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Natalie Stovall opened up about her 15-day stint in the hospital and her road to recovery in an Instagram post on Thursday (January 26).
Stovall, of beloved country trio Runaway June, posted a series of photos from inside Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Stovall shared that she went into the hospital on January 9, “to remove 3 large grapefruit-sized fibroids + any that were close by and ‘easy’ to remove. Once they got in there, they took out 20 fibroids total. Even left a few in there because my surgeon was trying to make the fewest cuts on my uterus as possible,” she said.
“It’s been quite the ride,” Stovall said as she shared her story. She went on to say: “I lost a lot of blood during surgery but even though I’m young and healthy my body just wouldn’t bounce back. I ended up getting a blood transfusion but by that time I already had a bowel obstruction that was wreaking havoc on my insides. After days of hoping for the best I ended up having to have an NG tube for 4-5 days. (For those that know, I’m so sorry you know…) I went 13 days without eating. And a total of 15 in the hospital at Vanderbilt where I can’t even begin to brag on my caretakers enough. And my family. Oh, my family and friends. They were all rock solid and got me through.
“I feel so incredibly thankful to be at home and starting to heal,” Stovall continued. “It was so scary and painful but at the same time I just think about how fortunate I am that it wasn’t something more long term or serious. I’ve never been this weak before - I get out of breath just talking. And eating Ensure’s and eggs is so painful. But each time gets better. Thank you all for your prayers. I am going to be focused on recovery so I can get back to all the things and people I love. But I think it’s so important to share these stories with one another. I didn’t even know what a fibroid was until I was diagnosed with a whole bushel of em in my belly. 🤍🤍🤍”
Stovall, who performs in Runaway June with bandmates Jennifer Wayne and Stevie Woodward, first revealed that she’d been in the hospital for 15 days with an Instagram post earlier this week. Stovall’s posts have garnered supportive messages from her Grand Ole Opry family and hundreds of fans and fellow country artists, including: Jessie James Decker, Huntergirl, Lindsay Ell, Tayla Lynn, Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman and Karen Fairchild, Carly Pearce, Alyssa Bonagura and many more. Stovall previously said she was “so thankful, relieved, and have never felt more loved. I will explain when I have more energy. But for now. I am happy. Thank you for all of the prayer warriors. My angels have been working overtime. 🙏🏻🤍”