Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed a recent health scare as he processes the news during the holiday season.
Having successfully undergone knee replacement surgery earlier this year, May was experiencing various pains this fall and hooked up with his doctor a couple of weeks ago for a check-up.
According to May, MRI scans “showed up all kinds of mechanical disc and vertebra problems that might be the cause of the pain, but there were also some abnormalities in the bones - things that the report said needed urgent attention. So around Christmas I've been having a succession of blood tests, ultrasounds, and various kinds of scans, to see if they could rule out various kinds of cancer.”
“Now, on hearing the ‘C’ word something happens inside you … of course,” posted May on his website. “I've seen so many of my dear friends fighting it … and my Dad lost his battle at age 66, exactly the age I am now. So over the last few days I've been in various states of unrest.”
“Well, rephrasing slightly, the REALLY great thing is that so far the tests have eliminated a lot of nasty things,” the guitarist wrote on Saturday. “My PET scan was today, and it felt pretty grim in there. But a few hours later I got a text from my specialist saying that he hadn't found any evidence of cancers in the tests so far. I have one more scan on Monday, but I'm beginning to feel cautiously optimistic.”
On Monday, May issued an update while thanking fans for their support.
“I've been overwhelmed by the amazing messages you've been sending me, folks, since I wrote about my 'Health Scare',” he wrote. “It's taken me by surprise - for many reasons. I really didn't realise how much you guys were gunning for me … it's great to know that, and I can't thank you enough. It puts a smile on my face. But I didn't realise that biting the bullet and mentioning the "C" word would unlock such an avalanche. I now realise that so any of you have been wrestling with this all along, personally, or in family or friends, and, like me, found it hard to share.”
“I'm going for another scan tomorrow [30 Dec] early, so I'll know more soon. Like I said, my specialist has given me permission to be optimistic!”
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