Love Island’s Erin Barnett undergoes 16th surgery

‘My body has had enough’: Love Island star Erin Barnett shares a candid photo of her severely bloated tummy after undergoing her 16th surgery – as she raises awareness for endometriosis

Erin Barnett has spoken candidly in the past about her surgeries for issues relating to endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

On Sunday, the former Love Island star shared a photo of her severely bloated stomach to Instagram, after having a cyst removed from inside her right ovary, in her sixteenth surgery to date.

The 24-year-old, who is using her platform to raise awareness, candidly told fans that it can be ‘overwhelming’ watching your body ‘go from one extreme to another’.  

‘My body has had enough’: Love Island star Erin Barnett, 24, shared this candid photo of her severely bloated tummy to Instagram on Sunday. The reality star had a cyst removed from inside her right ovary, in her 16th surgery related to endometriosis

Erin posted a photo of her flat stomach on the day of her surgery, next to a post-surgery image two days after, that saw her belly severely swollen.

In her post captioned ‘Surgery number 16: Completed’, the reality star revealed that she has had a cyst removed from the inside of her right ovary. 

Erin said that while she’s not experiencing any side effects from an implant to help manage her endometriosis, she is feeling ‘super uncomfortable’.

‘I’m still swollen and bloated, I’m super uncomfortable and my back keeps swelling from my bulging disc lol YAAAYYYY,’ she wrote.

Honest and open: Erin told fans that it can be 'overwhelming' watching your body 'go from one extreme to another': 'I'm still swollen and bloated, I'm super uncomfortable and my back keeps swelling from my bulging disc lol YAAAYYYY'

Honest and open: Erin told fans that it can be ‘overwhelming’ watching your body ‘go from one extreme to another’: ‘I’m still swollen and bloated, I’m super uncomfortable and my back keeps swelling from my bulging disc lol YAAAYYYY’ 

‘Watching your body go from one extreme to another in just a few days can be super overwhelming, especially when you can’t control what happens post surgery.’

Erin went on to say that she hopes it’s her last surgery as her body has ‘had enough’, and is compiling a mini vlog to answer questions she has been asked by her fans.

‘I absolutely love raising awareness about endometriosis and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It’s f***ing tough, exhausting and mentally draining… so if you are going through this too, YOU ARE NOT ALONE,’ she wrote. 

Erin has always been candid with fans, and this was particularly evident in an Instagram post in September.

'I absolutely love raising awareness': Erin said she hopes it's her last surgery as her body has 'had enough', and is compiling a mini vlog to answer questions she has been asked by her fans

‘I absolutely love raising awareness’: Erin said she hopes it’s her last surgery as her body has ‘had enough’, and is compiling a mini vlog to answer questions she has been asked by her fans 

The influencer shared a photo of her bloated tummy, and recalled the ‘horrific’ pain as she dropped to her knees in the shower when an ovarian cyst ruptured. 

‘My stomach started bloating to the point it could not stretch any further, my skin was burning from how extreme the bloating was,’ she said.

‘I dropped to my knees in the shower, the pain that followed is literally INDESCRIBABLE. I screamed, cried and cried and cried times 100. I was rocking back and forth just crying.’  

Journey: Erin has always been candid with fans, and this was particularly evident in September. The influencer shared a photo of her bloated tummy to Instagram, and recalled the 'horrific' pain as she dropped to her knees in the shower when an ovarian cyst ruptured

Journey: Erin has always been candid with fans, and this was particularly evident in September. The influencer shared a photo of her bloated tummy to Instagram, and recalled the ‘horrific’ pain as she dropped to her knees in the shower when an ovarian cyst ruptured 

Erin first discovered she had the debilitating disorder when she had a three-litre cyst removed from her ovary at the age of just 15.

‘Everyone asking about my stomach tattoo. I got this tattoo to cover up scars on my stomach as I’ve had many ovary operations due to having endometriosis and polycystic ovaries,’ she explained in 2019.

At the time, Erin also revealed that she can’t have children naturally.

Raising awareness of the crippling condition: Alongside this photo of her bloated stomach, she told fans: 'I screamed, cried and cried and cried times 100. I was rocking back and forth just crying'

Raising awareness of the crippling condition: Alongside this photo of her bloated stomach, she told fans: ‘I screamed, cried and cried and cried times 100. I was rocking back and forth just crying’ 

WHAT IS ENDOMETRIOSIS? 

Endometriosis is present when the tissue that is similar to the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside this layer and causes pain and/or infertility.

There are a wide variety of symptoms – pain can affect areas ranging from the abdomen and lower back to the pelvis and vagina. 

Other symptoms include painful sexual intercourse, abnormal menstruation, nausea, bloating, and pain with bowel movements.   

The only way that the diagnosis of endometriosis can be made is to undergo a laparoscopy and have a tissue sample taken.

There is no cure, but treatments such as hormones and excision surgery, are available.

Source: Endometriosis Australia