Arnold Schwarzenegger recently revealed he had a pacemaker fitted following three open-heart surgeries, and had his first heart operation back in 1997 when his pulmonic valve and aortic valve were replaced
Arnold Schwarzenegger confused fans after sharing an emotional post that debuted his new pacemaker.
The 76-year-old Hollywood icon recently underwent three open heart surgeries to have the pacemaker fitted, and took to Instagram to give his loyal fans an update. Posting a picture of him with the battery operated device plugged in via red wires connected to his chest and ear, he wrote: “Thank you! I’ve gotten so many kind messages from all over the world.”
Arnold also assured his followers that his pacemaker – which is used to regulate an irregular heart rhythm – would not interfere with the second season of Netflix’s FUBAR. “A lot of people have asked if my pacemaker will cause any problems with FUBAR Season 2. Absolutely not. I will be ready to film in April, and you can only see it if you’re really looking for it,” he insisted.
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READ MORE: Arnold Schwarzenegger undergoes secret heart surgery as he shares health update
His fans were confused as his pacemaker looked much more like a bomb than medical equipment. “It looks like those time bombs in the movies,” one wrote. “That’s not a pacemaker. We all know it’s a brand new power cell. Hasta la vista, baby,” another wrote. “I thought of that heart device from Crank: High Voltage,” a third wrote. He responded in the comments section, “that’s what I was going for!”
Some also shared their unwavering support for the former California governor, with many joking that he was on his way to becoming one of his most famous characters in real-life. “I see what you’re doing, closer and closer to being a real terminator,” one wrote. “That’s not a pacemaker. We all know it’s a brand new power cell. Hasta la vista, baby,” another added, while one joked: “A real-life machine. Nothing can stop you!”
The Terminator icon is in good spirits after the health scare, and during an episode of his podcast Arnold’s Pump Club, he joked the operation to have his pacemaker fitted enabled him to “become a little bit more of a machine”. He added: “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. Nobody would ever have thought I started the week with a surgery.”
Arnold went on to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for him at the Cleveland Clinic, and shared: “All of the doctors and nurses took amazing care of me and made the surgery as painless as possible.” The action adventure hero first had heart surgery in 1997, when his pulmonic valve and aortic valve were replaced, and he had them replaced again in 2018, and then a third time in 2020. He said it was scar tissue from his previous surgeries that prompted his doctors to advise him to have the pacemaker fitted, and since his mother’s death in 1998, he’s been determined to keep on top of his health.
“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. That’s life with a genetic heart issue. But you won’t hear me complaining,” Arnold explained. He revealed his mother had passed away from heart issues after she “refused” to have valve replacement surgery which could have saved her life.
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