Bindi Irwin has undergone surgery for endometriosis and she’s sharing her story.
The TV star and mum revealed on Instagram today that she’s been living in pain for a decade. Posting a pic of herself in a hospital bed, Bindi explains that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to discuss her health publicly but she’s doing so to helping others who may be experiencing something similar.
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“For 10yrs I’ve struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea. Trying to remain a positive person & hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc” she writes. “A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain.”
Bindi explains she eventually found answers and decided to have surgery for endometriosis.
“Going in for surgery was scary but I knew I couldn’t live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain. To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep and difficult to remove.”
She adds that her Doctor’s first words in recovery were, “How did you live with this much pain?”, describing the moment as “validation” for her years of struggles.
Bindi says she’s now on the “road to recovery”, thanking her supportive family and friends as well as the doctors and nurses who believed she was in pain.
“Things may look fine on the outside looking in through the window of somone’s life, however that is not always the case. Please be gentle & pause before asking me (or any woman) when we’ll be having more children. After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter. She feels like our family’s miracle,” Bindi writes of Grace Warrior who is almost 2.
“I’m aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story. There’s stigma around this awful disease. I’m sharing my story for anyone who reads this & is quietly dealing with pain & no answers. Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help. Keep searching for answers.”
She ended her message with a link to www.endofound.org, which works to increase disease recognition fund research and facilitate expert surgical training, founded by author and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi.
According to the organisation, endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the interior lining of the uterus, or endometrium, mistakenly migrates and implants in areas outside the uterus, primarily in the pelvic region. It affects an estimated 200 million women worldwide and approximately one in 10 women in the U.S.
(Feature Image Credit: @bindisueirwin/Instagram)