A RuPaul’s Drag Race legend has revealed how they suffered a ‘gruesome’ injury after a simple fall at home.
Describing the grim ordeal, Tempest DuJour — real name Patrick Holt — said she fainted after getting out of bed in the early hours of Sunday morning.
‘About 3am Sunday morning I got out of bed and fainted, hitting the corner of my dresser,’ she said.
‘Five hours later I was stitched up, bottom lip reattached. Ugh.’
Shocking photos shared to the social media platform also show the season 7 contestant’s bleeding cut lip and stitches.
Describing the grim ordeal online, Tempest DuJour — whose real name is Patrick Holt — said she fainted after getting out of bed in the early hours of Sunday morning and hit her head
The 57-year-old told her 163,000 Instagram followers: ‘About 3am Sunday morning I got out of bed and fainted, hitting the corner of my dresser. Five hours later I was stitched up, bottom lip reattached. Ugh’
Shock photos shared to the social media platform also show the season 7 contestant’s bleeding cut lip and stitches
DuJour, 57, didn’t tell her 163,000 Instagram followers exactly what triggered the fainting episode.
But, responding to comments wishing her well, the Drag Race star from Arizona said she believed she had ‘probably just got up too quickly from a deep sleep’.
DuJour added: ‘My husband heard the fall and found me pretty quickly.’
She also told star Michelle Visage, a judge on the show, who rushed to ask if she was ok, that she was in ‘lots of pain and swelling’.
But, she added she would be ‘seeing a plastic surgeon soon. It’s all embarrassing.’
Every year, more than 200,000 people are hospitalised after a sudden blackout.
Low blood pressure, caused by standing up too quickly, is often blamed for fainting.
Without sufficient blood flow, not enough oxygen reaches the brain stem, the part of the organ that helps us be conscious and keeps us awake.
People can also faint from hunger due to a drop in blood sugar due lack of food leading to brain not getting the energy it needs to function correctly.
While fainting frequently has a minor cause it can occasionally be a sign of something more serious.
Cardiac problems, such as arrhythmia, where the heart beats too slow or too fast, can also interrupt blood flow to the brain and lead to a temporary loss of consciousness, known as syncope.
DuJour did not reveal what triggered the fainting episode. Pictured, in 2017
Responding to comments wishing her well, the drag performer from Arizona said she believed she had ‘probably just got up too quickly from a deep sleep’
Orthostatic intolerance, caused by a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system — which controls unconscious activity such as heart rate — can also be to blame.
Normally when you stand up, your heart should automatically beat faster for a moment to ensure adequate blood reaches the brain, compensating for the change in the body’s orientation.
However, in cases of orthostatic intolerance, this doesn’t happen, delay an adequate blood supply reaching the brain and causing those affected feel faint.
It is four times more common in women than men and may have a hormonal link, since it appears to be worse around the time of the menopause or a woman’s period.
According to the NHS if you feel like you’re about to faint, try to lie down with your legs raised.
If you cannot do this, then sit with your head lowered between your knees, and try to drink some water and eat something, while taking deep breaths in between.
DuJour appeared in season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2015 and was eliminated in the first episode though went on to reappear in seasons 10 and 14.
