Austrian-American action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed how he nearly died when a routine medical procedure went drastically wrong.
On his podcast, Arnold’s Pump Club, the 76-year-old Hollywood star shared a candid account of a medical mishap that unfolded during his third open heart surgery, which occurred just before production was set to commence on the sixth instalment of the Terminator franchise.
Arnold revealed that his doctor’s mistake nearly resulted in a life-threatening situation.
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The Terminator actor was originally scheduled to go for a minimally invasive procedure involving doctors accessing his heart through the groin to replace a valve.
(Image: Getty Images)
But the procedure turned into a major operation due to an unexpected complication.
Arnold recounted: “I mean, I woke up all of a sudden and the doctors were standing in front of me and saying, ‘I’m so sorry, but unlike what we planned…we made a mistake and poked through the heart wall and…you had internal bleeding and we had to open [you] up very quickly to save your life’.”
The former professional bodybuilder continued to explain his traumatic experience in a video clip uploaded to the podcast’s YouTube channel: “I was in the middle of a disaster, so now it’s about, ‘How do I get out of it?’ “You have to shift gears.”
Arnold’s initial objective was to leave the hospital, which entailed rising from the bed and regaining his ability to stand and walk.
The father-of-five showcased video clips of his hospital stay, filming himself strolling down a corridor while wearing slipper socks and using an oxygen cart for assistance.
(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
“First 10 steps, then over around the nurse’s station, then longer and longer,” Arnold said, calling his friends in sometimes to help “fire [him] up.”
Pneumonia posed a significant concern for the 38th Governor of California’s healthcare team, prompting him to ensure daily walks to exercise his lungs.
Arnold recalled: “I wanted to get really going with the exercise, get out of the hospital as quick as possible, and then get going with the training again.
(Image: @patrickschwarzenegger/Instagram)
“I had to be in shape, I had to be able to move around, run around, lift things up, do the fight scene, all these things.”
Mr Olympia’s hard work reportedly paid off, as just merely three months later, Arnold was out and about again, even commencing shooting for Terminator 6.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
