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what was wrong with Chris?

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what was wrong with Chris?

Post by guitarPower »

I read in an article that he had gotten over a serious illness lately. I'm glad to see him back, but am curious about what he had. Maybe it's undisclosed, I don't know. Anyone :?: Thanks~
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by Chris »

Hi,

Well, all I know (based on this forum information), is that Chris' appearance on the German ZDF television talk show, in late December, 2005, was canceled "due to illness of the artist." We were told that "hopefully, Chris will (be well and capable to) take part in the same show in January." But, it's already the end of January and we haven't heard a word since. I trust there is nothing wrong with "the man."
Unless you are referring to his September 2006 surgery. At that time Chris had some problems with his leg and he was rushed to a hospital to remove a clog in his artery. But soon he was out of the hospital, well enough to do a "press tour" promoting the "Blue Guitars" in several European capitals. He visited, among others, Amsterdam, Vienna and Warsaw that I know. He talked about his latest medical problem in interviews.
Best regards,
Chris

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guitarPower wrote:I read in an article that he had gotten over a serious illness lately. I'm glad to see him back, but am curious about what he had. Maybe it's undisclosed, I don't know. Anyone :?: Thanks~
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by Zgred »

guitarPower wrote:I read in an article that he had gotten over a serious illness lately. I'm glad to see him back, but am curious about what he had. Maybe it's undisclosed, I don't know. Anyone :?: Thanks~
In case you are asking about the big one, here is the extract from an interview:

They thought I had cancer of the pancreas. There was a big shadow on the x-ray and the only way they could tell was by going in and taking it out anyway. It was a 50-50 chance that it was cancer and if it was, they reckoned I wouldn’t last past Christmas. As you can imagine, I was a bit shocked. So they took out my pancreas and duodenum, put a hole in my stomach, joined the intestine to the stomach and then cut four new bile ducts from the liver. Then it was five weeks in hospital and I lost three and a half stone.

I’m now diabetic. I have to eat enzymes of different types with different types of food. I’ve all sorts of problems and it’s giving birth to the next album which, at the moment, will be a story of how to survive the long, hard, stony road.
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by Zgred »

Chris wrote:Unless you are referring to his September 2006 surgery.
Hey, you know something even Chris doesn't. lol.... :D
Why are you quoting at the end of post? Some lacks in discussion boards savoir-vivre? ;)
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by Chris »

Zgred wrote:
Chris wrote:Unless you are referring to his September 2006 surgery.
Hey, you know something even Chris doesn't. lol.... :D
Why are you quoting at the end of post? Some lacks in discussion boards savoir-vivre? ;)

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Hi Zgred,

As for as quoting, you are right, I should quote and write beneath it, but I thought the mechanism of this space for an answer sets the whole procedure otherwise. Well, next time I'll try do my best.

As far as Chris' numerous medical problems, he's been in and out of hospitals for the last ten years. I know that he speaks quite openly about his illnesses. Perhaps I misread something. Oh, I see, I wrote "September 2006!", instead of (obviously!) September 2005. Sorry!!!
But I wish him well, anyway.
Take care,
Chris
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by Bart »

Zgred wrote:In case you are asking about the big one, here is the extract from an interview:
(...)
Hello Zgred;

If you still have it, you can add the whole interview yourself. Go to "the site" --> "interactive" to ad it. Thanks !!
REAgards, Bart (webmaster)
Tom_H

Post by Tom_H »

So.. is it cancer he had or what?

At the time I was under the impression it was pancreatitis. I still think it wasn't cancer, but I am constantly reading in articles and bio's that he's had cancer. Am I mistaken or is there a huge amount of misinformation out there.
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Post by blueskev »

Hi Tom,
I have got a long article about his illness; if you want I can email it. It definately wasn't cancer he had.
Regards,
Kev.
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and my deep blue ways...
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Post by Zgred »

blueskev wrote:It definately wasn't cancer he had.
So please tell WHAT it was in fact ??
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Post by blueskev »

To quote the man:

"So what turned out to be wrong? Well it wasn’t cancer. It was a very rare complication of a very common problem.
It started with a tiny piece of gallstone, a bit bigger than a grain of sand.
Gallstones are common – about one in ten people over 50 have them – but are usually from the size of a pea to a pebble.
Normally gallstones build up in the gall bladder. Sometimes they can be broken down by ultra-sound waves or drugs.
Often a surgeon has to remove the whole gall bladder. But you can manage without it, so it’s still not too big a deal. My gallstone, however was so tiny that it had slipped right through my bile duct.
Then the grit had travelled into the head of my pancreas and become stuck, causing inflammation –which had appeared on the X-ray as a big black shadow, masquerading as cancer.
Unlike the liver, the pancreas doesn’t repair and heal itself. It remains scarred for ever. So every time the caused a bout of inflammation, I would suffer another attack or pancreatitis and another part of my pancreas died.


I had a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Surgeons call it Whipple’s procedure. Mr Russell removed my gall bladder, pancreas, my duodenum – the first part of the small intestine – and a third of my stomach.
He needed to do this, because they’re all connected to the pancreas. He then joined all the bile ducts from my liver, bypassing were the pancreas used to be, into the rest of the small intestine. This microsurgery is as delicate as brain surgery.

About seven weeks after my operation, I managed to hold down about four teaspoonfuls of tomato soup. It was time to go home, to try and get my life back again. My weight had dropped from 15st 2lb to eight stone.
After the little high of finally leaving hospital came a massive low. Suddenly I had to live. I began to think: I’ve survived, I’ve been lucky, now can I go back to being normal again please?
But the answer was no. Without a pancreas I couldn’t metabolise fat or sugar properly.

It was tough enough dealing with diabetes. I had to inject myself with insulin up to five times a day to regulate my blood sugar levels and my blood pressure levels.
The insulin injections weren’t that painful or difficult to administer. But when you loose your pancreas, you are also unable to metabolise fats. My doctor prescribed capsules of enzymes to dissolve the fat. I’ll be on them for the rest of my life. But it’s hit and miss. If a bit of fat isn’t absorbed, it goes into the intestine and has the same effect as food poisoning on my limited digestive system.

A couple of week ago (09/2005), I had a setback. I developed an infection in one of my injection sites in my thigh. It grew and burst internally.
They told me I’d have to go in to have my leg cut open. I burst into tears. I though I was round the corner, but it reminded me again, that I am never going to be round the corner, I’m always going to be fighting. It’s the way it is."

Kev.
It's just me
and my deep blue ways...
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Post by Zgred »

holy s**t.............

thanks, Kev, and with all that Chris still goes through the touring stuff... R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
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Post by Jutta »

Hello Kev,
where have you found that interview?
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by Zeljko »

Poor Chris.....I wish him long life....

He has all the right to sing blues....Check out this clip....I recorded this with my mobile..this is from one of his DVDs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtKORtqtV_Q
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by chrismiller »

Well, pancreatitis, that's what newspapers used to call Chris' illness.
Though it was much more complicated, of course.

I read somewhere Chris had to go to hospital between the Farewell and HBN tours as well because of an ulcer in his leg that was caused by the many insulin injections he had to give himself.
No wonder, to be honest, sticking your leg six times a day couldn't be that cool... :(
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But you'll never be free.
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Re: what was wrong with Chris?

Post by tobi777 »

Hi all,

over the years I've read some inconsistent news about Chris' illness. When he first got seriously ill in '94 I was told it had something to do with his stomach or duodenum. When he was ill again in 2000 he said that it wasn't cancer but some kind of inflammation of the pancreas caused by a bladder stone.

Many newspapers reported during the last years that Chris suffered from cancer. And although he denied it in the first place he later amitted it.

But in an interview it sounded to me like he had cancer already back in '94 and the incident in 2000 was something different.

In another interview I read that it is not really cancer but a kind of "pseudo cancer".

Any information?
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