DWTS Judge Carrie Ann Inaba Undergoes Emergency Surgery

Getty/Heavy Carrie Ann Inaba

“Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba revealed that she had to undergo emergency surgery after she had an appendix attack. She posted a video from her time in the hospital on Instagram alongside a lengthy caption.

In the caption, Inaba thanked her doctors, nurses, and the staff at the hospital before revealing she had to undergo an emergency appendectomy.

“Appendicitis attacks happen suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere,” Inaba shared. “And when you are in that much pain, the last thing you want to do is go anywhere. And when you have 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.”

She added that she was wrong.

“I should have come straight to the hospital right when the pain in my abdomen started, after the sudden and violent vomiting that knocked me off my feet,” the “Dancing with the Stars” judge wrote. “I should have gone when I couldn’t stand without excruciating pain… but I honestly didn’t want to leave my babies, and I’m so accustomed to pain —thought I should let it play out.”

She went on to encourage her followers to get checked out if they have pain in their abdomen. The surgery for Inaba resulted in a four day hospital stay followed by four to six weeks of recovery, she revealed in the video before saying she was “grateful to be alive.”

Carrie Ann Inaba Received Well Wishes From Friends & Fans

Fans and friends took to Carrie Ann Inaba’s comment section to wish her well.

“Get well soon ❤️ I had that a few years ago. Glad you got it taken care of 🙏🏼 Feel better,” “Dancing With the Stars” judge Derek Hough wrote.

“Dancing With the Stars” pro Pasha Pashkov commented, “Hope you feel better! Glad you caught it in time.”

Others shared their hopes that Inaba would get well soon, while some people related to her sharing that she was so accustomed to being in pain that she didn’t think twice about not seeing a doctor for so long.

Carrie Ann Inaba Has Shared Information About Her Health on Social Media

In the past, Inaba has used her social media channels to share information about her health and autoimmune disease with fans. In her January 2023 post about the coming of 2023, Inaba wrote that she was thankful to be alive.

“It was a year of growth, learning how to work with my body and health, removing what doesn’t work, and DWTS came back with a boom! It was my favorite season in a long time. It was grueling, but it was so fun,” she wrote, adding that she’s the “healthiest” she’s been in years.

In the past, Inaba has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, lupus, arthritis, and Sjögren’s Syndrome, according to Hello! Magazine. When she first got sick and sought help, Inaba had a hard time getting a diagnosis from people in the medical field. One of her main symptoms was dry eyes, which is a symptom of Sjögren’s Syndrome. Inaba saw five doctors before being diagnosed.

“Dancing With the Stars” is set to return in the fall of 2023 on Disney+.