Y&R’s Lily Brooks O’Briant Is Recovering From Surgery

Please join us in wishing a speedy recovery to THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS star Lily Brooks O’Briant (Lucy), who is on the mend after having endometriosis excision surgery on Sept. 9. In a series of vulnerable Instagram posts, the young actress shared that she’d been living with debilitating pain, nausea, and migraines for over three years, but after getting a proper diagnosis and finding an “amazing” team of doctors in New York City, she feels that she is finally on a better path.

“I know I am incredibly lucky to be diagnosed so young. Most women live with insane pain for 10+ years before being diagnosed and many are told they are overreacting or that it’s all in their head,” the 17-year-old actress and singer wrote. “It has been a really difficult, scary, and lonely journey, but I am so, so grateful that my mom researched and didn’t just accept the unacceptable answers.”

O’Briant shared that she was treated by Dr. Chu and Dr. Seckin at the Seckin Endometriosis Center in New York City. During her surgery, the team removed 21 endometrial adhesions during a laparoscopic surgery. “The endometrial tissue was everywhere (my ovaries, bowel, intestines, and more), and my left ovary had become distorted and fused to the [fallopian] tube because endometriosis is like having chewing gum in your body,” she explained. “The muscles in my pelvis were constantly pulling to extract the endometriosis that was sitting in places it shouldn’t be, which was causing the pain and more scar tissue to develop.”

Calling her surgery “scary but validating,” the Y&R star added that the extreme pain from her condition caused her to lose weight — clarifying that it wasn’t “an eating disorder” or a dietary issue — and her constant migraines were a result of her body reacting to the endometriosis.

In a follow-up post shared on Sept. 18, a little more than a week after her operation, O’Briant revealed that her recovery has been slow. “[It] took a little longer than expected because of some bumps in the road, and I will need another few weeks to recover 100%,” she confessed. “But I’m feeling so much better and am headed home to L.A. today.”

Besides thanking her doctors, O’Briant also thanked Animal Planet star Bindi Irwin, who revealed back in March that she’d undergone the same procedure with the same team of doctors. It was seeing Irwin’s inspirational post — then meeting the conservationist at an awards show — that led O’Briant to seek treatment herself. “I wouldn’t have recognized that what I had was most likely endometriosis” otherwise, she admitted.

Just as Irwin helped her, O’Briant hoped that by sharing her story, she may help other women know that they are not alone, as an estimated 1 in 10 women suffers from endometriosis. “Know that your pain is real and keep searching for answers,” she insisted.

And to her fans who have continually sent her messages and get-well wishes, “I am so very grateful to each of you,” O’Briant wrote.