Katie Knowles has hysterectomy after years of pain
The 35-year-old Boa Boa lingerie founder – who tied the knot with TV star Nick Knowles, 62, on June 7 - revealed she was forced to have the surgical procedure to remove her uterus after years of suffering with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Katie – who has two daughters Alex, six, and Savannah, nine - wrote on Instagram: 'I'm 35 and I've just had a hysterectomy. I've lived with pcos, endometriosis and adenomyosis since Moses wore short pants. And no, it wasn't 'just a bad period'
'It was constant hospital trips. Multiple laparoscopies. Bleeding through clothes. Vomiting from the pain. Being curled up in bed, missing out on life. It was extreme bloating that made me look pregnant. It was migraines, stabbing pains in my legs, butt and stomach. It was chronic fatigue. It was hiding in loos, crying over another ruined day. It was my daughters terrified of getting their periods in case they end up like mummy.
'Years of misdiagnosis being fobbed off. Told to take painkillers. That it was 'normal'. It wasn't. I've cried on bathroom floors. I've bled through clothes in public. I've had 3 surgeries. I've tried every pill, every patch, every hormone tweak.
I've been put on a medical menopause just to get through uni. And still… the pain came.'
And, Katie revealed she had the operation because she doesn't want to be in pain any more.
She said: 'Because I don't recognise the woman I am when I'm in pain. Because I don't want to remember the days where I was too sore, too tired, too bloated.
'I didn't want more children, my girls are everything. But that doesn't mean this is easy. Because the choice has been taken from me. And that grief is real. It feels like something in me has changed, apart form being sans uterus.
'Right now, I'm in lots of pain. Im bloated. I'm exhausted. I'm hot. I'm forgetful. I'm hot (see how that works on multiple levels). I feel raw and less like myself. Less like a woman, if I'm being really honest. But this was a decision I made to take my life back. To stop surviving and start living again, have days that aren't defined by pain. This is hopefully the beginning of healing. The beginning of self-love, scars, stitches and all.'
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