Coronation Street’s Chris Fountain undergoes heart surgery after suffering terrifying mini-stroke
Chris Fountain has undergone heart surgery on Friday as he shared snaps from his hospital bed and has released a video to let his fans know he is OK.
The Coronation Street star, 35, took to his Instagram Stories on Thursday to update fans on his health after he recently suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA).
Earlier, the actor shared a video en route to the hospital and said: ‘So the day’s arrived. Just walking to hospital. Got the mother here for moral support. Here we go.’
Chris, who played Tommy Duckworth on the ITV soap, then shared a photo of himself in bed followed by a clip alongside his mother.
Chris playfully said to her: ‘Get off your phone, you’re supposed to be helping me feel better.’
Health: Chris Fountain has undergone heart surgery on Friday as he shared snaps from his hospital bed
Hospital: Earlier, The Coronation Street star, 35, took to his Instagram Stories on Thursday to update fans on his health after he recently suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)
Chris, who is also known for playing Justin Burton in Hollyoaks, underwent a pre-op last month and detailed what his upcoming surgery would entail.
He said: ‘What they do is, go in through my groin, go up to my heart and put this thing through where the hole is and it leaves a metal umbrella and they pull it through, it leaves another little metal umbrella at the other side.
‘Then my heart grows around it and hopefully, that should mean no more strokes and I’ll have a little bionic heart.
‘It’s a little bit nerve-wracking as it’s a heart procedure but apparently it’s 99.9% successful I’ll have to take it easy for a week or so after it’s done.
‘So yeah, we do a marathon and then we go to do a heart operation, as you do.’
It comes after Chris revealed he lost the ability to speak and ‘feared for his life’ after suffering a mini-stroke in August.
The actor was admitted to Hackney’s Homerton University Hospital following the incident after which he was left speaking ‘like a toddler.’
Chris realised something was seriously wrong after waking to discover he could no longer articulate his speech, prompting the terrified star to dial 111 from his London home and request an ambulance.
‘Here we go’: The actor shared a video en route to the hospital and said: ‘So the day’s arrived. Just walking to hospital. Got the mother here for moral support’
Support: Chris shared a clip alongside his mother who accompanied him for support
The star later discovered he had suffered a TIA, commonly referred to as a mini-stroke, as a consequence of blood clotting in his brain.
He told The Mirror: ‘When the doctors confirmed I’d had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldn’t believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life.
‘Would I have another one? Would the next one be even worse and I’d lose the use of my arms or legs? I was really scared and just broke down in tears.’
Chris was eventually transferred to the The Royal London Hospital, where he underwent further tests over a five day period before being released into the care of his worried family.
Career: Chris is known for playing Tommy Duckworth on Coronation Street
He added: ‘The doctors said they saw some damage to the left hand side of my brain which is where your cognitive abilities are controlled from.
‘What’s scary is if I hadn’t have called 111 when I did and got to hospital so quickly I don’t know if that clot could have travelled to the wrong place in my brain, I could have died. That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.’
Doctors later discovered the clot was triggered by a small, previously undetected hole in his heart allowing blood to flow into his brain – meaning he will need an operation to close it.
WHAT ARE WARNING SIGNS OF A MINI STROKE?
A transient ischemic attack (or, TIA) involves a temporary lack of blood flow to the brain, which causes momentary dizziness, confusion, tingling, and numbness in the arms.
You should call 999 if you suspect you are suffering a TIA.
Symptoms include:
- vision changes
- dysphasia (trouble speaking)
- confusion
- balance issues
- tingling
- an altered level of consciousness
- dizziness
- passing out
- an abnormal sense of taste
- an abnormal sense of smell
- weakness or numbness on just one side of the body or face, determined by the location of the blood clot in the brain
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