Former Dancing With the Stars contestant Amy Purdy has been hospitalized after developing Rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition caused by overworking muscles.
The Paralympic snowboarder took to Instagram to inform fans about the situation.
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“Hey Friends! I’d like to fill you in on the last few days of my life. I am going on day 4 in the hospital after developing a very serious condition called Rhabdomyolysis. You should google it and read about it, its crazy. It basically can occur when you overwork a muscle group and the muscle begins to break down into your blood stream. It can severely damage kidneys pretty quickly and as most of you know I have a kidney transplant which was a big concern,” the 36-year-old wrote alongside a photo of an IV in her arm.
She went on to explain how the condition had come about.
“I have been training as I prepare for the snowboard season and 1 day last week I pushed myself too hard. It seemed to happen so innocently, I did a series of Pull-ups and simply pushed too hard to complete the set,” the lengthy post continued. “My muscles were a bit sore for a day, nothing bad but then I noticed a bit of swelling in my arm and having a friend in the hospital with this condition last year, I rushed to the ER where they confirmed I had it too. It’s been a very intense week hooked up to machines supporting my kidney through this process. It’s so crazy to be so healthy and to think you are doing good for your body, then to suddenly have a life-threatening condition occur. As scary and serious as this has been, I have been very blessed that my Kidney has stayed strong.”
The athlete used her experience to raise awareness for the condition as well, urging her fans to listen to their bodies. Fortunately, her condition is improving.
“I’m also lucky I came in when I did, had I of waited a few more hours before going to the ER my situation could have easily been critical. That being said, my numbers are moving in the right direction, it’s just going to take some time to recover,” she shared. “I wanted to share this with all of you because for 1, I believe social media should give insight into our lives, and life doesn’t always have a pretty filter. Also, I want to inform you about this disorder that can happen to anyone. You have to listen to your body.. when it is telling you to stop.. Stop! My Dr said “we all have a breaking point, and you found yours.” I will share regular updates through my recovery. Thanks for the love and support friends. :)”
Her former Dancing With the Stars partner Derek Hough wished her well on social media.
“I hope your recovery is quick my beautiful @amypurdygurl,” he wrote on Instagram. “I came across this picture that was drawn by Emma Griffith and was moved by all the meaning behind it. In moments of adversity you defy the odds. And you will continue to through this recovery. Thinking of you my strong inspiring woman.”
This article first appeared on Womanista.com