Love Island Australia’s Erin Barnett, 28, has undergone a hysterectomy to treat her endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
The I’m A Celebrity star had surgery to remove her uterus at the Epworth Hospital on June 27.
On July 3, the influencer shared a five-day post-op update with her Instagram followers, revealing that she was “very happy with her decision” to go through with the surgery.
“This surgery has been the best one out of all the surgeries I’ve had,” she gushed, before sharing that she’s still in a bit of pain.
“I feel like I could run a marathon. I feel almost too good to be true,” she laughed.
Erin then shared some hope for her followers who’d been considering getting a hysterectomy, telling them that “things can go really well afterwards.”
She finished her update by stating that she was “so lucky” to have found a surgeon who really listened to what she wanted for her body.
Following her surgery, Erin also spoke to The Herald Sun and said she has come to terms with the fact that she won’t be able to have children.
“It’s not something I took lightly at my age, but it’s hopefully something that’s going to help me,” she said. “I want to live for today and I want to have a good life now.”
Erin also shared that she’d spent most of her 20s “in and out of hospital, having surgery and dealing with the worst pain”.
She added: “I can’t wait to experience life without as much pain as I was living with before.”
Love Island’s Erin Barnett pleads with doctors to end her suffering
Erin had been asking doctors for a hysterectomy for the past two years. However, despite having 17 surgeries to treat her symptoms, she was told she was too young and would regret her decision. The doctors also wanted to exhaust all other options before they went ahead with the life-changing surgery.
“My pain kept getting worse. I was having so many cyst ruptures and my endometriosis was flaring up so much, I was at the point where I was Googling how to take out my own uterus,” she confessed.
“It was sending me mentally insane … I couldn’t do anything socially because of the pain.”
However, Erin said that it was made clear to her that there was no guarantee that the pain would stop after the surgery.
“I’m happy to take the odds,” she continued. “Even just to have a solid 20 minutes during the day without pain, I’d take that.”
Erin also revealed that she chose not to freeze her eggs leading up to the hysterectomy.
“I’d feel like it was my fault if I ended up having a child and it was a girl, knowing that I have endometriosis and PCOS, and the risk of passing it on to her,” she finished.
We wish Erin a speedy recovery!
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