I have no issues telling people what's happening inside my body

From Monday 28 September we are celebrating National Inclusion Week, encouraging everyone to take part in activities that ignite conversations and bring us together. The theme for the week is Each One Reach One, connecting colleagues and organisations to create a global movement of inclusion at work.

I was diagnosed with Endometriosis at the age of 23 via a laparoscopic surgery and was fairly certain the diagnosis was coming. I’d visited the GP so many times for various pain & period-related struggles throughout my teenage years that when I finally got a referral to a gynaecologist for further tests, I’d began researching the disease myself - mentally ticking a box next to every symptom listed on every webpage I could possibly find.

Following my diagnosis, the next step was learning to comfortably live with a chronic illness that currently has no cure, well, I’m maybe not there just yet, but I can definitely tell you ways to work with it!

Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women, yet so many of us still suffer in silence, particularly at work. This is a disease where cells, similar to the ones found in the womb, grow amongst other parts of the body such as on the ovaries, liver, bladder, kidney, bowel - in fact the only place endometriosis hasn’t been found to grow is on the spleen. Endometriosis causes severe pain and often a never-ending list of varying symptoms.

When I first started my job in 2013 it was just me and my boss, and he’s lovely but, he’s also an ex-military male and one day I’d had to pluck up the courage to suggest it could possibly be a good idea to have a bin…in the toilet, so you can imagine how closed I was about my personal struggles each month. Luckily over the course of my many visits to the GP, the business had started growing as well and we’d got a lovely female practice manager join us as well as other female members of staff.

Since my diagnosis and educating myself around the disease, I’ve been taking every opportunity to educate my workplace too, this way it can help us find ways to keep me in work comfortably. I first started by sharing with them Christine Miserandino’s “Spoon Theory”, which explains the many struggles of living with lupus and how she plans her time around living with the disease. The theory has grown popular amongst many people who suffer with chronic illnesses and use this as a way to explain their day to day lives.

I have created my own list, of how to make life as a ‘spoonie’, that little more manageable in the workplace:

1. Talk it out - Being open and honest helps me, but it also helps those working around me understand if I’m being a little slower than usual that particular day. I look at it as I’m being pro-active, rather than waiting to be pulled into a meeting and asked why I’m behind on my work or why I seem ‘away with the fairies’, I’m telling people. ‘Look I’m really struggling today, I may not be working at full capacity.’ It sets the expectations for the day, week, or however long the flare up wants to stick around. I can be QUITE the over-sharer, but so what?! I have no issues telling people what’s happening, (or what it feels like is happening on the inside of my body), because if it’s affecting me, it’s going to affect my mood and I guess it helps if others around me can understand that too.
2. Thoughtful planning - When I know I’m getting close to having a flare up, or I’m in a flare up, I mentally prioritise my work for the day. I think ‘what is the most important task I need to do today?’ and I’ll get that done first. Anything after that is a bonus, and if I have to go home early because the pain is so unmanageable, well at least I’ve done that one task.
3. Ask for flexibility - I’ll often keep in touch with my Practice Manager before & after work too, I’ll check in and let her know when I’m struggling and in the mornings if I need to come in a little later because I’m waiting for the pain killers to kick in or I’m having a hot bath to relax those muscles, she completely understands, because that extra half hour of self-care in the morning could make all the difference to my productivity during the day.
4. Spoonie stash - At work I’ll keep nearby all of the following; herbal teas (turmeric for inflammation & ginger for sickness), a TENS Machine for those real dull achy days, paracetamol & other pain killers, wheat bag, hot water bottle and soothing patches. You can never have enough options and it’s good to keep stocked up! I also think the office have got used to me getting up & doing some questionable stretches now, however if you have a quiet corner of the office to do this, definitely make use of it!
5. Know your limit - As much as I love my job and I hate to feel like I’m letting the team down, I have to put myself & my health first. Sometimes that means going home early or not going to the office at all because deep down I know it would cause more stress on my body than it’s worth, which could prolong the flare up. It’s important to push yourself and keep yourself going, but to also know when to say enough.

So there we go, my list to managing employment and illness. I think the best thing we can do when faced with chronic illness is be honest and discuss how we’re feeling both mentally & physically, speaking up is the only way we can get the support we need, and it helps raise a little awareness along the way too! I think it’s important to have a close & open relationship with your HR Manager and know you can speak to them in confidence about your various symptoms & ways you think you can work with these best.

At St. James’s Place Wealth Management we believe that being the best place to have a career is reliant upon creating a truly diverse and inclusive environment where broad perspectives are embraced and people can be themselves. We know that talent is not dictated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion, social class or background.