SOURCE: 문근영, 팔에 선명한 희소병 수술 흉터 “골든타임 지나 발견‥은퇴 생각도”(유퀴즈)
Actress Moon Geunyoung shared the story of her difficult rehabilitation process from a rare disease.
On the episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' that aired on the 22nd, the 'Nation's Little Sister' Moon Geunyoung appeared as a guest.
In 2017, at the age of 31, Moon Geunyoung underwent emergency surgery for a rare condition called Acute Compartment Syndrome. Regarding the unfamiliar name of the illness, she explained, "It's an emergency condition that occurs when the fascia surrounding the muscles is compressed, making blood can't flow properly. That's why it's called acute."
She recalled, "I was preparing for a performance in the countryside. It was winter and the road was icy. I slipped and sprained myself. When I woke up the next day, it was swollen. If I had gone to the hospital right away, it would've been identified quickly. At the time, I jus thought, 'My wrist must be swollen because its broken,' and left it for a day. During that time, it worsened, so I went to a large university hospital. I met someone I'm very grateful there. Since the X-ray showed nothing, I thought I'd just get a splint. The doctor said, 'Oh, you're Moon Geunyoung. Why are you here?' and I told them I was there for a splint, but he looked at it and said, 'I don't think a cast is the right move. I won't give you a cast. You need an MRI. It looks like there's something serious.' Then the results showed it was Acute Compartment Syndrome."
She added, "They said the golden time had already passed and necrosis may have already begun, that I needed emergency surgery immediately. If I had just gotten a cast, something much worse could've happened. I am so grateful for that doctor, they saved my life," expressing her gratitude to the doctor who discovered her illness.
After surgery, Moon Geunyoung told her mother, "Mom, I'm so happy I can finally rest now." She added, "I didn't realize how big the wound was. They had to leave the wound open because if it's closed too soon, it could reopen. So, my arm was wrapped in bandages about five times its size. I hadn't even seen it yet when I told my mom that I'm glad I can rest."
She continued, "When I saw the wound for the first time after they removed the bandages, I thought, 'Whoa, this is serious.' It was a relief that necrosis hadn't progressed, but they told me that the nerves in my fingers might not recover. I think I cried when I heard it was that serious. I always cried alone. I lived with my grandmother, so I couldn't cry at home. I would park in the underground parking lot and just cry my eyes out."
After three additional surgeries, Moon Geunyoung began a long rehabilitation process. She said, "Since the nerves were damaged, I had to do exercises to revive them, along with muscle training. At first, I couldn't even do anything at all," as she demonstrated the motion of clenching her fist.
She admitted, "I even thought I might not be able to act anymore. I strongly believed I might not be able to use my arm," and shared how she committed herself to rehab just to make sure she could make a living, drawing sympathy.
Moon Geunyoung revealed that her fingers slowly started to move again after seven months of rehabilitation. The entire recovery process took about a year. She said, "My nerves have come back and I can use my muscles again now. It's such a relief."
