NBC/Trae PattonHowie Mandel may be back to work now, but the dramatic events following his heartbeat irregularity were intensified by his acute germaphobia.
"It was no treat for me," the Deal or No Deal host told People. "It was really hard. I couldn't put on the gown or the customary clothing. I remained clothed and in my boots on the gurney and in the hospital."
While some may have thought the Howie Do It prankster was joking around, 53-year-old Mandel has been open about his obsessive-compulsive disorder since the game show kicked off in 2006.
The irregular heartbeat, however, was discovered during an insurance company-mandated checkup while the star was on location in Toronto. The treatment-an EKG test followed by a shock procedure that returns the heartbeat to its proper pace-was immediate.
The real drama, he explained, happened after he left the hospital.
The former St. Elsewhere star fainted in the lobby of his hotel and had to be rushed back in an ambulance.
"Apparently I passed out because I hadn't eaten, I was dehydrated and I was on medication," he told the magazine. "It had nothing to do with my heart. I did not have a heart attack."