Bret Michaels, recently hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage, is still listed in critical condition, although he is conscious and stable at this time. According to his website, test results indicate a setback in his condition which is a side effect from the brain hemorrhage called hyponatremia. It is a lack of sodium in the body which leads to seizures. “Michaels remains under 24-hour observation in the ICU and is in positive spirits. He is responding well to tests and treatments,” the hospital reps say in a statement. “Even though today was a minor setback, doctors remain hopeful for a full recovery.” The reps didn’t say whether Michaels has actually suffered any seizures. “Coupled with the fact that Michaels is a lifelong Type 1 diabetic and has recently undergone emergency appendectomy surgery while on tour in San Antonio, he will remain monitored closely by his medical team to make sure no complications occur from the diabetes,” the reps say. They add that doctors are “hopeful that Bret will gradually improve as the blood surrounding the brain dissolves and is reabsorbed into his system, which can be a very painful recovery and take several weeks to months.”
Bret Michaels’ condition has been a headline on most entertainment and serious newscasts since he was hospitalized last Thursday. Today, Donald Trump was on NBC’s Today Show and asked to comment on Bret as a competitor on The Apprentice. He said, “Bret is still in the show and he’s doing really really well. We have the finals in four weeks. I can’t imagine that he’s gonna be in the finals, but I hope he makes it. I really hope he makes it.” Could Bret be one of the finalists? How will NBC handle this situation?
Last night, Bret Michaels was also the topic on Larry King Live as Donald Trump, Jr., Darryl Strawberry, Sanjay Gupta and Carlos Diaz discussed concerns, lasting affects, and Michaels as a person. Donald Trump, Jr. stated that “Bret is a very likable guy, down to earth and a solid person.” He stated “out of all the people from ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ I may have had the best kind of off-camera relationship with him over the three years.” Trump, Jr. also says he is a great father and rocker and concerned for the singer’s health. Strawberry, who starred on Celebrity Apprentice with Michaels, says, “He is a good friend on and off camera. He is a hard worker and is a creative force on the show. Without a doubt he lives a crazy lifestyle. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is CNN’s chief medical correspondent and says, “A subarachnoid hemorrhage is an aneurysm in one of the blood vessels. About 10 percent of people don’t survive. He obviously survived the hemorrhage. About another quarter of people don’t make it through the first couple of days in the hospital and 30 percent make a full recovery.”
Michaels’ medical workup demonstrated findings of a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of stroke that causes bleeding in the fluid-filled spaces around the base of the brain. It presents itself suddenly as the sound of a loud gunshot or thunderclap at the back of the head causing severe cranial pain and muscle spasms. Michaels likened the feeling as “being hit repeatedly in the head with a baseball bat.” Many people are speculating Michaels head injury suffered from a prop striking the singer at the Tony awards last June. Additional studies are planned throughout the week to hopefully detect the exact cause of the rupture.
The most common cause of this condition is a spontaneous rupture of a cerebral aneurysm, however, 15 to 20 percent of spontaneous episodes of this hemorrhage are found to have no cause. Michaels has undergone a continuous series of tests while in the ICU including angiograms, CT scans, MRI’s and transcranial dopplers (TCD’s). Doctors state Michaels is very lucky as his condition could have been fatal. With further testing and rehabilitation, they are hopeful that Bret will gradually improve as the blood surrounding the brain dissolves and is reabsorbed into his system. Doctors plan to release more specific information on Monday.