"After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter," she said.
Bindi Irwin is talking openly about the health issues she was struggling with for the past decade. On Tuesday, February 7, the star of Crikey! It's The Irwins revealed that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition that affects reproduction and results in uterine tissue growing outside of the uterus, resulting in cramping and constant pain. The 24-year-old shared a picture of herself lying in a hospital bed on Instagram and confessed that at first, she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about her health in public, but that she ultimately felt compelled to do so for other women who needed support, per PEOPLE.
"For 10 years I've struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea. Trying to remain a positive person and hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10 yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc," Irwin wrote. "A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman and I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain. I didn't find answers until a friend @lesliemosier helped set me on a path of regaining my life. I decided to undergo surgery for endometriosis," she added.
She then shared that the surgery was very scary for her, but she decided to go for it because the pain was hindering her life. "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," she said. "To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep & difficult to remove, & a chocolate cyst. @seckinmd's first words to me when I was in recovery were, 'How did you live with this much pain?' Validation for years of pain is indescribable," she expressed.
Irwin continued by thanking those who had supported her during the previous ten years of her journey and had pushed her to seek solutions. She also gave praise to the medical professionals who truly acknowledged the agony she had endured. "I'm on the road to recovery and the gratitude I feel is overwhelming," she continued. "To those questioning the canceled plans, unanswered messages and absence - I had been pouring every ounce of the energy I had left into our daughter and family."
The star added, "Things may look fine on the outside looking in through the window of someone'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," Irwin said of her 23-month-old daughter Grace Warrior, whom she shares with husband Chandler Powell. "I'm aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story," she added. "There's stigma around this awful disease. I'm sharing my story for anyone who reads this and is quietly dealing with pain and no answers. Let this be your validation that your pain is real and you deserve help. Keep searching for answers. www.endofound.org," she concluded her post.
References:
https://people.com/health/bindi-irwin-has-endometriosis-surgery-10-years-of-pain/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpf6o7YJ0xa/
Cover Image Source: Instagram | @bindisueirwin
