Paralympian hospitalized with life-threatening muscle syndrome

Paralympian Amy Purdy suffered a recent health scare while training for the upcoming snowboarding season and is now urging others to “listen to your body.” The “Dancing With the Stars” alum has been hospitalized for almost a week as she deals with Rhabdomyolysis, a life-threatening syndrome that causes breakdown of muscle tissue and jeopardizes kidney health.

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 breakdown 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. :)?????

A photo posted by Amy Purdy (@amypurdygurl) on Oct 26, 2016 at 7:48am PDT

“Hey Friends! I’d like to fill you in on the last few days of my life,” the 36-year-old wrote in a Thursday Instagram post featuring a photo of her arm and IV drip. “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 breakdown 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.”

Purdy said she pushed herself too hard during training last week while completing a set of pull-ups. She added that while her muscles were sore after the session, she only began to worry when she noticed swelling in her arm. In the Instagram post she explained a friend had been hospitalized for Rhabdomyolysis last year, so she recognized the symptoms in herself and went to the hospital.

“It’s been a very intense week hooked up to machines supporting my kidney through this process,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”

She further encouraged her followers to listen to their body.

“When it is telling you to stop… Stop!” she wrote.

Thank you for all your prayers and kind messages! I didn’t think I could be more grateful to be alive then I already was but here I am beyond grateful for my life and health. I almost didn’t come to the hospital when I did because my symptoms were so mild, had I of decided to sleep it off l most likely would have had major kidney failure or even gone into shock by the next morning. Intuition, knowing my body and knowledge about this condition saved my kidney and my life. The scary part about Rhabdo is there isn’t anything the Dr’s can do to stop it once it begins and they don’t know how bad it will get. They can only support your body with constant IV fluids to try to buffer the effects, but your muscles continue to swell and breakdown and your kidneys are still forced to filter the massive amount of toxins. Luckily my kidney has held up like a champ! Thanks Dad! And my numbers have dropped significantly today which is a good thing. This condition is so scary, please pay attention to your body. If you have overworked your muscles, if you are sore and you can see some swelling even the slightest amount like I had, don’t hesitate to go to the ER, it can save your life. I’m so grateful for my husband @dang_ale who’s been by my side, cooking meals at home and bringing them to me each day, for my family and all of your love and support! ????????????

A photo posted by Amy Purdy (@amypurdygurl) on Oct 27, 2016 at 9:38am PDT

As of Friday morning, Purdy’s post had garnered more than 7,500 likes. She added a follow-up post, in which she thanked supporters for their well-wishes.

“I almost didn’t come to the hospital when I did because my symptoms were so mild, had I of decided to sleep it off I most likely would have had major kidney failure or even gone into shock by the next morning,” she wrote. “Intuition, knowing my body and knowledge about this condition saved my kidney and my life.”