Bindi Irwin Opens Up About Doctors Dismissing Her Health Condition
Bindi Irwin is shedding new light on her journey to the life-changing endometriosis diagnosis.
Over the few months, the 25-year-old has used her platform to raise awareness about the reproductive condition that causes uterine tissue to grow outside the uterus. Now, she's opening up about the toll seeking medical attention took on her after some health professionals brushed off her concerns, hoping it may inspire others to continue advocating for themselves.
While speaking with People in an interview published Wednesday, Irwin offered new insight into her decade-long search to determine what was causing the painful and debilitating symptoms she experienced since age 14, including fatigue, pain and nausea.
"I was tested for everything," Irwin said. "Every tropical disease, Lyme disease, cancer, you name it. I had every blood test and scan imaginable."
"It’s so hard because you feel like it’s inescapable," she explained. "You don’t know what’s wrong with you, and then when people tell you ‘It’s all in your head’ or ‘you’re hormonal’ or ‘just have a cup of tea, lay down,’ you end up feeling so desperately alone because there’s no answers."
Irwin admitted that at one point, she almost lost all hope in her search for answers. But then, in Aug. 2022, the Crikey! It's The Irwins star was knocked to the ground by sudden, severe pain and bound to the fetal position. Around this time, she decided her next step would be undergoing a laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to diagnose intra-abdominal diseases like endometriosis.
"I was so scared that they wouldn’t find anything because we had run out of everything else to test for," she said. "After years of doctors and various people telling you there’s nothing, you really start to believe it. You wind up in this strange space of self-doubt, fear and insecurity. That’s hard to overcome."
Related: Bindi Irwin Thanks Fans for Support During Recent Health Struggles
The March 2023 procedure confirmed Irwin had endometriosis, and her surgical team found 37 lesions as well as a cyst on her ovary, which she successfully had removed via surgery.
"It’s not like a light switch, but every week I feel like I’m able to do a little bit more," she told the outlet. "Now I wake up in the morning, and I don’t have to take anti-nausea medicine or have my heat pack. Being able to go for a walk with my daughter and not feeling like I have to throw up in the bushes is just wild to me."
"I feel like I have a second chance at life," she shared. "I feel brand new."
Irwin added that she hopes she'll "inspire others to keep fighting for the answers that they deserve" by sharing her story. "At the core of it all, you really need someone to be able to say, ‘It’s not in your head, and do not give up on yourself.’”
Next: Bindi Irwin Reflects on Celebrating Late Dad Steve 'Every Day'
