Tina

The log is the right call. Patterns over time are harder to dismiss than symptoms described from memory in a ten-minute slot. If you can note frequency and impact alongside the times, even better. Specific beats vague every time in my experience. Hope it goes well x

The phone log for the GP is exactly right. Dates, specific incidents, work impact. That framing tends to get taken more seriously than general fatigue complaints. I did the same before my appointment. Also 43 here, similar word-finding gaps. The briefing-yourself strategy is practical, not a red flag. x

Yes, I write examples down. Actual ones, with dates. Because in the room with the GP you forget half of it or it comes out as "I'm just a bit tired" and they nod and that's that. Specific examples land differently. "Lost a word mid-presentation, colleague had to step in" is not the same as forgetful. Keep jotting. x

Yes, bring the examples. Exactly what you've written here, the appraisal moment, the pre-meeting notes, the 3pm wall. I did this with my GP last year and it made a real difference to how seriously she took it. She said it helped her understand it wasn't just general tiredness. Write it down before you go so you don't have to find the words in the room. x

The notes app thing works. I did it for my last appointment, just bullet points. Got through things I would never have said otherwise. Take the phone in with you, nobody minds. Good luck x

I could have written this word for word. The 'the thing... the document' moment, yes. Constantly. I'm 43 and my GP said it could be early peri but also just... life. Hard to unpick. The tracking idea is exactly what I did before my last appointment. Wrote down when it happened, whether I'd slept, what I'd eaten. She actually took it seriously because I had something concrete to show her. Keep going with that. x

The Post-it in the pocket at 5pm. Yes. That is exactly it. I've started photographing my to-do list on my phone before I walk into anything important because at least then I have to actively ignore two things instead of one. The examples from work for your GP appointment is a really good idea. Concrete dates, concrete situations. They can't really wave that away. x

The notes are the right move. Dates and numbers. Bring them printed if you can, or just read them out. "My last six cycles were 24, 31, 28, 34, 26, 29 days" is not a complaint, it's a pattern. GPs respond to that differently. x

The phone notes are a good system. I do the same before GP appointments because I know I'll go blank. Your question about whether the research even applies to surgical cases is specific enough that a decent specialist should be able to answer it. Worth keeping it at the top of your list.

The cognitive diary is not type-A, it's sensible. I started doing something similar after I said 'the spreadsheet thing' in a budget meeting. Having specific examples with times and dates is exactly what a GP needs. 'I'm a bit tired' gets you nowhere. 'I lost the word threshold on Tuesday at 2pm in front of my line manager' is a different conversation. Keep going x

The list idea is really practical. I started doing something similar after I realised I couldn't remember what I'd been taking when, which made it impossible to know if anything had changed. Even just the name and a start date is something. Your food-first approach is probably more grounded than most of what's being sold on those shelves anyway.

The list for your GP is exactly the right move. I started doing that after I realised I couldn't remember what I'd mentioned at the last appointment. Vitamin D noted, date started, that's it. Simple. The protein angle is underrated and doesn't require a spreadsheet. x

Frozen fish fillets from Aldi, microwave rice pouch, frozen broccoli. Three ingredients, fifteen minutes, done. I keep both in the freezer at all times for exactly these nights. Protein sorted without thinking about it.

Worth keeping a note of specific incidents before your GP appointment. Not just 'brain fog' but the actual moments. Forgot a colleague's name mid-introduction, lost track of what I was saying in a presentation. That kind of thing. It helped me feel less like I was being vague about it.

Snap on the 3pm crash. I track mine in a notes app, just a quick entry when it happens. Took it to my GP with dates and it made the appointment much easier. "I forgot a word" sounds minor. A log showing it happens three or four times a week at specific times sounds like a pattern. That's worth bringing.

Yes, use work examples with the GP. I wrote mine down beforehand, specific incidents, dates where I could remember them. 'I blanked in a presentation to the board' is a clinical data point. 'A bit forgetful' gets you nowhere. The more concrete the better.

I track mine in a notes app too, date, situation, what I lost. Took it to my GP and it made a real difference to how seriously she took it. The word-finding gaps are the ones that scared me most because they're so visible at work. You're doing the right thing collecting examples. Don't let them put it down to stress without at least discussing whether hormones could be a factor.

The log is a good idea. I brought a written list to my GP and it changed the whole conversation. Dates, situations, specific examples. "I blanked on a colleague's name mid-sentence in a meeting" lands differently than "I feel foggy". Worth keeping it going until your appointment.

The notes doc thing. Yes. I started doing something similar, just a few bullet points before I open my mouth, and it genuinely helps me stay on the thread. Don't know if it's the fog or just how my brain works now but it works. Really glad you had a good meeting. Write it down and keep it x

The notes thing is exactly right. I did the same before my GP appointment. Specific dates, what I was trying to say, whether I'd slept. She took it more seriously than I expected, I think because it wasn't vague. It felt clinical rather than 'I'm a bit tired'. Worth keeping going with it. x

Yes, I keep a log. Started it about four months ago. Just a notes app on my phone, date and what happened. "Couldn't recall client name mid-sentence. Had met her three times." That kind of thing. It feels daft but when I read it back I can see a pattern and I think my GP will too. Yours sounds exactly like the right approach x

Slightly different experience here in that the breakfast thing didn't move the needle much for me on its own, but the tracking notes absolutely did. Seeing it written down made it feel less like I was making it up. Useful for appointments too. Good luck this week.

This is exactly what I started doing before my last GP appointment. Just a plain notes app, nothing fancy. Having something written down stopped me going blank in the room. The exercise link is interesting, I noticed the same thing but never had enough data to say anything useful. Good idea. x

The bit about waiting to feel better first really landed. I kept doing the same thing. Fourteen minutes on Thursday, finished it Saturday. That's a real pattern. The hip mobility before bed helped me too, mornings are noticeably less stiff. Worth keeping a note of what you notice each week, even just a line. Small data adds up.

The GP conversation is worth being direct about. I asked for thyroid, iron, fasting glucose and hormone levels and just said I'd noticed changes in energy and weight and wanted a baseline. Kept it factual. They took it seriously. Write it down before you go, otherwise you'll forget half of it in the room.

Lentils in the mince. Writing that down. I'm always looking for things that don't require me to explain myself at the dinner table.

The list approach is solid. I started noting specific incidents after someone mentioned it in a thread here a few weeks back and it made my GP appointment much more focused. Vague symptoms get a vague response. Concrete examples help. Hope it goes well.

I started keeping a notes app log after meetings. Just a line or two. Date, what happened, how bad. Three months of it and I had something concrete to show my GP instead of just saying "I feel foggy". Worth trying if you want to build that picture.

The notebook anchor system makes sense. I use a notes app on my phone for the same reason, one or two words per agenda item before any call. It reduces the recovery time when I lose the thread. For the GP appointment, I'd suggest writing down the work examples beforehand and handing the list over rather than trying to recall them in the room. x

43 here and yes, keeping a log. Started after I blanked on a colleague's name mid-email, someone I've worked with for three years. I write the date, what happened, what the situation was. Feels strange but I don't know how else to make it feel real to a GP who sees you for ten minutes.

There was a thread about this recently, the 'keep an eye on it' response. You're not alone. Worth asking if there's a GP at your practice with a specific interest in menopause, some surgeries have one and the difference can be significant.

44 is not too young. Peri can start in early 40s, sometimes earlier. Worth knowing that before your appointment. The log is a good idea. I kept a notes app entry for two weeks before my GP visit. Date, time, what happened, what the context was. It stopped me downplaying it in the room. GPs respond better to specifics than to 'I feel foggy'. Yours asked you to distinguish stress from hormones, which is a fair question but also not really your job to diagnose. You can just say: here is what is happening, here is the pattern.

I started doing something similar with tracking symptoms and timing. Not photos specifically but written notes with dates. It helped enormously when I finally got an appointment. The GP actually looked at it properly rather than just nodding. Worth doing. x

For the GP appointment, I'd write down three or four specific examples before you go. Date, situation, what happened. "I lost a word mid-presentation on Tuesday" is harder to dismiss than a general complaint. Mention the work impact directly. That's what got me a proper conversation rather than a leaflet.

The specific examples are worth taking. I brought a notes app screenshot to my GP appointment, dates and brief descriptions. Word-finding gaps, mid-sentence losses, forgetting what I'd walked into a room to do. She took it more seriously than the previous appointment where I just described feeling foggy. The work context seemed to help too, showing it was affecting function not just how I felt.

Yes to the list. I did this for my last appointment, wrote down dates and what happened each time, and it stopped me from just saying 'I'm a bit foggy sometimes' and then trailing off. The GP seemed to actually engage with it differently. The screen thing after 9pm helped me too, I felt a bit silly being strict about it but the difference was noticeable x

The sleep diary is a good move before a GP appointment. I'd also note the time, rough duration, and whether you woke from sleep or were already awake. That kind of detail tends to land better than a general description. And you're not being dramatic. Three to four nights a week is frequent enough to warrant proper investigation, not a brush-off.

Also, slightly different angle, someone mentioned in a thread recently about asking the GP specifically what was included in the hormone panel rather than just accepting "normal". Might be worth having that question ready when you go back. Not to be difficult, just so you actually know what was and wasn't checked. x

Snap. The word-finding thing in meetings is what got me tracking too. I started writing bullet points before every call and yes it feels like a workaround but it also means I don't just sit there going blank. Re the GP prep, yes, absolutely write it down with dates and specific examples. "I blanked in a meeting on Thursday" lands differently than "I feel foggy sometimes". x

The 'used to be fine, now I'm not' framing is solid. It gives a timeline. Much harder to fob off than a list of symptoms with no context. I'd also note if anything has affected work or concentration, if that's relevant. Hope it goes well x

Oh I could have written this. I'm only 43 but the word thing has been happening to me for about six months and it's mortifying in meetings. I said 'the spreadsheet... tracker... the excel one' last week. In front of my whole team. The list is a really good idea actually. I've been trying to describe it to my GP and it just sounds vague. Having dates and context might help. x

I went in with notes on my phone last year and it made a real difference. I also said at the start "I've got a few things I want to make sure we get to" which sort of set the tone. The one thing I'd add is don't minimise it in the room, we're all so trained to say "it's probably nothing" but it isn't nothing. Good luck x

That is not a small thing. That is exactly the thing. Well done. x

Snap. I started keeping a notes column in my tracking app for meetings specifically, just whether it went okay or not, and what I'd eaten beforehand. Three months in and the lunch thing keeps coming up. Not conclusive but it's something. Glad today was a good one.

Snap on the tracking thing. I started writing symptoms down for a different reason (brain fog at work) and the act of seeing it on paper was genuinely a bit of a shock. You don't realise how much you're minimising until the numbers are in front of you. Good luck with the appointment.

Just wanted to say this is a good place to put it. There was a thread a little while back about finding the words for this kind of thing before a GP visit and a few people said having even a rough list on their phone made a real difference. You're not alone in finding it hard to name. x

Good thinking to note the examples before the appointment. I did the same last year, specific incidents, dates where I could, what I was doing at the time. It made the conversation with my GP much easier than just describing a general feeling. Worth keeping the notes somewhere you'll actually find them before you go in.

The questions list is a good move. Appointments are short. Having it written means you won't forget the one thing you actually went in for. There was a thread a little while back about getting the most out of GP bone health appointments, worth a search if you haven't seen it.

Notes are completely normal. I bring mine every time now. One thing I found useful: I wrote down how the tiredness was affecting specific tasks at work, not just that I was tired. Made it feel more concrete. Your list is already good.

Just popping back to say thank you, especially Polly. I read all of these with a cup of tea and had a little cry, in a good way. This community is such a relief sometimes.

Protein breakfast making a difference to the mid-morning slump, yes, I've noticed the same. Eggs before work has genuinely helped me function better before 11am. On the GP thing, I've found being really specific about work and daily impact helps. Not just 'I'm tired' but 'I've been waking at 3am most nights for eight weeks and I can't concentrate at work the next day'. Concrete and consistent. Good luck, hope you get somewhere. x

Thank you Steph, 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.

Not dramatic at all. I started keeping a note on my phone of specific incidents, dates and what happened, partly to prove to myself it was real and partly to show my GP. The 2-3pm wall is very familiar. Protein at lunch does seem to take the edge off slightly for me too. x

The scripting thing. Yes. I do exactly this before any meeting that matters and it takes so long and I resent every minute of it. On the GP question, I wrote down three specific work examples before my appointment, things like the word-finding gaps and blanking mid-sentence, and framing it as 'this is affecting my job' rather than 'I feel foggy' seemed to land differently. Worth trying that angle.

The inconsistency was the clue for me too. Fog on calm days, sharp on chaotic ones. Burnout doesn't really work like that in my experience. I started noting it down, just a quick line at the end of the day, and took that pattern to my GP. Having actual examples helped. x

Yes to all of this. The anxiety I used to feel at 6pm just trying to figure out dinner was disproportionate and I didn't understand why until I started thinking about how much I'd already used up by then. Roasted veg tray is my staple too. x

Snap. I had a really clean week, no alcohol, proper meals, daily steps logged and all. Half a pound up. My GP just says "keep going" which is not helpful. It genuinely feels like the rules changed overnight and nobody told us x

The week five shift is consistent with what I experienced too. The first few weeks on a new delivery method are not representative. Writing down the afternoon flashes before the appointment is worth doing, even just time and duration.

I kept it functional. Told my manager I was having some difficulty with sustained focus and asked whether we could structure check-ins differently for a while. No cause given. She did not ask. That framing seemed to keep it in the category of workload management rather than anything medical.

I tried it for about six weeks. Sleep didn't shift much for me but I was also dealing with a bad anxiety patch at the time, so hard to say. I kept it going because the cost is low, as you say. Still taking it now out of habit more than conviction.