A woman spends 3 weeks of every month with such severe pain that she can’t sleep, walk or eat.
Leah Louise Baker is in pain with severe abdominal and backaches. She also suffers from extreme bloating and sickness.
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Her work performance and social life can be maintained if she wears comfy clothes, takes painkillers that are strong and uses a warm water bottle.
Leah is unable to get out of her bed at worst. Just one weekend stroll can leave her wiped out for 7 days.
She has endometriosis, a condition that is chronically inflammatory and causes tissue to grow similar in appearance to the womb’s lining on other parts of her body such as ovaries and the fallopian tubes.
After being diagnosed with the disease six years after her initial symptoms, she has lived with it since then.
According to the compliance officer and immigration officer from Kent: “Everymonth I experience three weeks of severe pain followed by one week of manageable to moderate pain. This pain usually occurs around a week before my periods.
“I’ll experience back and abdominal pains, nausea, extreme bloating or swollenness, severe headaches, hip pains, leg numbness, and even nosebleeds.
“It may look like I’m living my best life from the outside – I have graduated from university, had so many experiences and made endless memories with friends.
But every moment, milestone and memory has been marred by exhaustion, agonising pain and painkillers.
Even on days with low pain, I am preparing myself for the next flare up.
Leah’s first observation that she is different than her peers was when she entered her 7th year at school.
The first person to begin, she didn’t know what to compare her experience with. “Every month I would have a heavy bleed and be in great pain,” said the woman.
By 15, her symptoms had worsened and she would spend days on end in bed unable to move.
“I’ve missed quite a bit of school,” said she. “I thought I was overdramatic because no one else cancelled plans for period pain.”
Leah wasn’t taken seriously by doctors until she suffered from pain every 21 days of the month.
They dismissed the symptoms of her irritable colon syndrome as being a digestive issue.
She said, “After many meetings, setbacks, and few answers I felt exhausted and frustrated but my mother continued to press for answers.”
Leah eventually was sent to a doctor who found endometriosis through laparoscopy.
She switched her pill contraceptive for Mirena and is now having surgery to manage the condition. It has “been incredible”, she says, though it must be repeated every couple of years.
Leah’s typical day
Leah: “I wake with pain from my stomach down to my legs, and even into my back.
I need painkillers or heat packs to perform my daily tasks, such as driving to the office, cooking dinner, etc.
The spoon theory states that those with daily pain will have fewer’spoons of energy’ to complete their tasks than those without pain.
This could be a case where I’m in pain on Friday and have to work in the office, which means that all my normal tasks prevent me from attending weekend plans.
Leah continued: “Prior to my recent surgery I suffered from debilitating daily pain and was struggling to walk, as I couldn’t take codeine or Co-codamol. This was restricting what I could achieve.
After treatment I felt little or no pain, and my life returned to normal.
The symptoms of endometriosis have returned to me after a period of about a month and a quarter.
Leah has a hard time working, dating and socialising when she is ill. Many people do not understand her situation.
She said: “I’m very lucky that the company I work for is so supportive when I need to take strong painkillers, sit at my desk with a hot water bottle every day, wear clothing that is comfortable for my pain and bloating and work from home on high-pain days.
Many people are forced to quit work due to their symptoms and pain.
Chronic pain and fatigue can also make it hard to keep up a social lifestyle. I often feel too fatigued or in pain to be able to go out with my friends.
“I will often drive home after I finish working and then sleep.”
“Many people with endometriosis lose friends, jobs and relationships due to the unpredictability of their symptoms.
Couples are also affected by the condition, which can cause physical and mental obstacles as well painful and unproductive sexual experiences.
As endometriosis has an invisible nature, others cannot understand your pain as they are unable to see internal damage. It affects every aspect of your life.
Leah shares her Instagram account. @endometri.over.itAnyone who has period pains that don’t subside with painkillers, or stop them from carrying out their daily tasks should seek professional help.
She added: “If your doctors are making you feel crazy, like it’s all in your head, it’s not.
You can ask to speak to someone else in order for you get answers or reassurance.
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What causes endometriosis and what is it?
ENDOMETRIOSIS describes a condition in which tissue similar to that of the linings of the womb grow at other locations, like the ovaries or fallopian tubes.
One in 10 women have it, including Molly-Mae Hague and Baby Spice Emma Bunton, and if can affect people of any age.
The most common symptoms are back and stomach discomfort, back pain following sex or pain in the bowels during a period.
Ultrasound and MRI are both common tests, but it can be hard to diagnose.
Only a laparoscopy can determine if you have endometriosis.
Treatments include hormone medicine, contraceptives and painkillers.
Leah, a member of the Joii endometriosis panel, said: “The incorrect definition and terminology is often used when discussing endometriosis and this can be very detrimental for those in the community seeking answers and treatment.
“A simple and more modern definition can be – Endometriosis is a systemic inflammatory disease characterised by the presence of endometrial-like tissues found in extrauterine sites (Kennedy S et al. 2005, Klemmt et al. 2018, Saunders et al. 2021).
“I also need to emphasise that endometriosis is not a female-only disease, so ‘those with endometriosis’ is preferred over ‘women with endometriosis’.”