My Story & Why I Do This

For years, I lived with debilitating pain. Heavy, exhausting periods that ruled my life. I was dismissed by female gynaecologists who told me to “put up with it” and that it was just “mother nature’s way.” But deep down, I knew something wasn’t right.

After countless failed treatments, I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis, adenomyosis, multiple fibroids and a mispositioned ovary. The relief of finally knowing why I had suffered for so long was overwhelming.

It wasn’t in my head.
I wasn’t overreacting.
It was real.

Yet while the diagnosis brought validation, it didn’t bring solutions.

Then, after years of being dismissed, a compassionate male gynaecologist told me the only real way to end my suffering was a full hysterectomy, given my family history of late menopause and endometrial cancer. Hearing the words “full hysterectomy” was overwhelming, but deep down, I knew it was the right decision. I couldn’t go on living with the debilitating pain and suffering.

Thrown into Immediate Menopause

A full hysterectomy meant I would be thrust into forced menopause overnight, skipping the gradual transition most women experience. The thought that something, anything, could ease my pain was a light at the end of a very dark tunnel, but was I really ready for menopause?

The list of symptoms was overwhelming; a catalogue of changes I wasn’t sure how to face. To make matters worse, I was advised against Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) due to my family history, removing what many consider to be a lifeline during this transition.

Searching for answers, I turned to social media and was quickly drowned in an ocean of menopause discussions, stories of struggle, frustration and endless supplement ads. But with so many options, how could I possibly know what truly worked?

The Operation That Changed Everything

I had no time to prepare, just two weeks after my consultation, I received the call. My operation was scheduled for the following week.

It was happening.
I wasn’t ready.

I convinced myself, maybe it’s a blessing. I tend to overthink, so having no time might save me from unnecessary worry.

How wrong I was………..

The operation took longer than expected and as I woke up, my surgeon uttered words that no patient ever wants to hear:

“It was a bit of a mess in there.”

Those words hit hard. After years of pain, hearing that my body had truly been struggling all along was both validating and devastating.

I told myself my exhaustion and discomfort were normal after major surgery, but something felt off. Days later, it became clear, I wasn’t just recovering slowly, I had developed an infection.

What was supposed to be the start of healing became another battle and I needed three courses of antibiotics just to avoid hospitalisation.

Recovery Wasn’t What I Expected

I laugh now, but I genuinely believed I’d be back in the gym within a few weeks of my surgery.

How wrong I was, again.

Recovery was slow, far slower than I had imagined. As the days turned into months, I realised something unsettling. I wasn’t just healing, I was changing.

I kept waiting to feel like my old self again, but the truth was, she was gone.

Forced menopause had rewritten everything; how I felt, thought, and experienced my own body.

The Symptoms Hit Hard

Hot flushes: sudden, uncontrollable wildfire spreading through my body, leaving me suffocating in my own heat.

Brain fog: stealing words mid-sentence, turning conversations into struggles, leaving me feeling like a fool at work.

Sleepless nights: waking up every hour, convinced I needed the toilet, only to lie awake, staring at the ceiling, desperate for sleep that never came. Was this insomnia?

Aches and pains: getting out of bed each morning felt like climbing a mountain, hobbling to the bathroom like an 90-year-old woman.

Relentless weight gain: no matter what I did, the weight kept creeping up, yet even as I was advised to ease back into exercise, I couldn’t summon the energy.

My body felt foreign, and I wasn’t sure how to trust it again.

Finding My Way Back Through Nourishment

That moment; the one where everything felt like it was slipping out of my hands, forced me to rethink everything I thought I knew about my body.

At first, I turned to food. Could nourishment ease the intensity of what I was feeling? Could it give me even a small sense of control in a season that felt chaotic?

I understood why my hormones were shifting, but I needed to know whether there was something more I could do. Something small and gentle that helped me feel a little more like myself again. I began to see my symptoms not as random chaos, but as signals from my body asking for support.

So I went deeper. Not just into nutrition, but into the language of the body’s signals. I explored nervous system support, mindset practices, journaling, adaptogens and functional herbs and recalibration tools and I found a more holistic way of supporting myself. These small daily rhythms helped me feel steady again.

Food was the doorway, but it wasn’t the whole story. The real transformation came from weaving nourishment with understanding and building inner steadiness through simple lifestyle practices that helped me reconnect with myself.

Slowly, I began to reclaim not just my health, but my sense of self.

Menopause changed everything for me.

But through nourishment, signal awareness, gentle tools and fierce self‑belief, I found my way back.

Now, I’m creating a space to help other women find their way too.

Start Your Adventure With Plant Vibrant

It’s time to feel vibrant, confident and fully alive; on your terms.