Amber Portwood’s ex, Gary Shirley, underwent surgery on Wednesday. He explained on Instagram that he was getting work done on his sinuses due to having “narrow passages.” Hours after sharing that he was going into surgery, he gave an update on his condition in the comments section of the same post.
Shirley told his fans on Instagram that it was “time for everyone’s favorite, surgery,” and posted a selfie from the hospital. He went on to explain that he “hates” that he has to have surgery, but that it’s necessary for his sinus issues. The Teen Mom OG alum wrote, “Going for sinus surgery, got narrow passages and doing some other stuff in there. (No it’s not from the toot).” Shirley went on to write that any “prayers are appreciated and welcomed” as he underwent surgery.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Luckily, Shirley has his wife, Kristina Shirley, who is a nurse, by his side as he recovers. He ended his caption by writing, “thanks for [Kristina] my nurse whose gonna help me recover. Prayers to the doctors as well as the gas passes thru me.” Shirley later took to the comments section and shared an update post-surgery. The reality star wrote, “I survived, throat is sore as heck, but thank you all.”
Shirley has been involved in the Teen Mom franchise ever since he and Portwood first appeared on 16 & Pregnant. The pair share a 14-year-old daughter named Leah. There’s been a fair amount of drama between Portwood and Shirley throughout their time on reality television. In recent years, that drama has poured over onto the relationship between Portwood and her daughter. During her appearance on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Portwood opened up about the strained relationship that she has with Leah and the steps that she’s been taking to repair things between them. In an effort to maintain a positive relationship, she recalled attending Leah’s birthday celebration, as E! News highlighted.
“We’re working on our relationship and I’m being patient,” Portwood said in the season premiere of the series, which aired in September 2022. “Last year, my daughter asked for space and I’m doing my best to be present for her while respecting her boundaries.” Leah later opened up about the topic with her father, telling him that she was glad that her mom could come celebrate. She said, “I want us to be friendly together and not have any issues or anything. I don’t want to have any tension or for it to be awkward with her.” Leah added that she felt it was a “big step” in the right direction for their relationship.
