‘I was in pain every day’: Sad truth behind reality star’s snaps

While this famous reality television star may appear happy in these photos, there is a sad truth behind her smiling selfies.

A former Love Island star has opened about her harrowing health journey that has set her back more than $30,000.

Just a few years ago, Sinead Hergarty’s hair was falling out in clumps and she was suffering from debilitating period pain every day of the month.

She had no idea what was wrong with her, but after all her tests seemed to come back normal, doctors kept sending her away.

Despite Sinead being told she was “fine” over and over again, she knew deep down something just wasn’t right.

Sinead was diagnosed with endometriosis later in life. Picture: Instagram / @sineadheg

While she is originally from Ireland, she now lives in Sydney. Picture: Instagram / @sineadheg

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The 31-year-old, who is originally from Country Tyrone in Northern Ireland but now calls Sydney home, was eventually diagnosed with stage three endometriosis in 2022.

Endometriosis is a common disease where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it in other parts of the body.

She is now sharing her story to help raise awareness of the illness and the gruelling toll it can take on those who suffer from it.

“It took me such a long time to get diagnosed, which is common with this illness,” Sinead told News.com.au.

“When I was back in Ireland, I did lots of ultrasounds and scans after complaining of pain, but nothing would show up on any of them.

“I did lots of blood tests and screenings, but everything was normal. It was so frustrating.

“It got to the point where I was in pain every single day, and was not getting any answers.

“To the doctors it seemed like I was healthy, so they just kept sending me away and telling me that everything was fine.

“So I lived in pain for years because nobody could ever work out what was happening.”

Sinead is raising awareness about endometriosis. Picture: Supplied

The surgeries have not helped as much as she had hoped. Picture: Supplied

Author and podcast host Sinead, who has over 220k followers on Instagram, recalled how when she first started getting her period as a teenager, it was incredibly light and a bit of a “non event”.

People with endometriosis often – but not always – will experience very heavy periods, which only made her case more difficult to diagnose.

She was also suffering from hormonal and bowel issues, which made it difficult for Sinead to live out her normal life from one day to the next.

She struggled to understand what was wrong with her. Picture: Instagram / @sineadheg

“I had very light periods, there was obviously some kind of blockage in my tubes,” she explained.

“They were very short and not really normal bleeding, but more like clots.

“My hair was also falling out in clumps. It felt like it was my body’s way of crying out for help.

“I had lots of pain down my side, along with some bowel issues.

“It defintely affects your mental health being in that kind of pain and not understanding why.

“I am so lucky that I work for myself, but I can’t imagine having to sit in an office when you’re feeling like that.”

Some days are too painful for her to get out of bed. Picture: Supplied

Sinead, who rose to fame after being on Love Island UK back in 2016, was living on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali when she decided to try and find more answers.

At first she was told her endometriosis pain could simply be a “pulled muscle” – but further more in-depth testing revealed the shocking truth.

“When I was living in Bali, I remember feeling so uncomfortable all the time,” she said.

“I saw a doctor there and explained how I was feeling. They asked me if I worked out often and I said that I did.

She was once told her endometriosis was a ‘pulled muscle’. Picture: Instagram / @sineadheg

Sinead lived in Bali before moving to Australia. Picture: Instagram / @sineadheg

“The doctor then told me that it was probably just a pulled muscle and that it would be fine. I really was not satisfied with that response.

“My friend then introduced me to a specialist and we ended up doing a full reproductive check, which included a transvaginal ultrasound.

“It was only then that they found the abnormality. I went back to Ireland with this information and was officially diagnosed in September 2022.

Sinead also suffers from what is commonly known as the “sister condition” of endometriosis called adenomyosis — a gynaecologic condition that causes endometrial tissue in the lining of the uterus to grow into the muscular wall of the uterus.

The pain that comes with these conditions affects almost every aspect of her life and can sometimes make it difficult to maintain social and romantic relationships.

The invisble illness can sometimes make it hard for the disease to be taken seriously. Picture: Supplied

But Sinead says she is very lucky to have a supportive network who understand and are compassionate about her complex health issues.

She also has been open to trying different things to help her symptoms.

“I have an invisible illness, which means that is not always blatantly obvious from the outside that I might be suffering,” she explained.

“So you can stand there and talk, be energetic, but it can feel like you’re being stabbed on the inside sometimes. It can be hard for people to understand.

“On really bad flare up days, all I can really do is stay at home and wait until it eases.

“I’ve tried so many different things for the pain. I’ve done acupuncture, reflexology, seen a herbalist, a naturopath, been on the contraceptive pill and coil and taken lots of supplements.

“Nothing has really helped except for cutting out dairy, soy and gluten. I also do lots of yoga and meditation, which help me decompress.”

Sinead is originally from Northern Ireland. Picture: Instagram / @sineadheg

Her journey of getting diagnosed has set her back more than $30,000 in medical expenses.

While Sinead says she feels fortunate that she can afford to cover those costs, she understands not everyone is in the same boat.

She believes that everyone should be able to have access to quality healthcare no matter their income and added that there needs to be more awareness of the disease overall.

“I’d really like to see people have more knowledge of it,” she said.

“Not everyone knows about endometriosis, so I think it is really important that we get that information out there.

“Every case is so individual and no two people with it will experience the same type of issues.”

About Bloody Time is an editorial campaign by news.com.au that been developed in collaboration with scientists recommended by the Australian Science Media Centre, and with the support of a grant from the Walkley Foundation’s META Public Interest Journalism fund.