Motorhead star Mikkey Dee admits he feels lucky to be alive after contracting sepsis over Christmas.
The 61-year-old drummer, who joined the Ace of Spades rockers in 1992 after they first formed in 1975, has revealed he spent three weeks in hospital over the festive season while battling a ‘very serious’ blood infection.
He wrote on Instagram on Thursday: ‘First I like to thank everyone for these heartwarming Christmas and New Years greetings, that I have not been able to respond to. I always try to do that every year.
‘This holiday season, I have been hospitalized with a very serious blood infection (Sepsis).
‘I was admitted for three weeks but now I am home fighting this b bacteria. Thankfully, I have received fantastic care at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, my hometown.’
After undergoing ‘several’ operations, he is now on the mend, but there is a long road ahead of him.
‘So thanks a million to all the Doctors and Nurses that have been giving me the most excellent care,’ he continued.
‘After several operations, I am now back home and the numbers are all going in the right direction. Still lots of recovery and rehab in front of me.’
What is sepsis?
- As noted by the NHS, sepsis is life threatening and can be hard to spot.
- Symptoms in adults include confusion, slurred speech, a rash which doesn’t fade if you roll a glass over it, breathing difficulties, and blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue
- Treatment includes antibiotics at hospital, as well as potential surgery and a ventilator
- They added: ‘Most people can make a full recovery from sepsis. But it can take time.’
Dee’s health woes began when he sprained his ankle the weekend before Christmas.
‘The ankle swelled up like hell, then it took on a weird shape and appearance and looked like an overcooked ham,’ he told Sweden’s Aftonbladet newspaper.
‘I became very ill so I had to go by ambulance to Sahlgrenska and there they found that I had sky-high values, so I became priority one there.
‘It was surgery right away, the first of three. They cut away what was dead and infected and badly infested. It was not a good journey I was on…’
He insisted that ‘another day and [he’d] be playing drums with Lemmy in heaven’.
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Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister died from prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia, and congestive heart failure aged 70 on December 28, 2015.
Despite his own health scare, Dee is hoping to be back on stool to perform with Scorpions next month.
He added on his Instagram post: ‘Now I’m working a 100% to be back on the drum stool for the Residency that starts off in Las Vegas on February 27. We have a tremendous 2025 to look forward to, celebrating 60 years of Scorpions and many exciting gigs around the world.
‘So, the Stinger is out and I can’t wait to see you all out there on the road and rock the hell out of you! I wish everybody a fantastic 2025 with good health and lots of Rock n’ Roll!’
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