Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed he has had a pacemaker fitted after undergoing three open heart surgeries.
The 76-year-old said he now has a “machine part”, just like his Terminator character, and said he will have to take a break from the gym.
He said on his podcast. Arnold’s Pump Clubposted on Monday: ‘Last Monday I had surgery to make me a little more of a machine: I had a pacemaker.
‘I have to tell you that just saying this to all of you goes against a lot of my upbringing in Austria, where no one ever talked about medical issues. You kept everything related to healthcare to yourself.
‘But I have received 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 face theirs.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76 (left), revealed that he had a pacemaker fitted last Monday after undergoing heart valve surgery last year; He attended this event four days later with Jane Fonda and looked and felt good.
‘So, since I know that going against my secretive instinct and being transparent helps people, what choice do I have?’
Arnold assured his fans that he is recovering well.
He said, ‘First of all, I want you to know that I’m doing great.
‘I had surgery on Monday and by Friday I was at a big environmental event with my friend and fellow fitness advocate Jane Fonda.
‘By the way, when we talk about exercise being the only magic pill to slow aging, look at Jane. She is ten years older than me and this year she will be 87!
‘No one would have ever thought that I started the week with surgery.
‘I want to thank my entire team at the Cleveland Clinic. All the doctors and nurses took wonderful care of me and made the surgery as painless as possible.
He continued; ‘I was also told it was time to move forward with this because some scarring from my previous surgery had made my heartbeat irregular. It had been that way for a few years, so I stayed in touch with my medical team and visited them in person at least once a year to get a full checkup and see how my heart was doing.
Action man Arnold has undergone three open heart surgeries in the past and shared this image from his hospital bed in 2020.
‘This is life with a genetic heart problem. But you won’t hear me complain. My mother and her mother’s bicuspid valves killed them. I’m still here thanks to medical innovation and being very diligent about staying in touch with my doctors and listening to them.
‘My mother refused to undergo valve replacement surgery. But back then, the only option was to have an open heart. Today, they are replacing the valves with non-invasive procedures that allow you to go home the same day.
‘I had my valves changed for the first time in 1997, which required open heart surgery. I was told both valves would last 12-15 years. Dr. Starnes did a wonderful job and they turned 21, so when I went for replacement in 2018, the non-invasive option was available. Of course, you know there was a small mistake at the hospital in Los Angeles and my non-invasive surgery became open heart. I told that story and shared images here in this newsletter.
‘They only replaced one of the two valves, so I headed to the Cleveland Clinic in 2020 and they did the other one. This time, non-invasive transcatheter valve replacement worked!
‘But with all those surgeries, my doctors told me it was more important than ever to stay on top of the situation, and I was checking in all the time and sharing information about my heart rate from home. We knew his heartbeat was irregular and my fantastic team was watching him like a hawk.
‘They told me they would let me know when it was time to have a pacemaker. I went for my regular checkup in early March on the way to the Arnold Sports Festival and had a full battery of tests done. When I got home to Los Angeles, as if it were fate, I was talking to one of my best friends.
‘They told me they had a pacemaker implanted, it was a quick recovery and their energy levels were back to what they were used to.
‘That’s something you learn about irregular heartbeats: all that extra work your heart does wears you out. Man, if I can be honest with you, I struggled with those 16 hour days at the Arnold Sports Festival in the US in early March and in the UK last week, visiting as many sports as possible and walking through those crowds of hundreds of people. Thousands of fitness fans.
“The same day I spoke to my friend, one of my doctors called me to tell me that after looking at all my results and data and knowing that I had six weeks until it was time to film season 2 of FUBAR, it was time to go The doctors told me they want many more seasons of FUBAR, and this was the best way!
‘I told them I would pass through Cleveland on my way home from the UK and we would do it.
‘On Monday I dove in and installed the new part on my machine.
‘Like I said, on Friday I was out doing my normal environmental work and no one knew anything. I can’t do my serious training at the gym for a while, but I will be 100% ready to FUBAR next month!
“I could have kept it a secret. But I know we now have over 750,000 subscribers (775,000 to be exact – the town is now a city!), and many of you are probably dealing with your own health issues.
‘I want you to know that you are not alone.
‘And if you’re putting something off because you’re afraid, I hope to inspire you to listen to your doctors and take care of yourself.
‘This town is a place for us to be open and honest because it’s impossible to be truly positive when you keep everything bottled up.
‘That’s what Arnold’s Pump Club is all about. There are weights that none of us can lift alone.
‘But together we can lift anything: we can lift the world. You are never alone here.’