It’s not over yet, either, as the Poison singer gets set to have his pre-planned heart surgery on Monday.
The Arizona Republic reports Michaels, a diabetic since age 6, learned last spring that he had a tiny hole in his heart after doctors treated him at Phoenix's Barrow Neurological Institute for a brain hemorrhage.
Doctors at Barrow and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center directed Michaels, 47, to continue follow-up treatment for his hemorrhage before moving ahead with surgery to repair his heart.
"I've done a lot of neurological tests, and they say I'm about 95 percent there," says Michaels, who resumed performing the second half of last year after surviving what doctors said could have been a fatal hemorrhage.
"I still have a little 'funk' with my left hand that I haven't quite figured out, but I think with a little more therapy, by one full year (after the hemorrhage), I'll be as good as I'm going to get."
Michaels says he, his fiancée, Kristi Gibson, and their two daughters will check into St. Joseph's on Sunday evening to prepare for the operation to fix an opening between the two sides of the heart, known as patent foramen ovale. The singer says doctors plan to use a scope inserted in his groin area to access and repair his heart.
"Barring any complications, I should be out within three to four days," says Michaels. "Then, I will be down (resting) for three weeks. I don't know if I can sit around for that long, but I'll try my best."
I have a friend who had this same surgery a few years ago and, fortunately, everything worked out well and he’s never been better. As Michaels and his doctors mentioned last year, the hole in the heart may exist in many people without it ever becoming an issue; in Bret’s case, the procedure was recommended, given his unique health circumstances.
Check out the full story at the Arizona Republic here.
Poison Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn (1988)
See also:
Bret Michaels to play Pittsburgh Steelers playoff party
