Carrie Ann Inaba’s Health Battle: ‘DWTS’ Host Undergoes Emergency Surgery After Scary Diagnosis

Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba is on the mend after undergoing emergency surgery last week. The TV star shared updates on her recovery and details about her condition in a candid Instagram post on Thursday, March 30. Scroll below for more details on what happened to Carrie Ann.

What Happened to Carrie Ann Inaba? 

Carrie Ann shared clips from her four-night stay in the hospital after facing a scary illness. 

“Special shout-out to the wonderful staff of doctors, nurses and aides at @cedarssinai for taking such good care of me,” her caption read. “I had an emergency appendectomy last week and while it’s been quite a painful experience, I also know it’s a gift to even feel this pain. I realize after speaking with my doctor that it could have been much worse.”

In the video, Carrie Ann sat in her hospital bed after undergoing surgery and provided some updates on her diagnosis. She revealed her recovery time is four to six weeks. 

“Appendicitis attacks happen suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere,” the former host of The Talk continued. “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. I was wrong.”

Carrie Ann revealed that her symptoms first began when she felt intense pain in her abdomen followed by “violent vomiting” that left her unable to stand. Eventually, the pain was so unbearable that it sent her to the hospital and led her to receive her appendicitis diagnosis. 

What Chronic Illnesses Does Carrie Ann Inaba Have? 

Carrie Ann also suffers from several chronic health conditions that have led her to take time off from TV over the years. She is currently battling Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. 

Sjogren’s syndrome is “a disorder of your immune system identified by its two most common symptoms — dry eyes and a dry mouth,” per Mayo Clinic. 

The Hawaii-born dancer previously opened up about how she was managing the symptoms of her illnesses, including inflammation. 

“All I did was make sure that I was eating foods that loved me — that I loved and loved me back — [and] that I was doing my hyperbaric oxygen chamber,” she told Health Digest in October 2022. “I was also making sure that every day, no matter how much pain I was in, that I did some sort of physical movement. That’s difficult. That sounds so simple for most people, but when you’re having an active flare-up, and your body won’t respond to you the way you want it to, it’s almost impossible.”