# @katieaknowles on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DNkrnJqIwmU
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/59777492-katieaknowles-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/a056cbb11c.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-08-20T10:16:56.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Katie Knowles (@katieaknowles) — https://gondola.cc/katieaknowles

## Caption

I keep getting messages saying, “Wow, you’re out already, you look amazing, you’ve bounced back so fast.” But honestly? It’s absolute Instagram propaganda.

The truth is, I don’t recognise myself at all the moment. My body feels completely foreign. I’ve gained a stone in six weeks, I’m constantly bloated, my boobs are bigger and sore, my face looks puffy, my skin and hair are dry. Every time I see my reflection, it feels like a stranger staring back, and I hate it.

On top of that, I can’t even exercise to help myself feel better. My consultant has told me I have another month of no baths or gym because of the pain and bleeding. That’s four more weeks of being stuck in this body I don’t feel comfortable in, with no outlet, no way to feel like me again. It’s like I’m trapped, waiting for permission to move forward.

The symptoms are relentless: the brain fog, forgetting names mid-sentence, going to the wrong cinema, snapping at people I love because I’m just so up and down. The CONSTANT hot flushes, the 2, 3 & 4 a.m. wake-ups, waking up drenched in sweat, terrible back pain, exhaustion that sits in my bones. And mentally… I’m low, anxious, & angry.

Yes, I can throw on a dress and lipstick and smile for a picture, but it’s smoke and mirrors. Behind it, I feel like absolute shit.

I’m sharing this because I don’t want anyone scrolling through their feed thinking they’re failing because they’re not “bouncing back” like I seem to be. I’m not. I’m bleeding, sore, puffy, heavier, grumpy, anxious and lost in a body I don’t know or like.

If you’re struggling too, whether it’s with recovery, hormones, or just getting through the day, you’re not alone. Instagram will show you the highlight reel. But for reals?  It’s mostly fake news 😂

#HysterectomyRecovery #WomensHealth #PostOpJourney #EndometriosisAwareness #Adenomyosis #PCOS #ChronicIllness #MenopauseSymptoms #Perimenopause #HormoneHealth #BodyChanges #RealLifeNotInsta #PostOpStruggles #MentalHealthAwareness #ThisIsMe

## Stats

- **Views:** 33,923
- **Likes:** 634
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 121

## Tags

pcos, postopstruggles, chronicillness, perimenopause, womenshealth, reallifenotinsta, bodychanges, adenomyosis, endometriosisawareness, postopjourney, hormonehealth, mentalhealthawareness, hysterectomyrecovery, thisisme, menopausesymptoms

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