Bret Michaels confirmed he pushed through “intense” pain during three concerts before finally having surgery for kidney stones.
Michaels, 63, detailed his recent health setback on Wednesday, July 22, telling his Facebook followers that on #WisdomWednesday he has “complete gratitude for the frontline workers, doctors and nurses who this week have recently taken care of me, as the kidney stone (after almost 7 days of waiting it out) would not pass.”
The rockstar explained that the “pain became intense” but he “played through” shows in Charleston, West Virginia, Grantville, Pennsylvania and a “special private show” in Spokane, Washington, for veterans, active duty military and their families.
“But immediately, the next day following that show [in Washington], I was admitted to the hospital,” Michaels wrote, referring to his July 18 gig, noting that “the pain became too much when the stone would not pass.”
The Poison frontman shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed, confirming that the operation was “done and is complete.” (Kidney stones are “hard, pebble-like deposits made of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys,” and passing them can often cause severe pain and discomfort, according to the Mayo Clinic.)
Michaels told his fans that he is now “out of post-op recovery” and hopes to be back on stage soon.
“I’m doing everything within my power to feel better and continue playing great shows for great fans when I’ve got a complete clean bill of health,” he vowed.
The “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” singer concluded by sharing a message of appreciation and hope for the future.
“Just want to say on this #WisdomWednesday that I am wise enough to know how important family, friends, fans, doctors and nurses play such a vital role in our everyday health,” Michaels added. “Also just know, they eventually forced me out of my clothes & into a hospital gown lol as I had gone straight from the show to the hospital.”
Michaels previously talked about his ups and downs with kidney stones after he finished his Spokane show.
“Just wanted to say a big thank you to everybody at Fairchild AFB In Spokane. I was honored to be there and meet so many great people,” he wrote via Instagram on Sunday, July 19, the same day he underwent surgery.
He confessed, “The kidney stone was kicking my butt at the end of the show, but we weren’t gonna stop til we had nothing but a good time!”
Michaels added, “It was such a great concert & celebration for all of our veterans and active-duty & their families. Your energy was next level 💥 Have a great summer, my friends, and keep rocking the world!”
While Michaels’ issue with kidney stones appears to be recent, the former Rock of Love star has been vocal about his highs and lows with type 1 diabetes for years.
“Diabetes is a very complicated disease,” he told Yahoo! Lifestyle in February 2019, noting that he was first diagnosed at age 6. “When you’re diabetic, there’s this everyday balance.”
Michaels said, “The pancreas is no longer secreting the amount of insulin you need to cover the food intake, your carb intake. This is an incurable disease. You treat it with medication and with doing the right thing to stay healthy.”
He noted that having music in his life has lessened the stress that comes with being diabetic.
“To me, music was absolutely 1 million percent therapeutic,” Michaels shared. “For some other people, [they] would want to talk through their problems. I would put it into music and it helped me to deal with what I was going through in life.”
