The Bold and the Beautiful star Denise Richards reveals she had emergency surgery

After "stupidly" ignoring her symptoms for "way too long," Denise Richards (Shauna Fulton, The Bold and the Beautiful) reveals she had to have emergency surgery to repair four hernias.

The Bold and the Beautiful's Denise Richards (Shauna Fulton) regularly updates fans about her life on social media, but a recent medical post shared by both the actress and her husband, Aaron Phypers, was a particular head-turner. An Instagram photo showed Richards in a hospital bed, and the caption revealed she had to have emergency surgery to remove four hernias after she ignored her symptoms for months.

"My hubby posted this and I need to actually thank him for taking such great care of me. This was a couple months ago and turned out to be a good lesson for me to always listen to my body," the actress shares with her post-op photos. "Being a mom, wife, and having a career, sometimes it's easier to just be strong and power through. I thought the pain and my other symptoms would just go away. They did not and got a lot worse."

After seeking care, Richards was stunned to discover that she had four hernias -- two femoral and two inguinal. Now she's taking the opportunity to share her story with the hope that it will influence others not to ignore health symptoms and to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

"I waited way too long and didn't even tell my husband how bad I was feeling. I know it was stupid!" she writes. "Gotta always listen to our bodies and take care of ourselves."

As defined by Healthline, a hernia occurs when an organ pushes through an opening in the muscle or tissue that holds it in place. They usually occur in the abdomen between the chest and hips, but they can also appear in the upper thigh and groin areas. Most hernias aren't immediately life-threatening, but they don't go away on their own and sometimes require surgery to prevent dangerous complications.

Symptoms of hernias include a bulge or lump in the affected area, pain and discomfort in the affected area, heartburn, trouble swallowing, and chest pain.

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Richards joins many daytime stars who have taken to social media with health scares lately. All My Children alum Cameron Mathison (ex-Ryan Lavery) recently had surgery for kidney cancer while his former costar Susan Lucci (ex-Erica Kane) had emergency heart surgery; Days of our Lives' Alison Sweeney had skin cancer as did her costar Martha Madison (Belle Black); and Ral Andrews (ex-Hal Michaels, DAYS; ex-Marcus Taggert, General Hospital; ex-Walker Daniels, As the World Turns; ex-Agent Trumball, AMC) is recovering from cancer surgery. Meanwhile, five different GH stars (yes, five) suffered health maladies this year alone. Click here to find out who spent 2019 recovering from a medical situation.

What do you think about Denise Richards revealing she had to have emergency surgery after ignoring hernia symptoms? Have you ever waited too long to seek medical treatment? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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