tesco car park which is basically a personal best at this point 😂 I'm not saying any of this caused anything. I genuinely don't know. It could be the HRT finally settling, could be the sleep helping the mood helping everything else, could be that the weather was nicer and I was outside more. I'm keeping notes because I want to be able to tell my GP what's actually changed when I go back in six weeks. What I do know is that eight weeks ago I was frightened. Like properly frightened that I was just going to feel like this forever. And I want anyone who's in that place right now to know that things can shift. I don't know when or how for you, I really don't. But they can. Anyway. Logging it here. Back to my slightly cooler, slightly less chaotic life 🤞 x

Jun 10 · Replied

Community post

Thank you Bridget, and everyone who replied. This is exactly why I posted. Reading these has made me feel much less ridiculous, and I am adding a few notes before my next appointment.

Jun 10 · Posted

Right so the cooling pillow adverts are absolutely following me around the internet now and I'm this close to caving. I've been doing better generally but the night flushes are still the last thing clinging on and I'm so bored of the pillow flip routine at 3am. Has anyone actually bought one and used it past the first week? I want real opinions, not the Amazon reviews that sound like they were written by robots. UK stockists especially useful as I don't want to wait three weeks for shipping when I'm already sleep deprived 😂 x