Heinz Hoenig was in the hospital for many months. His wife says that the acting star was initially misdiagnosed with dementia.
After a hospital stay of several months, Heinz Hoenig (73) left the clinic in September. The well-known actor, who underwent surgery on the esophagus, among other things, is still waiting for an important aorta operation. His wife, Annika Kärsten-Hoenig (39), reports on the beginning of the difficult time for the family. Among other things, she also talks about an initial misdiagnosis. A young doctor assumed that Hoenig was suffering from dementia.
Hoenig drama began shortly after their wedding day
The “drama” started the day after their fifth wedding anniversary in March. Hoenig suffered from breathing difficulties and shortness of breath and was completely exhausted. In the hospital, Kärsten-Hoenig discovered that he was “saying confusing stuff and was completely disoriented in terms of time and place.” Therefore, the actor’s wife asked to see a doctor. A “very, very distant young doctor” not only appeared arrogant but also annoyed.
“This is dementia,” the doctor stated and did not allow herself to be dissuaded from her “said diagnosis.” However, Kärsten-Hoenig “worked in a geriatric psychiatric ward with people with severe dementia” for a long time and if her husband had had such “dementia signs, sorry guys, then I would probably have noticed that first.” Such a diagnosis also requires “far more diagnostics than five minutes of patient observation a day”.
“Why there was hardly any light on in my husband’s upstairs room”
Kärsten-Hoenig asked for her husband’s medical records and found that the 73-year-old had a low hemoglobin level and a low oxygen saturation in the blood – only 76 percent. It was clear to Hoenig’s wife “why there was hardly any light on in my husband’s upstairs room, yes. I mean, any of us with that value would have an absolute loss of touch with reality.” For her, this was all incomprehensible and “quite sad how he was treated.”
Annika Kärsten-Hoenig asked for further diagnostics and insisted on a gastroscopy. An inflammation of the esophagus was diagnosed. However, the actor was released and after initially feeling better, he caught a gastrointestinal virus. At some point, Hoenig got so bad that he ended up back in the clinic. “Please don’t let it be anything bad,” Kärsten-Hoenig hoped at the time. However, it was discovered in the hospital that a stent inserted into the actor in 2012 had become infected and he urgently needed surgery. Kärsten-Hoenig learned that her husband needed a new aorta. At the time, she didn’t even know that this was even possible.
Kärsten-Hoenig would like to tell you how the “whole chaos” continued in the next episode of the podcast.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
