Pain as a lifestyle is not OK

"Maybe I don't need this surgery", I nervously said the day before the event. "Do you want me to list the number of times you asked to call an ambulance? You're doing this.", my husband replied.

With the recent news of Spain planning to introduce medical leave for women who suffer from severe period pain (with the expected controversy), I thought it was great timing to publish this article. This deserves, however, a clarification. I have worked through every single period (regardless how excruciating): on internal calls, on customer calls, on late evenings to deliver on urgent requests. I have never taken a day off because of it, I just crouched whenever I could because the pain was simply too much.

There are two reasons why I decided to write this article about Endometriosis: first, because I had promised my Adobe Action Circles group that I would become an ally and raise awareness by sharing my story (which, I assure you, is not easy); and second, because I wanted to make a difference by helping my network here, for I am certain that some of the women reading this right now are wondering why they are experiencing horrid Premenstrual Symptoms.

Endometriosis is a common gynaecological issue in women (1 out of 10), but it can be difficult to identify. When you suffer from Endometriosis, tissue similar to the lining of the womb (endometrium) starts to grow in other places and even, if left untreated, stick pelvic organs to each other at points called adhesions. There are four stages to it: minimal, mild, moderate and severe. If you want a great overview to understand the condition, watch this video by Dr Amer Raza, my consultant and the person I can thank for being, as of this month, pain-free for the first time in a decade.

My journey has been one of guesswork all my life. Mainly, because I am a "lucky" Endometriosis sufferer. I only had one symptom: really horrible pains one week before my period (and during). The impact this disease had in my life was minor compared to other Endo Warriors. It was, however, bad enough to considerably debilitate me every month (and see the one bright side of a pandemic when we all had to work from home). Mama had always dismissed the situation by talking about the strong painkillers she had to take during her time of the month, the same as grandma and auntie. Let me be clear: this is not OK.

I knew something was wrong, I just did. Fast forward quite a few years (because, I repeat, this is not a condition easy to spot) and many hospital visits, and I was finally diagnosed (and as an FYI, it can take up to 7 years to get a diagnose). When it came to treatment, I decided to follow the recommendations of a friend and meet with Mr. Amer Raza at Cromwell Hospital, who not only was the first consultant to explain the condition to me in a way I could understand it but also helped me evaluate my options for treatment. Two months after I met him, I can report that the pain is gone. Gone, gone, gone. I am a new woman, and I cannot thank him and his wonderful team enough for this. It makes a great difference as well to have an understanding employer, and I would like to thank Adobe and my team for their support in this journey - I am truly grateful.

But I get ahead of myself. Let me add something to this: it is not a "quick fix" condition, this is a long-term condition, or as I describe it, "a lifestyle condition". You do not get to just have surgery (my chosen treatment) and forget about it. It can come back, it will probably come back, so you have to be ready to fight it and know your options.

First of all, be prepared to make some lifestyle changes (and become a bit of a scholar)

You will have to think about the way you eat, exercise and your mental health (this improves with the first two). I am about to share with you what worked for me but it may not work for you. All I can tell you is to listen to your body, write down patterns, research and get professional advice, and understand what works and what does not.

When it came to diet, there were more discoveries and benefits than sacrifices. There were a number of vitamins that I needed to get in my system to help with the condition after a great deal of research and consulting with some experts. The best way to get them all in everyday, for me, except for a couple that had to be taken separately, was to have a smoothie every day (I use a Nutribullet for the smoothies). This had two advantages: easy to digest while getting your 5 a day, and not having to deal with taking all the pills/powders.

List of vitamins/supplements that I focused on/combined: flaxseeds, chia and pumpkin seeds, maca powder, turmeric, baobab, Vitamin C1000u, Vitamin D3 2000u, Aswaghanda, Zinc, Pro-biotics, Magnesium, Vitamin E, Vitamin B, evening primrose.

Smoothie contents: a mix of fruit, oats/other, and a combination (depending on the day) of either milk (brown rice, almond), water/juice (orange, etc.).

What I gave up in my regular diet: carbohydrates (the bad ones, the processed ones that inflame your body) including "mainstream" breads as I call them, sugar, fats (cheese, etc.), caffeine (green tea OK though, I have always favoured teas like Sencha or Genmaicha or blue teas in any case), alcohol (only in very special social occasions), and any processed food that contains preservatives.

What my diet became: a rainbow, a variety and explosion of beautifully curated foods (another benefit of hybrid work: you can cook the right meals) with special focus on anti-inflammatory grains/legumes/vegetables/fruits/spices. What I was interested to have in my diet was anything that could do two key things: improve my immune function and detox. Ingredients like leafy greens, artichokes, carrots, salmon (for my workout - protein - but also omega 3 source), broccoli, kale, cauliflower.

And those healthy foods I cooked had two core components: thought process for a clean meal and, more importantly, they tasted really good (through a lengthy process of trial/fail)!

I did a few courses with Life Dojo (thanks, Adobe!) to learn about the best foods to cook and how to combine them. You learn tricks like healthy salad sauces, you learn how to cook healthy sauces from scratch, your own ice-cream and chocolate. If I am honest with you, I enjoy my new diet better, not just because the meals taste nice, but also because they make me feel nice.

Pain management. One thing that worked for me well was homeopathy and certain herbal teas like verbena. The homeopathy I used for pain management (no numbing, management) was Magnesia Phosphorica and Dr Reckeweg R75. I am not telling you is the solution, I tell you they helped me manage the pain in a more natural way. If I numbed the pain, I would not be able to understand how I could manage it long term. This was not enough, though. Remember, however, that I am a "lucky" Endometriosis sufferer. There are women out there that struggle with such frequent pains that this is not even an option for them.

Tied closely to pain management, there was an advanced workout plan. When observing my pain patterns and cycles with Fitbit, I realised that the more I worked out, the lesser the pain. I started to put everything together and realised that I had been doing something (that helped with the nerve pain (as I started to describe it) the condition caused. I got a personal trainer and even in lockdown I consistently worked out without fail to become stronger. I focused on high-intensity training, kickboxing, body combat, ballet/barre and weight lifting. And also, as a treat, I added some dance classes (just for fun). Whenever I felt weakened by my condition right before a workout, I would listen to the iconic anthem from The Karate Kid "You're the best around". For some reason, perhaps because like Daniel-San I had never been a sports person, I felt motivated and ready to go. If I can do it, you can too.

I was so glad that I had trained hard prior to my surgery because, thanks to my trainer, classes, and workout routine, I had strengthened my arms and legs. This helped me greatly when the rest of my body was struggling.

What's next? The next step for me is to (again trial/fail or succeed) try some natural hormone balancing treatments to keep the condition in check. I would like to try the natural way now that the most concerning elements are gone, see if this works first (I could not consider this avenue without the surgery first, that was rather urgent!).

I will continue to meet with Dr Raza every six months for check ups - and consult with him if my chosen natural hormone balancing treatment does not work and I need to look at other treatments.

Thank you for reading my story. I finish this article by mentioning some celebrities that have been raising awareness on the condition: Padma Lakshmi, Susan Sarandon, Alexa Chung, Daisy Ridley and Amy Schumer. Let us get more visibility on Endometriosis and get the world to stop thinking "Oh, it's that time of the month!".