Arnold Schwarzenegger has opened up about his challenging recovery after undergoing a third open heart surgery that nearly cost him his life.
In a recent YouTube video posted to The Pump, the 76-year-old Hollywood star - who was born with a congenital heart defect - candidly reflected on the valve replacement surgery he underwent right before filming 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate.
According to Schwarzenegger, there were a few complications that occurred on the operating table that left the former governor of California "freaking out" when he woke up.
"I woke up and all of a sudden the doctors were in front of me saying, 'I’m so sorry but it was unlike what we planned,'" he explained, adding that it was meant to be a simple non-invasive procedure became more difficult when his medical team "made a mistake and poked through the heart wall".
So due to the sudden internal bleeding, the doctors had to "open [him] up very quickly to save [his] life".
Watch Schwarzenegger's video below:The Commando star went on to reflect on his feelings after the scary setback. However, he said he had a change in perspective as he was determined to get back on his feet as soon as possible.
"The bottom line is, you cannot roll the clock back. It was a disaster. I was in the middle of a disaster," he said. "So now, how do I get out of it? You have to shift gears. Collect yourself, shift gears, and say, ‘OK, what I need to do now is get out of this hospital.'"
Schwarzenegger said that his first step was to "get out of bed" and "start walking" as he showed footage of him moving with a walker in the hospital. He then shared that after taking his first 10 steps, he took even longer walks, some of which were around the nurses' station in the hospital.
The True Lies star also explained how he stayed motivated, disclosing: "And then called my buddies in and I said, you guys have to fire me up, you have to count the amount of steps I’m doing," and including a clip of his friends walking in the hallways with him.
The former California governor said that while his friends told him he was "doing well" on his walks, he felt like he "looked like an idiot waddling around in the hallways," but, he still recognized that these walks were a crucial part of his recuperation.
"The bottom line was I was getting going because the doctors said you have to exercise your lungs because if you get pneumonia, you can die," he said. "So I wanted to get really going with exercise, get out of the hospital as quickly as possible."
Due to his "positive attitude" and persistence, the former bodybuilder was able to continue his recovery at home and get back into shape in time for Terminator 6.
Upon watching his inspiring video, many of Schwarzenegger's fans flooded the comment section with praise for the actor's motivational comeback. One user said: "The word inspiration is overused these days but that's exactly what you are for me and millions of other people. What a guy."
Another commented: "Arnie, you're such an inspiration to me. Not just because you're Arnold Schwarzenegger but because you're human and not afraid to show it and you're so positive and motivating and you not only interested in the fit people but those of us who are starting from scratch. Thanks."
A third person called him a "terrific role model l to people recovering from or suffering from health issues," and added: "It isn't easy to be positive when the chips are down, but you continually demonstrate that it is the state of mind that is important. Be positive, be determined, grit your teeth, work through the pain & never give up. You are a modern-day hero."
This isn’t the first time that Schwarzenegger has spoken candidly about his physical health. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor spoke about his health and desire to live forever.
"I still work out every day, I ride my bike every day, and I make movies - show business is another part of my life," he said. "I add in my life, I never subtract. I don’t need money. I get money because you have to have a certain value and the agents negotiate."
"But I have a great time doing it. I love everything that I do. There’s no retiring. I’m still on this side of the grass, so I’m happy. My plan is to live forever - and so far, so good!" he added.
