‘General Hospital’ Star Risa Dorken Hospitalized for Emergency Surgery
General Hospital actress Risa Dorken is recovering from emergency gallbladder removal surgery after spending a week in the hospital over the Christmas holiday.
Dorken, 34, took to Instagram on Sunday, Dec. 29, to share how her eight-month health battle ended with an emergency surgery and unexpected hospital stay. Dorken, who has played Amy Driscoll on the ABC soap from 2016 to 2024, shared photos from her time in the hospital, including images of her in her hospital bed, preparing for a scan and spending time with husband Bo Clark.
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“First, I’m doing well. My 8+ month diagnostic journey came to climax while I spent Christmas week in the hospital,” the actress began her lengthy post. “After 3 ER trips, 7 Dr. visits, pelvic & abdominal ultrasounds, countless blood lab visits, 2 CT scans, 3 MRIs, a HIDA scan, low fodmap diet, echocardiogram and a treadmill stress test- with teary eyes, and an invisible problem- I had almost accepted my new reality.”
“BUT! I know my body better than anyone,” Corken continued. “The pain was intolerable and I knew it wasn’t normal. So I tried a different hospital, and they listened! Thank you, UCLA for your professionalism, care & kindness.”
The Boardwalk Empire alum revealed that in addition to her gallbladder surgery, she had also suffered jaundice, pancreatitis and more surgery “to remove a missed/lodged stone” over the past eight months. “None of those prior scans showed a ‘real’ problem, but in reality, my gallbladder was in reallyyy rough shape,” she explained.
Dorken said that she was only able to get “answers” and “healing” because she “stood up for” herself. “It’s sometimes hard for healthcare providers to take you (me) seriously, when they look at your chart, see mental health conditions, run their tests, and tell you nothing is wrong- ‘it’s your anxiety,’” she wrote. “It’s devastating to feel dismissed, especially when your health (& happiness) are at stake. Wellll sometimes scans are off & it’s a ticking time bomb organ rotting inside you… just saying. Health. Mental Health. It’s all that matters.”
Concluding her post, Dorken encouraged people to enter the new year with an edict of kindness: “Be nice to each other. Why not, ya know? Being a human is hard. Wishing you all a healthyyyyy 2025! Take care of yourselves.”
