“I haven’t been able to move": Home and Away star's debilitating condition
Former Home and Away actress Sophie Dillman has opened up about the debilitating pain she suffers as she battles with endometriosis.
The star took to Instagram to share the realities of her condition with two drastically different photos.
“Endometriosis can look like this or this depending on the day,” her caption began.
In one photo, the actress can be seen smiling and posing for photos at an event. In the second photo, Dillman is pictured lying on the floor with a hot water bottle on her stomach.
“I haven’t been able to move from the floor this morning because it’s too painful to even walk around the house,” she said.
“But then some days it doesn’t affect me at all. I don’t know when the pain or swelling or nausea will start or end,” she wrote.
She then goes on to share that “the unknown is heartbreaking,” and gives a shout out to those who support their loved ones on the days they can’t get up.
“We need more research, funding and answers. F***. Endo,” she ended her caption tagging Endometriosis Australia.
Dillman is one of nine women who suffer from endometriosis, which is when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb, and it’s a chronic disease without a known cure.
One option to reduce the pain is a laparoscopy- where a tiny camera is sent into the pelvic region to investigate and “remove any of the tissue that’s causing pain”.
Dillman has said that she’s undergone three of these surgeries and said that she has “a lot of tissue that they can’t remove because it’s in the lining of my various organs”.
“It’s exhausting and painful and ... sometimes awkward and it sucks,” she said, adding that the surgery does not address her situation.
“So it seems that it will be something I will have to continuously do throughout my life,” she added.
Bindi Irwin is another woman who suffered from endometriosis, and just this month she opened up about her experience and the surgery she undertook.
Dillman hopes to raise awareness around the stigmas surrounding the condition that stops women talking about it or seeking help.
The actress hopes that she can use her platform with almost 300,000 followers, and her role as an ambassador for Endometriosis Australia to continue educating others.
Image: Getty