Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals Pacemaker Surgery
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00:00 I have some personal news to share.
00:03 Last Monday I had surgery for a pacemaker and became a little bit more of a machine.
00:08 Arnold Schwarzenegger is sharing details on a recent health procedure.
00:12 On the latest episode of his podcast, Arnold's Pump Club, the action star revealed that he
00:15 had surgery to get a pacemaker installed just days earlier.
00:19 He thanked his doctors and nurses and shared that he's recovering well.
00:22 First of all, I want you to know I'm doing great.
00:26 I had my surgery on Monday and by Friday I was already at a big environmental event with
00:33 my friend and fellow fitness crusader Jane Fonda.
00:36 Nobody would ever have thought I started the week with a surgery.
00:41 Arnold was born with a bicuspid aortic valve and first had valve replacement surgery in
00:45 1997.
00:46 He had one valve replaced in 2018 and another in 2020.
00:49 An irregular heartbeat developed after his last procedure and after keeping tabs on it
00:53 in the years since.
00:54 His medical team recently determined that it was the right time for him to get a pacemaker.
00:58 It was time to go through with this because some scar tissue from my previous surgery
01:02 had made my heartbeat irregular.
01:04 It had been like that for a few years.
01:07 So I stayed in touch with my medical team and visited in person at least once a year
01:12 to get a full checkup and see how my heart was doing.
01:15 That's life with a genetic heart issue.
01:19 But you won't hear me complaining.
01:21 My mother and her mother's bicuspid valves killed them.
01:25 I'm still here because of medical innovation and being very diligent about staying in touch
01:30 with my doctors and listening to them.
01:34 Arnold said that while he won't be able to hit the gym as hard as he used to for a while,
01:37 he will be quote "100% ready" to start filming FUBAR season 2 in April.
01:42 The Terminator actor also explained why speaking out about his health journey was important
01:45 to him and a departure from how he grew up.
01:48 Saying this to all of you goes against so much of my upbringing in Austria where nobody
01:54 ever talked about medical issues.
01:57 Everything related to healthcare was kept to yourself.
01:59 But I've gotten so many messages and emails from people who were born with a bicuspid
02:06 aortic valve like me telling me that talking about my valve replacement surgeries has given
02:12 them courage and hope to deal with their own.
02:16 He also shared this message of encouragement for all listeners dealing with their own health
02:19 challenges.
02:20 I want you to know you aren't alone.
02:24 And if you're putting something off out of fear, I hope I inspire you to listen to your
02:28 doctors and take care of yourself.
02:30 This village is a place for us to be open and honest because it's impossible to be truly
02:35 positive when you keep everything bottled up.
02:39 That's what Arnold's Pump Club is all about.
02:42 There are weights that none of us can lift alone.
02:45 But together we can lift anything.
02:48 [Music]