Bret Michaels Back in Hospital
Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 06:04PM Blabbermouth just posted a news update that Bret Michaels is back in the hospital. From the report:
Bret Michaels was re-admitted to the hospital this week after suffering numbness on the left side of his body, predominately his face and hands which doctors described as a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or warning stroke. While MRI and CT scan tests were being conducted, Michaels also received a doppler ultrasound of his legs and lower abdomen looking for blood clots and most importantly an ultrasound bubble test of his heart was conducted which proved positive for a patent forum ovale (PFO), a hole in the heart. Dr. Zabramski (Bret's neurosurgeon), Dr. Becker (who ordered the test), Dr. Cook (who conducted the test) and Dr. Frey (Director, Outpatient Stroke Program) all confirmed the results.
Dr. Zabramski states, "There is no doubt that the positive patent foramen ovale (PFO) is devastating news to Bret and his family. The good news is that it is operable and treatable and we think we may have diagnosed the problem that caused the transient ischemic attack (TIA) or warning stroke; however we feel it is highly unlikely this is connected to the brain hemorrhage he suffered just a few weeks earlier. Once again it is great that he quickly reacted to the severe numbness and got to the hospital immediately."
Read the rest at Blabbermouth.
Reader Comments (8)
And you are right also, Rich!
Wise as usual, Me Wize!
Just chill and get better for Chrissakes!
How much does it need to be spelled out for this guy and his
handlers!
Bret! Go write and record some songs at Headley Grange with Poison (or get some outside writers on par with Desmond Child and Diane Warren if you have to) when you are better for a new Poison album...
Some ideas for song titles...
"Hole In My Heart" and "Brain Drain".
Quit driving yourself into the ground, man!
Spend this time with your daughters and family.
Get well soon, Bret!
Bret, please take it easy. I would rather miss out seeing you at the end of the month (Rib Fest, St. Louis), if it means that I will be able to catch a Poison or BMB show for many years to come.
Everyone here is correct in saying family comes first. The fans will always be there, and sadly, the haters will always hate. Make your health the priority it needs to be!
I wonder how this plays out if Bret wins the Celebrity Apprentice on Sunday night? Yeah, I watch that borderline trainwreck of a show. First time watching, mostly just to see Bret and Sharon Osbourne.
Get well soon, Bret. It feels like I've been saying that for the past two months now...
"Bret is being treated as an outpatient for the Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO). The condition is operable and treatable and for now he is taking two additional injections daily of a blood thinner. Bret is not only our boss but a great friend to all of us and his health is our main concern. That being said, Bret is a very passionate person and refuses to live his life curled up in a ball wondering if or when something else might happen. No doubt life has risks and rewards, being a type 1 diabetic he has lived with struggles and complications since he was six years old but he always tries to maintain positive attitude and seldom lets things get him down. I have seen him handle the ups and downs, highs and lows of this disease. No doubt these recent medical complications have been tough but he wants to continue to live his life, enjoy every day and get back on the road. He is taking all the medications and steps to insure that he can do that. As his friends and staff we are all making sure that he is not taking any undo risks and we are certainly taking every precaution possible to insure his health and well being. If and when something else occurs we will deal with it at that time. Hopefully, it will be a very long time before we have to deal with anything like this again.
Janna"
I know that people like Kari and Allyson and me are very scared for him right now. We probably don't agree on everything, but I'm sure that we agree on that...
I thought that downloading the little clips of his interview with Oprah would give me reason for optimism... but he's clearly still not fighting fit. I don't know if anyone else noticed the fact that one side of his face looked considerably more sunken and droopy, and less able to move. That's a big step up from the ICU, but clearly there are still lingering brain and/or nerve effects from the first stroke.
I do really admire Bret's willingness to fight. I like his drive, and I suspect that he's not the sort of person who responds well to being told what to do. (Find me a rock musician who likes rules or advice!) I've met a lot of people like this in our line of work, and telling them to cool it just tends to make them push even harder. Believe me: I've been there. The sheer bloody-mindedness is a big part of what keeps him alive in situations like this, and I have faith that his friends and family around him wouldn't let him go forward without clearance from his doctors... But I'm still worried about him leaving us too soon.
I'll share one thing that I've learned from the road though: worry is often the hardest thing to get across to a touring guy like Bret. Their lives are complicated enough, without adding in a bunch of fretting women. They don't want to hurt people, but they don't like being held down either. So sometimes you just need to celebrate all the good things that come with their lives, speak your mind, but let them find their own way towards a sense of balance and perspective. As hard as it is to watch: that's something that they really need to come to on their own terms. It might take some time. It might never happen. But if the people around him try to tie him down when he's not ready for it, it's just just going to alienate him.
But that's just my two cents... from someone who has tried and failed to get a touring guy to see that sometimes, love and worry are two sides of the same coin.