'Desperate' Tarek El Moussa Shares Graphic Photo of Stem Cell Treatment for Recent Back Injury
Tarek El Moussa taking dramatic steps to get himself on the road to recovery.
Days after sharing on social media that he had injured his back again, the Flip or Flop star is seeking help for his scary injury that has left the 36-year-old “barely” able to walk.
On Wednesday, El Moussa posted a graphic picture of himself receiving the stem cell treatment, along with a photo of his medical team.
“Well folks!!!!! As you know I’m desperate to fix my back so…..I did STEM CELL surgery today!!” he captioned the photos on Instagram.
“It’s CRAZY!!! They lipo my fat out with a 12 inch needle,” continued El Moussa, adding that he “asked to take all my fat” but “they said no.”
A post shared by Tarek El Moussa (@therealtarekelmoussa) on May 9, 2018 at 7:24pm PDT
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The reality star went on to detail the process. “They spin it and separate the stem cells into a liquid,” explained El Moussa. “They then take the liquid and inject it through an IV. Somehow…the stem cells find the injured areas of your body and begin the process of healing it at a super fast rate.”
Following the liposuction, “they put over 1,000,000 stem cells” back into his body, said El Moussa.
“It’s wild seeing the technology and future of medicine,” stated the HGTV star before seeing if any of his Instagram followers have had stem cell injections. “Is anyone familiar with it?” he asked.
“Thank you Brent at @rockinstitute…….I AM PRAYING THIS WORKS!!! I WILL KEEP ALL MY WONDERFUL FANS UPDATED!!” concluded El Moussa.
Last Thursday, El Moussa told his fans on Instagram that he had suffered a second back injury.
RELATED: Tarek El Moussa Injures His Back Again and ‘Can Barely Walk’: ‘I Feel Like It’s a Bad Dream’
“Awful news…life has been going so well and I’ve been so happy and healthy!” the father of two captioned an Instagram picture of him sitting on an MRI machine on May 3.
“Unfortunately… I injured my back again… it’s very scary,” he continued. “Last time I lost 50 pounds and was taking large amounts of pain meds to try and help the pain. Truthfully those meds really affected my mental and physical state and changed who I was.”
“Last time I hurt my back it took me a year and a half to recover,” explained El Moussa, who previously had back surgery. “As of today I can barely walk…I honestly can’t even believe this is happening, I feel like it’s a bad dream that I will wake up from.”
A post shared by Tarek El Moussa (@therealtarekelmoussa) on May 3, 2018 at 7:44pm PDT
El Moussa also admitted that he is “very down” because of the injury, however, he “will stay positive” and “fight to get healthy again.”
“I will be truthful and say I’m very down because of this,” wrote El Moussa. “It is going to take a lot of positivity and strength to go through this a second time. I will stay positive and I will fight to get healthy again. I appreciate all the support. T.”
In March, El Moussa discussed his previous back injury – which occurred in 2014 – while talking to Dr. Drew Pinsky on the Dr. Drew podcast.
“I got back surgery I went from 230 lbs. to 168 lbs,” El Moussa, who also previously underwent thyroid cancer and testicular cancer procedures in 2013, shared.
RELATED: Tarek El Moussa’s Own Cancer Helped Him Recognize Flip or Flop Contractor’s Illness
He continued: “So I had the cancer and then I got the second cancer. And then four months after, I recovered from the second cancer, I hurt my back.”
“I lost 60 lbs., I was on Vicodin every day, my hormones are off, I’m on pain meds and narcotics and I’m filming and working,” admitted El Moussa. (The reality star revealed in the same interview that he was also taking “human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injections every day because [he] was told to.”)
“It’s wild. It was a horrifying experience,” El Moussa said of his obstacles which made for a “really rough three, four years.”