Kathie Lee Gifford gives health update after fracturing her pelvis at 70
Kathie Lee Gifford is giving an update on her health.
The 70-year-old, who revealed last month that she had fractured her pelvis while recovering from hip replacement surgery, is now on the mend.
Gifford shared the news while appearing on Tuesday’s episode of “Today.”
The talk show alum also recounted her health journey over the past few months.
“I had a hip replacement needed because my hips apparently were down to the absolute nubs,” Gifford detailed. “And I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because of the life you’ve lived because you’ve always been on top. You’ve been climbing mountains, you’ve been dancing on top of all kinds of stages, you’ve been running for airplanes. You know, you wear your body out.’”
The famed anchor agreed with her doctor’s sentiments, explaining, “I had been in pain for over two years, and it was really, really a horrible time for me.”
But in other areas, Gifford was excelling in health.
“My bone density is up almost to 10% more than it was five years ago,” the star confessed. “I just did really, really well with that, thank you Lord.”
From there, the author went to physical therapy and recovered when she encountered a roadblock.
“I was running down my stairs here in my home in Tennessee because my friend was locked out of my back door, and it was 100 degrees outside, and I live in a four-story brownstone,” she recalled, “so I just went too fast, and it was stupid shoes, and I went tumbling.”
While using a walker to stroll around her farm, Gifford noticed something peculiar despite her pelvis being cracked in the front and back.
“I was in no pain at all, and I was off painkillers. I was off all that stuff,” she exclaimed. “And I called my doctor, and I said, ‘Shouldn’t I be in a lot of pain?’ And he goes, ‘Yes, you should. It’s been two weeks.’ He said, ‘Come in, I’ll give you another X-ray.’”
And Gifford feels that knowing “hundreds of thousands of people have been praying for me because I’ve heard from them” has helped her recovery.
“[My doctor] comes in with my X-ray, and he goes, ‘Look at this, Kathie. Do you want to see your X-ray?’ And I go, ‘That’s my X-ray?’ He goes, ‘Yeah. You’re completely healed. You are cured,’” the former “Live” host stated. “He doesn’t see that very often. He said, ‘You are healed. It is a miracle. And now, you can have one glass of wine if you want.’”
Taking a moment to thank those who have kept her in their thoughts, Gifford gushed, “I sob when I think about the people that have reached out to me and said, ‘Kathie, speedy recovery. We’re praying for a speedy recovery.’ That’s about as speedy as you get.
“So, if people are out there looking for hope, waiting for their miracles, keep waiting, guys,” she continued. “God hears your prayers, and he knows what you’re going through. And I’m deeply grateful and I’m still praying for all the friends and loved ones in my life that have not received their healing yet.”
Last month, Gifford opened up to People magazine about her hip replacement surgery, calling it “one of the most painful situations of my entire life.”
She added, “It’s been really hard.”
Gifford also noted that she “jumped off that gurney after my surgery.”
“I walked, I climbed, I walked, and my doctor said, ‘Kathie, no. You have got to realize that this is serious,’” admitted the celebrity. “And I was off my walker in two days. I was off all my medications in three days, and then I did too much. I just did too much because that’s who I am.
“I started carrying books around and signing and getting ready, and my grandchildren came to visit,” Gifford concluded. “And you can’t. I have learned from this that you only can only do so much. You’re just human. You’re just human. And I’m so grateful.”
