Ty Pennington, the popular home renovation expert known for his appearances on the HGTV network, recently went through a rollercoaster of emotions. From walking the red carpet at a movie premiere to waking up in the hospital, his life took an unexpected turn. In an Instagram post, he shared his story and a vital message: never ignore unusual symptoms, especially when they persist.
For about a month, Pennington had been suffering from a persistent sore throat. Initially, he didn’t think much of it, believing it would eventually go away on its own. However, after his appearance on the red carpet for the “Barbie” movie premiere, things took a turn for the worse. Two days later, he woke up at 4 am struggling to breathe. It was a terrifying experience for the HGTV star.
Eventually, Pennington found himself in the intensive care unit, where he received a diagnosis that shed light on his month-long ordeal: his sore throat was actually an abscess that had grown so large it was closing off his airway. An abscess is a painful, pus-filled growth that can occur anywhere in the body. Sometimes, they resolve themselves, but in Pennington’s case, medical intervention was necessary to drain the pus and remove the abscess.
After being intubated and flown to the ICU in Denver, Pennington underwent surgery on Wednesday. Fortunately, the procedure was successful, and yesterday afternoon, he was released from the ICU. He expressed his gratitude to the amazing staff at St. Anthony’s in Lakewood, CO, and Summit Health in Frisco for their excellent care.
In his Instagram post, Pennington stated, “From the red carpet to the ICU… this last week has been interesting!” He also mentioned his team’s victory on “#BOTB” (presumably a home renovation competition). While still in recovery, he wanted to address his absence and remind everyone to listen to their bodies when it signals that something is wrong.