"After having beautiful Grace, my pain levels were out of this world,” Bindi Irwin recalled.
Bindi Irwin, who recently underwent surgery for endometriosis, opened up about the excruciating pain she has felt since she was 14.
The 24-year-old daughter of the late conservationist, Steve Irwin, opened up about her journey to her surgery and recovery in an Instagram post on May 5, breaking down as she described the pain she felt. “It has been a very long journey and a lot of challenges,” she said at the start of the video. “To get to this point, I’m very thankful to be on the other side of excision surgery, adding that she “officially feels better.”
Irwin discussed her symptoms on the video, saying that she frequently felt exhausted and in pain, per TODAY. “Many people think with endometriosis, you only get symptoms during your period that time of the month,” she remarked. “I had pain every single day of my life, and it really started when I was 14 years old. No matter where we went or what we were doing, I would just be falling asleep wherever we were.”
Irwin, who married Chandler Powell in 2020 and welcomed daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell in 2021, shared that years of searching for answers and bloodwork, scans, and tests led to no diagnosis. When one doctor dismissed her pain and told her that it was "just part of being a woman," she finally stopped looking for solutions.
It wasn't until several years later, when she gave birth to her daughter Grace, that the agony was described as being more "intense." She shared, "After having beautiful Grace, my pain levels were out of this world." She recalled moments when she had to crawl to her daughter's cot when she needed her because she wasn't able to walk to her.
"I was so scared because I was worried if I was alone with Grace, something would happen to me, and she would be on her own," she added.
A friend of Irwin's, Leslie, who had endometriosis suggested the option of surgery to her. “She gave me ideas for minimizing the pain but said, really, the only way to diagnose this for sure is through exploratory surgery,” Irwin recalled.
Irwin's surgery ultimately brought her to where she is today. She no longer feels the pain that she did prior to the removal of the cyst and all of her lesions. She believes that in order for others to receive treatment, it has now become crucial for her to increase awareness of the disorder. “It is really hard to get up every day and forge ahead,” she added. “I feel for you there are heaps of people searching for those answers. Don’t give up. Because you are so strong, I love you guys so much. Thank you.”
References:
https://www.today.com/health/womens-health/bindi-irwin-endometriosis-pain-since-14-rcna83145
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cr31hQDANTp/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Bradley Kanaris
