Bindi Irwin has taken to Instagram to share the news of her diagnosis after suffering in silence for a decade.

The Crikey! It’s The Irwins! star posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed on Tuesday and opened up about her health journey in the caption, writing:

“Dear Friends,
I battled for a long time wondering if I should share this journey with you in such a public space. It came down to the responsibility I feel to share my story for other women who need help.”

As the 24-year-old mother of one continued, she revealed the “very long road” she’s been on with chronic pain and having no answers as to what was going on:

“For 10yrs I’ve struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea. Trying to remain a positive person & hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc.”

So sad…

Related: Robert Irwin Brought To Tears By Birthday Message From Late Dad Steve!

Bindi finally has the answers she’s been looking for, though. She was officially diagnosed with endometriosis — if you didn’t know, it’s a disorder in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing irregular menstruation and severe pain, just to name a few symptoms.

The Australian TV personality wrote she was given virtually no options for treatment until her friend heard her out:

“A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain. I didn’t find answers until a friend @lesliemosier helped set me on a path of regaining my life. I decided to undergo surgery for endometriosis. Going in for surgery was scary but I knew I couldn’t live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain.”

Just awful! She’s got such a wonderful friend…

The daughter of Steve Irwin went on to say the surgery was very extensive, but successful. She also took some time to thank her family and loved ones for the support:

“To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep & difficult to remove, & a chocolate cyst. @seckinmd’s first words to me when I was in recovery were, “How did you live with this much pain?” Validation for years of pain is indescribable. My family & friends who have been on this journey with me for 10+ yrs – THANK YOU, for encouraging me to find answers when I thought I’d never climb out. Thank you to the doctors & nurses who believed my pain. I’m on the road to recovery & the gratitude I feel is overwhelming. To those questioning the cancelled plans, unanswered messages & absence – I had been pouring every ounce of the energy I had left into our daughter & family.”

Amazing!!

Wrapping up her post, she reminded readers to always be kind because you never know what someone is going through:

“Things may look fine on the outside looking in through the window of someone’s life, however, that is not always the case. Please be gentle & pause before asking me (or any woman) when we’ll be having more children. 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.
I’m aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story. There’s stigma around this awful disease. I’m sharing my story for anyone who reads this & is quietly dealing with pain & no answers. Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help. Keep searching for answers. www.endofound.org”

You can see the full post (below):

It’s so great to hear Bindi is on the road to recovery and doing just fine! We’re sending her and all of the Irwin bunch love and light.

[Image via Instagram/Bindi Irwin]