On the mend! Carrie Ann Inaba is recuperating after undergoing emergency surgery.
“I had an emergency appendectomy last week and while it’s been quite a painful experience, I also know it’s a gift to even feel this pain. I realize after speaking with my doctor that it could have been much worse,” the Dancing With the Stars judge, 55, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, March 30, sharing hospital footage and praising the “wonderful” medical professionals at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles for taking care of her.
She added: “Appendicitis attacks happen suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere. And when you are in that much pain, the last thing you want to do is go anywhere. And when you have [an] autoimmune disease, you are often having strange health occurrences that no one can explain or help you with so sometimes, you try to wait it out, like I did. I was wrong.”
The Showgirls actress revealed that she had felt pain in her abdomen before she started “violently” vomiting, which “knocked me off my feet.” Inaba added on Thursday: “I should have gone [to the hospital] when I couldn’t stand without excruciating pain, but I honestly didn’t want to leave my [pets alone], and I’m so accustomed to pain — [I] thought I should let it play out.”
The choreographer, who noted that she was very grateful for the medical facility’s efforts, concluded: “Thankfully, my appendix will not be bothering me anymore.”
The Hawaii native has long suffered from autoimmune conditions, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, vasculitis and Sjogrën’s, which she noted made her appendicitis more severe. Inaba’s health challenges had previously led her to step down as a cohost of The Talk.
“Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know personally that I have decided to take a leave of absence from The Talk to focus on my wellbeing,” she explained in an Instagram video in July 2021. “I know you guys understand, health is the most important thing. So, I appreciate your support, I appreciate the love and support from The Talk family.”
She permanently exited the CBS talk show one month later to further focus on her health.
After her March hospital visit, Inaba received well-wishes from many members of her DWTS family. “Get well soon 
I had that a few years ago. Glad you got it taken care of 
Feel better,” fellow judge Derek Hough replied via Instagram on Thursday.
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Gilles Marini, a two-time contestant, added: “Get better love. You will be up and running in zero time. Love love love .”
