Singapore presenter and host Kelly Latimer is recovering after a sudden and severe episode of back pain led to hospitalisation and surgery for an L5-S1 disc herniation.
The 40-year-old shared details of the frightening experience in an Instagram post on Sept. 30, saying she was now “slowly coming back to life” after undergoing the procedure. She revealed that she had experienced lower-back tightness and deep aches around her glutes for years, which she had generally managed with stretching and painkillers.
This time, however, the pain felt different and rapidly became much worse over the weekend.
Latimer said she eventually found herself unable to walk properly. She took strong medication and waited for the pain to ease enough for her to move around, but it did not help.
After returning to bed, she experienced a series of four or five sneezes. She said the final sneeze triggered an excruciating burst of pain that caused her to scream.
Describing the intensity, the mother of two compared the pain to the sensation of childbirth. Her husband, Justin Loi, 40, then brought her to hospital, where she was admitted and underwent an MRI scan.
The following day, Latimer said the pain had become so intense that she was screaming in agony. She was given medication to manage the symptoms while doctors assessed her condition.
Latimer later disclosed that she had an L5-S1 disc herniation, involving a disc at the base of the spine. The condition became serious enough that surgery was eventually required.
Before the scheduled operation, she said she began experiencing involuntary convulsions. Doctors conducted a brain scan and allowed her to rest before proceeding with the operation.
The surgery lasted about four hours. During the procedure, doctors removed or shaved away a portion of the affected disc.
Latimer said she experienced immediate relief after waking from the operation. Although she remains on pain medication and expects recovery to take time, she said she already felt significantly better than before the surgery.
She also expressed relief that the condition had not caused major permanent nerve damage. According to Latimer, doctors told her that delaying treatment could potentially have resulted in a lasting loss of sensation.
Latimer used the experience to encourage people experiencing persistent pain not to simply endure it without seeking medical attention. She urged those dealing with chronic pain to have the problem properly assessed rather than relying only on temporary relief.
The presenter also shared photographs from her hospital stay with her husband and their two children, nine-year-old Sienna and five-year-old Luca.
While she did not give a specific timeline for her full recovery, Latimer said she was grateful to have undergone the operation and was focused on gradually getting back on her feet.
Her account has also highlighted how a condition that had been manageable for years can suddenly become significantly more severe, particularly when symptoms change or interfere with normal movement.
For now, Latimer remains in recovery following the major procedure, with the presenter saying she feels considerably better after the surgery despite still needing pain relief and time to heal.
