SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Bret Michaels is thankful to be alive after undergoing an emergency appendectomy earlier this week.
The 47-year-old musician and Celebrity Apprentice star was preparing to take the stage at SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas when doctors advised him that he needed to go to the hospital. Michaels was suffering stomach pains and what was initially thought to be a severe case of the flu, but a CT scan later revealed that his appendix was about to burst.
"About 10 minutes before show time doctors got on the bus and said, 'Bret we really don't think this is the flu' and told me that I WAS GOING TO THE HOSPITAL. After a CAT scan, they determined it was acute appendicitis and they performed emergency surgery right there in the middle of the night," Michaels wrote Saturday on his Fancast blog. "After the fact, they told me that if I had gone onstage like I wanted to, it likely would have ruptured and I could have died. Not good."
"As I write this, I'm feeling pretty bad…to tell you the truth," he added. "When you're not planning on having a body part ripped out of you, it can be a shock to the system. While the doctors are amazing in San Antonio, there is just no way around the fact that getting your appendix out HURTS. I have a pretty good threshold for pain, but this one hurts."
Michaels, a diabetic, said he wasn't sure how much longer he'll remain under medical supervision.
"I've spoken to several doctors and they all seem to be impressed with the condition I have been able to keep myself in as a juvenile diabetic," he said. "But a lot of extra care needs to be taken to make sure my body heals correctly. It's no secret I love my kids, my life, and being on the road, so I want to make sure I do everything I can now to make sure I can continue that later. They say it can take four to six weeks to recover, but maybe longer for a diabetic."
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