Lynne

Jun 14 · Replied

Community post

Thank you Elizabeth, 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 14 · Posted

Right so I've got an appointment in two weeks and I always go in with the best intentions and then sit there and forget half of it because the GP is already typing before I've finished my first sentence. This time I've actually started a notes page on my phone. So far I've got: cycle dates for the last four months (all over the place), how heavy the heavy days actually are (trying to be specific rather than just saying "really bad"), and how wiped out I feel the week after. The fatigue is the bit I always skip because I feel like I'm moaning but honestly it's affecting work more than anything. So that's going on the list this time whether it feels dramatic or not. Anyone else find it helps to write it down before you go? x

Jun 14 · Posted

Ok so I've got a GP appointment in three weeks and I'm trying to actually go in prepared for once instead of just saying 'yeah it's quite heavy' and leaving with nothing. This week I'm writing down the days, how heavy (like, pad changes per hour on the bad days), and how wiped out I feel after the school run. Not glamorous but I figure if I can show a pattern rather than just describe a vague feeling she might take it more seriously?? Also wondering if anyone else tracked energy separately from the bleeding itself, like whether the exhaustion hits before or during. I genuinely can't tell at this point. Might start a little fatigue column. Will report back x

Jun 7 · Posted

Okay I know this sounds like a low bar but bear with me because for the past three months the school run has been an absolute ordeal. I've been flooding through every period, like genuinely having to double up and still not trusting it, and the anxiety about it happening in public has been exhausting in a way that's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been there. Carrying spare clothes in my bag like I'm twelve. Timing everything around whether I'm on a heavy day. Cancelling things. Saying I'm fine. This week my GP finally actually listened. I'd written things down beforehand, dates, how heavy, how long, what it was stopping me doing, and I think having it all on paper meant she couldn't just say "that sounds normal for your age" and move on. She's referred me and also ordered some bloods including iron levels which I've been wanting to ask about for ages because I am so tired I could cry, and actually I did cry a bit in the appointment, which was embarrassing but also probably useful evidence. I don't have answers yet. The referral will take time, I know that. But just being taken seriously felt like something shifted. So this morning I did the school run. Heavy day, still anxious, still had the spare stuff in my bag. But I went. And I got home and I sat down with a cup of tea and I thought: okay. Someone is looking into it. That's something. If you're tracking your cycle and your heavy days before a GP appointment, I think it genuinely made a difference for me. Not telling anyone what to do, just sharing what happened. Sending love to anyone in the thick of it right now x