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Bret Michaels on Appendectomy: “I Could Have Died”

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Five days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, rocker Bret Michaels is opening up about the illness that nearly cost him his life.

The former Poison frontman, 47, was rushed to the emergency room April 11 right before taking the stage at Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. He'd been suffering all day from severe stomach pains and what he thought was the flu. Doctors arrived at a diagnosis of acute appendicitis after a CAT scan and Michaels underwent surgery at 1 a.m.

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"About 10 minutes before show time doctors got on the [tour] bus and said, 'Bret we really don't think this is the flu," Michaels, a current contestant on Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, writes on his Fancast.com blog. "After the fact, [doctors] told me that if I had gone onstage like I wanted to, it likely would have ruptured and I could have died. Not good."

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Michaels, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, is recovering at an undisclosed private care facility specializing in the treatment of diabetic patients.

"When you're not planning on having a body part ripped out of you, it can be a shock to the system," the rocker blogs. "I've spoken to several doctors and they all seem to be impressed with the condition I have been able to keep myself in as a juvenile diabetic. But a lot of extra care needs to be taken to make sure my body heals correctly."

Helping tend to his every whim? An attractive hospital staff.

"Yes, there are hot nurses taking care of me, in case you were curious," he says. "I mean, come on, every man has the nurse fantasy, don't they?"

Michaels, who anticipates a four- to six-week recovery period, hopes to make up his missed tour dates in the fall.

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