LOS ANGELES — Longtime “Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba has updated fans on her health after she recently had an emergency appendectomy.
The reality TV personality announced Sunday via Instagram that she is “home recovering and healing” after she was hospitalized with acute appendicitis late last month. Inaba underwent surgery in March and received treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“Thank you all so much for the messages of love and support,” Inaba captioned a video message to her Instagram followers.
“I’ve been resting and thinking about things and will be sharing more about my journey. So it might help someone else know the signs so they can seek treatment immediately and not make the same mistake I did.”
The former professional dancer and wellness advocate previously called her appendicitis scare “quite a painful experience.” After having “excruciating pain” in her abdomen and trying to “wait it out,” Inaba eventually went to the hospital, where a doctor told her “it could have been much worse.”
Inaba’s symptoms included “sudden and violent vomiting” that knocked her off her feet, but she initially wrote the illness off as one of those “strange health occurrences” that come with having an autoimmune disorder. (The former “Talk” panelist has been vocal about living with Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus and other autoimmune diseases.)
“When you are in that much pain, the last thing you want to do is go anywhere,” Inaba said last month.
“I should have come straight to the hospital ... but I honestly didn’t want to leave my babies, and I’m so accustomed to pain — thought I should let it play out. If you have pain in your abdomen, please have it checked out because it could be something very serious.”
While recovering from appendicitis, Inaba has experienced some fluctuation in energy level — staying awake and “feeling good” for a few hours only to be “zonked out” shortly thereafter.
“It’s a windy road, and I never know what’s coming next, but I’ve decided to just surrender to it and go for broke with this healing process,” she said Sunday.
“I want to send you all a big hug today … sharing my love and gratitude with you.”
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