BINDI Irwin is embracing her “second chance at life” after recovering from major surgery for endometriosis.
The Australian conservationist, 25, went under the knife in the United States in March following a decade of suffering from the “painful” condition.
Bindi Irwin underwent surgery for endometriosis earlier this year following a decade of suffering from the ‘painful’ conditionInstagram
Bindi ‘was barely able to get out of bed’ just a week before the operation because the agony was so greatInstagram
InstagramBindi has been embracing her ‘second chance at life’ with husband Chandler Powell and their one-year-old daughter, Grace Warrior.[/caption]
The daughter of “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin was initially told by one doctor that the pain was “something women just have to deal with”.
And just a week before the operation, Bindi claimed she “was barely able to get out of bed” because the agony was so great.
But she has since revealed how she is living a “different life” following the surgery.
Speaking to Fox News Digital this week, she said: “My life now looks completely different than it did before I had my surgery.
“Over the 10 years that I was really battling with endo without knowing it, I would get progressively worse every week and in the end, before my surgery, I was barely able to get out of bed.”
Following the surgery, the TV personality opened up about her ten-year struggle with the disease in a lengthy Instagram post on March 8.
Included in the post was a picture of her smiling in a hospital bed after the surgery.
Bindi revealed that doctors had “found 37 lesions, some very deep & difficult to remove, & a chocolate cyst” – a term for a cyst filled with menstrual blood.
The celebrity conservationist said she had spent ten years “torn apart [by] the pain” and knew she had to have surgery because she “couldn’t live like I was”.
Bindi admitted that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to discuss her health publicly, but decided to speak out in the hope of helping other women struggling with endometriosis.
She also wanted to draw attention to doctors not taking the condition seriously, noting how one physician had once told her the pain was just a normal part of being a woman.
More than six months down the line, however, Bindi is grateful to have restarted her life with husband Chandler Powell and their one-year-old daughter, Grace Warrior.
WHAT IS ENDOMETRIOSIS?
Endometriosis is a long-term condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places.
This includes the ovaries and the fallopian tubes.
Symptoms can vary but experiencing pain in your lower stomach or back is most common.
Other symptoms include severe period pain, painful sexual intercourse, pain with bowel movements and nausea.
There’s currently no cure for endometriosis, but there are treatments that can help ease the symptoms.
These include painkillers, hormone medicines and surgery to remove the endometriosis tissue.
Bindi opened up about her ten-year struggle with the disease in a lengthy Instagram post on March 8bindisueirwin/instagram
The daughter of ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin was initially told by one doctor that the pain was ‘something women just have to deal with’.Newspix/Getty Images
News Group Newspapers LtdDuring the operation, doctors found 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst – a term for a cyst filled with menstrual blood.[/caption]
