For 20 years, Carrie Ann Inaba has been working as a judge on Dancing With the Stars. But behind the scenes, she’s also been dealing with chronic illness and various medical conditions that have left her in debilitating pain.
In fact, Inaba had to miss the Season 34 premiere of Dancing With the Stars due to being “under the weather,” although she did not specify what exactly what was wrong. Scroll down for a deep dive into what we know about her health.
What medical conditions does Carrie Ann Inaba have?
Inaba was first diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2007. At the time, she was in the midst of judging Season 4 of Dancing With the Stars. “I think it started because I went from being a very active person to a non-active person,” the former pro dancer told People. “I remember going to the doctor and I couldn’t move my head. I was in excruciating pain for years.”
Spinal stenosis is “when the space inside the backbone is too small,” according to Mayo Clinic. “This can put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves that travel through the spine.”
Six years later, in 2013, Inaba received another diagnosis: Sjögren’s syndrome, which is an immune disorder that can also cause pain and fatigue. The two major symptoms of Sjögren’s are dry eyes and dry mouth, per the Mayo Clinic.
Inaba called the pain caused by Sjögren’s as “debilitating” and said, “I was in so much pain, I just had to survive. I had to stay in bed three days a week, and I’m so fortunate because I had the kind of job where I could do that. There were days I could barely make my coffee because I was so exhausted.”
Then, in October 2023, Inaba received more insight into why she is often in so much pain: She also has lupus. “After years of wondering why I felt the way I did, I now know that I live with lupus – an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the body and causes inflammation that over time can damage different parts of the body including the organs,” Inaba shared on Instagram. “I am proactive about trying to prevent my own lupus flares, by taking rest and managing my stress levels, amongst other things.”
Inaba also has fibromyalgia, a “long-term condition that involves widespread body pain [and fatigue],” according to Mayo Clinic. She shared in a blog post that she’s also been diagnosed with “rheumatoid arthritis and [has] the markers for antiphospholipid syndrome, which can lead to blood clots.”
How does Carrie Ann Inaba manage her illnesses?
“For years I tried to fight the fatigue, I tried to push through the pain, and I tried to ignore the discomfort,” she shared in another blog post. “But eventually it becomes to much to ignore. And the reality is it can be debilitating. And in my journey, I had to make peace with that.”
Inaba admitted that once she accepted the fact that she was a “sick” person and would never “win” against her autoimmune issues, she had a “full redefinition” of herself and her interactions with the world.
“With the acceptance of my diagnosis, I started to live my life in ways to avoid causing any flare ups or panic attacks. Life became more of an avoiding of life than an actual life. And my life became very small,” she explained, adding that the two “greatest gifts” of her journey were “becoming the hero of my own life” and “accepting the parts of myself I didn’t want to and making peace with all sides of me.
However, she also revealed a number of products that she uses to help with her symptoms as much as possible. She also noted that, while she’s not a doctor, she’s found it helpful to “honor” her pain and “get out of it” as quickly as possible, without entering a “pain cycle.” “If I felt pain rising, I would take the prescribed pain medication and muscle relaxer the night the pain started and lay down with proper alignment and usually the pain would be gone on the morning,” she shared. “And then I would no longer need the pain medication.”
Scheduling time for “rest” has also been imperative for Inaba, as has been relying on her friends and loved ones for help when she needs it.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC