Abby Lee Miller Shares Emotional Recovery Photos After Surgery
Just a few weeks ago, Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller was rushed into surgery with severe neck pain and paralysis. Although her doctors initially suspected she had a rare spinal infection, she was later diagnosed with a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that affects the lymphatic system. In the wake of her diagnosis, Miller is now recovering from her emergency surgery, and she has been posting about it on Instagram.
She recently shared a photo of herself resting in her hospital bed with her head on a pillow that reads, "Save those tears for your pillow," a reference to one of her famous phrases from Dance Moms. She captioned the photo, "Practice what you preach! #saveyourtearsforthepillow."
Back in April, Miller was experiencing intense neck pain as well as weakness in her arm that eventually developed into serious paralysis from the neck down.
In order to relieve pressure on Miller's spinal cord, she underwent a multi-level laminectomy, which involved removing part of several vertebrae. She underwent emergency surgery, which was an intense five-hour process, Hooman M. Melamed, M.D., Miller's surgeon, told SELF previously. After testing some of her tissues, Dr. Melamed gave Miller a preliminary diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
In aggressive cases of Burkitt lymphoma, a person might experience tingling or numbing in their limbs or paralysis, like Miller did, if a lymphoma mass growing in the neck becomes large enough that it presses on nerves, SELF reported previously.
She posted a selfie from her hospital bed after the surgery on Instagram with an emotional message. "So much gratitude and love for those who listened,those who looked deeper and those who leapt into action," she wrote. "So much more I wish I could say......about how quickly your life can change at the hands of others. Thanks for 🙏🏻❤️"
She also shared a photo of the scar she was left with (along with a thumbs up from a nurse). "This gives a whole new meaning to being stabbed in the back! 💪🏼," she captioned the photo. According to People, the scar is 18 inches long.
Luckily, she seems to be recovering well. Dr. Melamed told SELF that, after the surgery, Miller had already regained some function in her arms, legs, and toes.
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