After opening up about some 'scary moments' that occurred during her two-hour surgery, the 'Think Like a Man' actress says that she has to go for a check up every two months.
- Nov 13, 2021
AceShowbiz - La La Anthony has unveiled a surprising health scare. In a new interview, the "Think Like a Man" actress revealed that she had to undergo a "terrifying" emergency heart surgery after nearly fainting.
In her Self magazine cover story published on Friday, November 12, the 39-year-old star shared that she underwent two-hour surgery, in which a catheter was inserted into her heart via her groin, five months ago. She added that she had some "scary moments" which occurred when she awakened throughout the medical procedure.
"They would wake me up during the procedure and say, 'We're going to speed your heart up now. Just take deep breaths,' " La La recalled. "Those doctors were just so incredible, but it was a terrifying experience."
La La also shared that her doctors first prescribed her medication, but she often didn't take it because it left her feeling drowsy. Eventually, the "Power" alum needed to undergo a cardiac ablation surgery on June 1 after she got lightheaded, began sweating and turned pale.
"I felt my heart racing all the time, but because it's all I ever really knew, I didn't even know that it was necessarily something wrong," La La told the magazine. "I just thought, 'Oh, you just feel your heart racing sometimes because you're working too much, you haven't slept, you're stressed.' "
La La further explained that she prefers to "self-diagnose," but her symptoms became too troubling to ignore. "I started feeling it even more -- like this fluttering and this racing all the time," she recalled. "I was like, 'What is going on?' "
La La's electrocardiogram revealed that she was having "about 25 percent more heartbeats over the course of the day than the average person." The TV personality said of her doctors, "They were very, very concerned. Within a 24-hour period, they said, my heart was beating 30,000 extra beats more than the average person. It was going fast constantly."
"Your heart is a muscle," La La continued. Carmelo Anthony's estranged wife explained further, "If a muscle is working so hard all the time, eventually the muscle will get weak and cause heart attack, stroke, death, whatever it is."
La La remained in the hospital for four days after the surgery. As for now, she has to go for checkups every two months. Her 14-year-old son Kiyan, whom she shares with her ex, inspired her to share her story.
"The more I thought about it and actually talked to my son, he was just like, 'Mom, like, it can actually help people out there to become aware of listening to their bodies,' " La La told the publication. "I can turn it into something that can actually help people out there and also make people understand, I'm human. I go through s**t. It's life."
