HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI feel like somebody has stuck a pin in me and sucked the life out of me,\u201d Paige told NeedToKnow. \u201cIt sounds dramatic, but it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n
\u201cI become fatigued very quickly, sometimes within the space of 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have shooting and stabbing pains along with bowel issues, headaches, brain fog and more. Accepting it was a long-term chronic health condition took me a few years to come to terms with, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
The diagnosis, made in November 2018 shortly after her sepsis, finally explained the mystery pain that had ruled her life for years.<\/p>\n
Paige says the painful condition impacted everything from sex to social activities with friends. She said: \u201cIt used to affect my work, and I would find a normal 9-5 difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been known to take a hot water bottle into the office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also impacts relationships, sex and social activities, as if I have a flare-up, I have to cancel or change the plans last minute.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s very unlike me to do that, but it’s non-negotiable \u2013 addressing the flare-up has to go top of the list.<\/p>\n
\u201cA flare-up will wipe you out suddenly, so it can ruin a lot of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763244327_247_1_I-was-rushed-to-hospital-with-sepsis-after-years-of-crippling-pain-doctors-even-feared-it-could-b..jpeg\")
Paige Hughes in hospital(Image: Jam Press\/Paige Hughes)<\/p>\n
After years of frustration and exhaustion, Paige, from Manchester, decided to take matters into her own hands.<\/p>\n
Rather than relying on surgery or hormone therapy, she began exploring natural and holistic methods \u2013 including cycle-based exercise, nutrition, reflexology, meditation and nervous system regulation.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI\u2019m much more inclined to that stuff anyway, and so it just feels right for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, let\u2019s try this [natural healing] first, and if not, I will opt for something else.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have always stood by that if I need surgery, as in it’s non-negotiable, I will have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within weeks, Paige began noticing a difference.<\/p>\n
Her energy levels improved, her flare-ups eased, and her scans showed visible improvement.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cI think the natural and holistic approach is the way forward for this sort of thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have gained so much more insight into myself, the natural world and what works for me, so I actually feel richer as a result, not at a deficit.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy symptoms improved within weeks. No journey is perfect, and you need to stack it; some things take longer, but I do think it works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having felt the benefits in late 2024, Paige left her job in the charity sector and retrained as a menstrual health coach and personal trainer.<\/p>\n
Today, she runs The Alternative \u2013 a queer-run, feminist-first and trans-affirmative health and fitness space \u2013 alongside her business partner Rae.<\/p>\n
The inclusive studio helps women and people with periods better understand their cycles and take control of their wellbeing.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cMy most recent scans have shown visible improvement in my condition, but I also now feel more connected with my body and in control.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople assume you\u2019re ignoring medical advice. But I\u2019ve done my research, trained properly, and I\u2019m choosing a path that works best for my body.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople can’t tell you it’s wrong if it’s working, and equally, it being wrong is just their opinion.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763244330_621_1_I-was-rushed-to-hospital-with-sepsis-after-years-of-crippling-pain-doctors-even-feared-it-could-b..jpeg\")
Paige is determined to use her experience to help others living with endometriosis(Image: Jam Press\/Paige Hughes)<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, I started to feel amazing. I had years’ worth of holistic support stacked up, including reflexology, somatic body practices, eating better, vitamins, sleep hygiene, journaling, meditating, education, therapy and physical workouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hit me around summer how amazing I felt, and that brought with it a sense of grief that I had been depriving my body of this level of connection and care before now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you feel truly healthy, it becomes clear to you how crap you felt before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Paige is determined to use her experience to help others living with endometriosis. She said: \u201cYou deserve to be listened to, always. You deserve real, qualified support that helps you understand your body, not suppress it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s so much about menstrual and hormone health we weren’t taught in school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI run my workshops and people are like, \u2018I can’t believe I didn’t know this, what the hell?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is always more than one path, and you\u2019re allowed to choose the one that feels right for you.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust your body, it knows what you need better than anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘I feel like somebody has stuck a pin in me and sucked the life out of me’Paige Hughes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[105,16,15,1292],"class_list":{"0":"post-572850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-uk","10":"tag-united-kingdom","11":"tag-women"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115555988204306718","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1_HVR_MEN_151125_jampress_02.jpg\")
Paige Hughes spent much of her adult life battling agonising cramps, fatigue and stabbing pains that were repeatedly dismissed as just bad periods(Image: Jam Press\/Paige Hughes)<\/p>\n