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Tag: bindi irwin
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Bindi Irwin gets emotional over endometriosis surgery: ‘It’s been a long journey’ – National | Globalnews.ca
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After Bindi Irwin underwent surgery for endometriosis, the validation from her doctors was enough to bring the Australian native to tears.
In March, Irwin, the daughter of the late zookeeper Steve Irwin, revealed she was diagnosed with endometriosis — a painful disorder in which uterine-like tissue, called the endometrium, grows outside of the uterus and forms lesions.
For the 25-year-old conservationist, the condition caused “indescribable” pain, extreme fatigue, cramping and nausea.
![Click to play video: 'Understanding endometriosis']()
Now, about seven months post-surgery, Irwin told Good Morning America she feels like a “completely new person.”
“It’s been a long journey,” Irwin recalled with tears in her eyes. “It’s been a long ten years.”
Irwin said she’s been dealing with the symptoms since she was a teenager. In her search for a diagnosis she visited numerous doctors and underwent several medical tests including MRIs, ultrasounds, CT scans and testing for cancer.
Every time, her pain was again dismissed by doctors, and Irwin was left without answers. She said month after month, her symptoms grew worse and her “devastation” increased.
Finally, after marrying her husband and giving birth to their first child, daughter Grace, Irwin was diagnosed with endometriosis. The identification came after Irwin experienced “severe unexplained pain” that caused her to believe she was miscarrying during her pregnancy.
Since many women with endometriosis cannot get pregnant, Irwin said she and husband Chandler Powell are “so lucky to have Grace.”
Irwin had surgery to confirm her endometriosis diagnosis this year. She said her doctors removed 37 lesions from around her uterus.
When she awoke from surgery, Irwin said the first thing her doctor asked was simple: “How did you live with that much pain?”
“That validation meant so much to me,” Irwin cried.
The healing process was long, but the surgery changed Irwin’s life.
“My health now is night and day,” she said. “I’m actually able to go on a walk with my family. I’m able to do the conservation work. I’m able to be there for our daughter, finally. I’m able to run around with her, to play with her, to have fun and revel in her joy.”
Irwin said she hopes her story will inspire people with endometriosis, or other undiagnosed conditions, to advocate for themselves and their quality of life.
“I hope that other people will find comfort in my story,” Irwin said. “Maybe my story resonates.”
Approximately one in 10 women will develop endometriosis, according to the Canadian Endometriosis Network. The cause of the condition is not known.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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Sarah Do Couto
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Bindi Irwin reveals 10-year battle with endometriosis on International Women’s Day | CNN
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CNN
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The Australian conservationist Bindi Irwin revealed Wednesday she has undergone surgery for endometriosis after a decade-long battle with the condition that affects the uterus.
“For 10 years I’ve struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea,” Irwin shared in posts on social media alongside an image of her in a hospital bed.
“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.”
Irwin’s posts coincided with both International Women’s Day and Endometriosis Awareness Month.
Endometriosis is “a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus,” according to the United States’ National Institutes of Health.
Symptoms can include pelvic pain, heavy bleeding during periods and fertility issues.
Irwin, 24, said doctors had found 37 lesions, some of which were “very deep and difficult to remove,” but she was now “on the road to recovery.”
“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,” she added.
Anyone with a uterus who is of reproductive age can suffer from the disease but it’s most common among women in their 30s and 40s. Approximately one in 10 people born with a uterus has endometriosis, according to the World Health Organization. The disease affects around 190 million women and girls globally.
Irwin is a celebrity conservationist who has starred in “Crikey! It’s the Irwins,” a reality TV show that chronicles her family’s work at the Australia Zoo in Queensland, which her mother owns.
She won “Dancing With the Stars” in 2015 and comes from a family of conservationists that includes her father Steve, the late ‘Crocodile Hunter’ who was killed by a stingray while filming in the Gerat Barrier Reef in 2006.
She gave birth to a daughter, Grace, in March 2021.
“Please be gentle and pause before asking me (or any woman) when we’ll be having more children,” Irwin wrote in her post Wednesday. “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.”
Soon after her posts, her family took to social media to share their support.
Her husband Chandler Powell said, “Seeing how you pushed through the pain to take care of our family and continue our conservation work while being absolutely riddled with endometriosis is something that will inspire me forever.”
Irwin’s brother Robert added on Instagram that, “You never know who’s suffering in silence, let’s make this a topic that we all freely talk about.”
Irwin is the latest in a series of celebrities to have opened up about their struggles with endometriosis.
In a Paramount Plus docuseries released last year, comedian Amy Schumer discussed her decades-long battle with what she called a “lonely disease.” Schumer had her uterus removed in 2021 and shared video on her Instagram following the surgery.
Comedian Lena Dunham and actress Padma Lakshmi have also been vocal about their experiences with the disease.
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