Celebrity News March 25, 2024
Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals He Now Has a Pacemaker
Arnold Schwarzenegger is opening up about his medical journey, revealing he now has a pacemaker.
Speaking on “Arnold’s Pump Club” podcast, the star explained he needed the pacemaker because of scar tissue that developed after past heart surgeries.
Schwarzenegger shared, “Monday, I had surgery to become a little bit more of a machine: I got a pacemaker.”
While it is hard for him to open up about his health, he said, “I’ve gotten so many messages and emails from people who were born with a bicuspid aortic valve, like me, telling me that talking about my valve replacement surgeries has given them courage and hope to deal with their own.”
Giving an update on how he is feeling, Arnold said, “First of all, I want you to know I’m doing great! I had my surgery on Monday, and by Friday, I was already at a big environmental event with my friend and fellow fitness crusader Jane Fonda.”
He noted, “Nobody would ever have thought I started the week with a surgery.”
The former governor thanked his medical team at Cleveland Clinic, adding, “They also advised me that it was time to go through with this because some scar tissue from my previous surgery had made my heartbeat irregular.”
Thanks to the team at the Cleveland Clinic, I have a new aortic valve to go along with my new pulmonary valve from my last surgery. I feel fantastic and have already been walking the streets of Cleveland enjoying your amazing statues. Thank you to every doc and nurse on my team! pic.twitter.com/hmIbsEMHtA
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) October 23, 2020 @Schwarzenegger
Arnold continued, “It had been like that for a few years, so I stayed in touch with my medical team and visited in person at least once a year to get a full check-up and see how my heart was doing.”
He shared, “That’s life with a genetic heart issue. But you won’t hear me complaining.”
Schwarzenegger’s past heart surgeries include an elective valve replacement in 1997, followed by a pulmonary valve replacement in 2018 and aortic valve replacement in 2020.