Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's 'a little bit more of a machine' after getting a pacemaker

The "Terminator" star is recovering nicely after a heart procedure

Arnold Schwarzenegger is saying hasta la vista, baby, to his irregular heartbeat.

On Monday, the Terminator star shared on his daily wellness podcast, Arnold's Pump Club, that he recently had a pacemaker put in to help regulate his heart (he has previously undergone 3 open-heart surgeries).

“Last Monday, I had surgery to become a little bit more of a machine: I got a pacemaker,” he said. "First of all, I want you to know I’m doing great! I had my surgery on Monday, and by Friday, I was already at a big environmental event with my friend and fellow fitness crusader, Jane Fonda. Nobody would ever have thought I started the week with a surgery.”

Schwarzenegger thanked his medical team at the Cleveland Clinic, saying, "All of the doctors and nurses took amazing care of me and made the surgery as painless as possible."

The actor and former California governor has been diligent about his cardiac health due to a genetic heart condition that took his mother's life in 1998 when she did not get the valve replacement surgery she required.

His first two surgeries were in 1997, during which doctors replaced his pulmonic and aortic valves. He had them replaced again in 2018 and 2020. The valve replacements typically last 12 to 15 years. But scar tissue from the surgeries also caused Schwarzenegger to have an irregular heartbeat, which he continued to monitor.

"I stayed in touch with my medical team and visited in person at least once a year to get a full check-up and see how my heart was doing,” he explained on the podcast. "That’s life with a genetic heart issue. But you won’t hear me complaining."

Schwarzenegger first learned of his need for a pacemaker earlier this month when he underwent a series of tests as part of his regular checkups. Based on the results, his doctor advised he have the pacemaker installed as soon as possible, especially with production on season 2 of his television series FUBAR on the horizon.

"Monday, I went under and got my new machine part installed,” he said. “Like I said, by Friday, I was out doing my normal environmental work, and nobody knew anything. I can’t do my serious training in the gym for a while, but I will be 100% ready for FUBAR next month!"

Schwarzenegger concluded the segment on his show by admitting that it's not in his nature to be so public about his health, but that he's realized over the years how much being open about his own struggles can help those going through health challenges themselves.

“I could have kept it a secret," he concluded. " But I know that we have more than 750,000 subscribers now — the village is a city now — and a lot of you are probably dealing with your own health challenge. I want you to know you aren’t alone. And if you’re putting something off out of fear, I hope I inspire you to listen to your doctors and take care of yourself. That’s what Arnold’s Pump Club is all about. There are weights that none of us can lift alone. But together, we can lift anything — we can lift up the world. You are never alone here."

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.