HRT: The Never ending Story

It's been a few months since I last wrote about my HRT journey and at the time I'd been told, quite firmly, to stop the HRT gel as a result of ongoing and progressively worse migraines. I'd been referred for some blood tests and had a telephone appointment booked in (only a six week wait!) to discuss next steps.

I'm not going to lie, I am not the biggest fan of blood tests as anyone who has ever accompanied me or has had the joy of taken them would confirm!

Somehow I hit the jackpot and saw a nurse who appears to have the ability of taking blood without the patient feeling a thing! I was genuinely shocked when she told me it was all done and, for the first time, did not experience any dizziness or hot flush immediately afterwards. If all medical appointments could be so smooth, right?

The blood tests were all normal - and so easy to access with the NHS app. I didn't understand any of the medical terms for each blood test, which was fine when they were all fine, but I do still wish information like this could be provided in a way that we can all make sense of. One thing at a time though Rachel!

Solutions with Sal!

It was a frustratingly long wait to speak to Sal, and there were times where I questioned whether to keep waiting or to seek alternative support. But I managed to avoid letting my impatience get the better of me and stuck to the plan.

Now I had some serious reservations about having a telephone appointment, I prefer medical appointments to be face to face and was worried that my needs would not be met via a short phone call. I need not have worried, and if I'd really thought about it, all my previous interactions with Sal had been extremely positive so why would this be any different?

We did initially grapple with the battle I am sure you have all faced that led to a rapid volley of 'can you hear me?', 'are you there?' - this went on for what felt like an eternity but more accurately a few minutes, just enough to get my anxiety levels up albeit we did eventually bring the call back on track, thankfully without the need for either of us to stand awkwardly, head against the window, in an attempt to maintain the phone signal.

Sal has a skill that should be a given but is so often absent when seeking medical support. She listens. Really listens. I was able to share my story, explain the issues, my current situation and the support I was looking for. And while she provided verbal signs that she was listening, she allowed me to have my say. That felt good, I felt truly engaged with right from the start, despite us only being connected via phone.

Obviously listening is great but I was really looking for solutions. Sal, as I fully expected, did have some answers - which resulted in mixed feelings as she immediately told me she did not understand why I was told to stop with the HRT, quickly dismissing suggestion made to me that this was the cause of the migraines. She went so far as to say some neurologists prescribe oestrogen to help with migraines.

This left me feeling somewhat frustrated and confused. Why had I been without the HRT for several weeks for no reason? Why am I getting such a mixed bag of messages? I have no doubt that you or at least someone you know will have had a very similar experience!

However, I also felt relieved to be making progress and with my faith in Sal still fully in tact, I asked the question that I had needed an answer to for quite some time: What now?

Sal was very quick in her response - with HRT fully back on the table, she was absolutely sure this was what I needed BUT not the gel. She explained that with the gel it was like taking a daily shot of oestrogen, whereas patches would provide a gradual and ongoing release of oestrogen which she felt would help manage my symptoms - particularly the migraines and brain fog - far better.

I agreed to give them ago so we went for a three month supply on a fairly low dose to begin with. She even told me what days to change them - and to attach firmly to my derriere!

You have all heard the term 'no question is a stupid question' - but if you are like me, still think my question is a stupid one! And I certainly felt that way when I raised my concern about it floating away in the sea or swimming pool. She has clearly been asked this question before and had a great top tip: buy tattoo cover (looks and sounds a bit like clingfilm!) and put this over the patch when going swimming and this should keep it firmly in place!

I did get a bit emotional during the call, I think it was the fact that I truly believed the person I was talking to understood, had listened, knew what she was gtalking about and was going to help me. She allowed me to be emotional, didn't make me feel embarrassed at all.

The Post-call Support

Within minutes of the call ending, my mobile phone pinged to inform me of incoming messages. Not one of those many marketing text messages I seem to have invading my inbox on a daily basis, but messages from Sal.

The first was simply confirming the Evorel25 patches I had been prescribed, but quickly followed by a direct link for me to get the pre-payment certificate for the HRT (if you are UK based and looking for it, just click here) and links to some useful information and websites about managing migraines - just showing that while the appointment had ended and Sal could have quickly moved on to the next person, she spent the time to make sure I had everything I needed to progress forward with the right support in place and available. We all need a Sal!

So what?

That's all well and good I hear you cry, but are you feeling any better? Is the HRT doing its thing?

Well I am now into my second month on the patches and there's some good and some less so good news. Let's start with the good - I have not had a single migraine since starting on the patches, and as they were coming in thick and fast I am taking this as a BIG win! While I still get some light bleeding and cramping, it is less than when I was on the gel and during that gap in HRT treatment, so again good news.

For less so good is that many of the other symptoms show no signs of abating - the brain fog is awful, my skin is ridiculously dry, my anxiety is pretty bad and my sleep is a bit up & down. So I really need to try to tackle this.

What am I doing about it? Well, am starting to revisit the supplements that I paused with a gradual reintroduction to see if they really go make a difference. First up are the Omega-3 gummies for the brain fog and Magnesium tablets to try to help with sleep and anxiety.

The skin is the hard one. I have tried so, so many creams and there is only so much you can keep spending! So I am continuing to use the Elizabeth Arden one at the moment but if you are reading this and have any suggestions please do let me know as I am in an ongoing and desperate search to find something that might help.

Alongside the supplements, I will be getting a message over to the surgery before the 3 month prescription is up to see whether a higher dose could help with the persistent symptoms or whether I should be sticking with the current prescription for now... I'll let you know what the outcome is in a future blog post.

And finally before I go....

1: The patches remained firmly in place during my early 50th birthday celebration girls weekend to Malta - so that's a win!

2: Patch removal = sticky residue (like what those cheap school plasters left behind) - this is a major fail. Eye makeup remover is my tip for this! Have you found your solution? Let me know!

On that note, sticky residue and all, I'm off to make dinner!

Until next time

Rachel x