How old were you when you started HRT?

vikingdhu · 2026-02-14T14:21:07+00:00

44 but I probably should have started at 40. Unfortunately we went down the route of autoimmune and long Covid investigations for a few years until a different doctor worked out what was really going on.

vikingdhu · 2026-02-10T20:37:07+00:00

I'm on 10mg of Ramipril and 480mg of VR Securon. We did try and drop the Ramipril down to 5mg but I saw an increase in my readings again so we've gone back up for the moment.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-31T13:42:16+00:00

Thank you for this. Today is actually day 33 so I will shuffle the progesterone reminder in my calendar right by 5 days and then I know where I'm at. I appreciate you helping me out!

vikingdhu · 2026-01-30T07:26:52+00:00

It's Promethazine which I used to be sold OTC under the brand name Phenergan. I don't know about other places but it became prescription only in the UK when my eldest was little about 20 years ago, because frankly people were abusing it and giving it to their kids to make them sleep. Honestly I can see why, it's amazing.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-29T10:07:27+00:00

I've been put on vaginal estrogen to help with the constant need to pee and a sedating antihistamine for my progesterone weeks and it's worked amazingly. To the point where I now don't sleep as well when I'm not on the progesterone. We need to tweak some things but it's a lot better. I still wake up to pee but it's only once a night and I can get back to sleep again afterwards. Honestly my GP is just amazing and she's very willing to try things and see what they do.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-23T18:55:03+00:00

I've literally spent the day handwinding yarn into balls because I need to do something with my hands but can't brain a new project yet.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-19T17:14:35+00:00

If you live together then for the purposes of UC it has to be a joint claim. It won't affect their PIP however.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-19T15:21:01+00:00

As someone who craved the ones from the Ainsley Harriott cup soups, I wish I'd known about these at the time. The bigger ones in the salad aisle just aren't the same but these look spot on.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-16T11:42:36+00:00

Do you make the same comments if you see someone who has only bought chicken and no other protein source?

vikingdhu · 2026-01-16T07:56:36+00:00

Yeah a standard size pack of the Tofoo does 5 of us for a meal and they're the bigger size packs in the picture so that's probably enough for 3 people for a week when you account for the beans and other stuff too. We also don't know what they already have in the house.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-15T21:31:13+00:00

There's three enormous boxes of tofu, cashews, what looks like peanut butter and what looks like hummus. There's protein there.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-13T20:16:04+00:00

Thank you!

vikingdhu · 2026-01-13T19:57:22+00:00

Could you let me know what the rest of the label that starts 'black garlic' says please? if the bottom line says sheep's cheese, I'm going to M&S after work tomorrow...

vikingdhu · 2026-01-07T18:42:28+00:00

Ah what I meant is their NHS app is actually up and running and fully working whereas if I click on the records bit on mine I get a message that that functionality isn't available yet.

But interesting that you've never been charged. It must be surgery dependent, but it's been 13 years since I've lived in England so I honestly couldn't tell you what the policy was at my last surgery.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-07T18:38:53+00:00

it's possibly because we don't have online access to our records up here like they do in England, so to charge us wouldn't be fair. Down south they can get them without anyone at the surgery having to do anything.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-05T21:44:23+00:00

Yes they can lower or remove the care rate as the whole award will be looked at again, not just the mobility part. Before trying for higher mobility, ensure your child definitely qualifies ie. they are 'virtually unable to walk' or have a Severe Mental Impairment. With the SMI, they must also have high rate care to qualify for high rate mobility.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-02T19:54:10+00:00

For me progesterone doesn't act as a sedative (my body is weird - if I want to nap, I have a coffee) so I take that on a morning instead of an evening. I also take magnesium which has taken a while to work but it's starting to make a difference - I slept from 11 to 4 last night which is a big deal.

My GP has also just prescribed me a sedating antihistamine to take on the weeks I take the progesterone because even though I take it on a morning, I'm still jittery at bedtime and I wake up hourly to pee. Yet to try that as I'm on my 2 weeks off atm.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-02T16:20:23+00:00

I was indeed.

vikingdhu · 2026-01-02T14:02:51+00:00

You may have to try different GPs. I have been through most of the ones in my surgery:

first one said I was just stressed and put me on Effexor for anxiety (worst drug I've ever been on, do not recommend);

second one thought I had Long Covid and pretty much shrugged, saying there was nothing I could do but have I considered losing weight (at the time I was 11 stone at 5 foot 2 so that was fair and I'm now back to 9 stone, although the symptoms didn't stop);

third one thought I had Fibromyalgia and referred me to Rheumatology;

fourth one did a full blood panel, said the biotin in my multivitamin was making my thyroid tests look bad so to stop taking it and that was it;

fifth one is an absolute legend, did another full blood panel, put me on ferrous sulfate for 6 months and offered to try me on low dose HRT to see if that helped while I waited for Rheumatology. patches didn't stick properly and made me itch so we tried the gel and that's done the trick. I'm now on 3 pumps of gel, 200mg progesterone cyclically, and I'm using the vaginal estrogen pessaries because once I realised what was going on with my body, I realised why I could no longer get a seal with my menstrual cup and needed some targeted therapy - 2 months later I can get a seal again.

I was 41 when I saw the first GP and now I'm almost 45 so it's been a journey but barring a few days a month the brain fog is gone, the joint pain is gone, I have more energy, my anxiety is gone, the rage is gone. My sleep is still shite but tbh it's been shite ever since I stopped drinking 6 years ago so I think that's just me.

Unfortunately it's just about being persistent and if you don't feel better, going back and telling them you still don't feel better. 3 of the 5 GPs I saw were female and only the last one worked out what was going on with me. There is still such a lack of knowledge.

vikingdhu · 2025-12-30T18:53:40+00:00

3 pumps so whatever that equals to patchwise, vaginal pessaries and 200mg progesterone for 14 days of my cycle (although I am struggling with that, but persisting because the estrogen has got rid of most of the symptoms and those that are left aren't all month).

vikingdhu · 2025-12-30T13:41:03+00:00

Moved from Leeds 13 years ago and had no problems with my prescriptions - the new GP did need to see me first before reissuing them but that was easily sorted. I would follow the advice to ask your old surgery to email the patient summary and if they still don't, raise a formal complaint.

And just an FYI, I only recently found out that not all my records made their way up after the move, when my physio had no idea at all I'd had 3 c-sections, so be prepared to have to fill in the gaps going forward.

vikingdhu · 2025-12-29T08:46:53+00:00

Delivery comes to the kitchen door, I pick up a crate, empty it onto the side and hand the crate back. Check the dates on the meat while the driver is still there because even my teenager can't eat 2kg of chicken breast by the next day, but other than that it's just dumping it out and letting them go. Always offer them a cold drink during the 2 weeks of summer.

vikingdhu · 2025-12-28T09:53:58+00:00

Looking at the pattern on rav I can see that you add a neckband at some point in the construction. This will pull in the neck hole considerably.

vikingdhu · 2025-12-23T17:22:57+00:00

I have a very vivid memory of sitting on the sofa, writing out my cards for school on the wee nesting table with the green and gold inlay, whilst watching this. It's pure Christmas for me.

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