Beloved icon Billy Joel recently shared a health update with his fans, revealing that he underwent surgery. The musician revealed during one of his recent interviews that after his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), he received a brain shunt to help manage it. Since then, he has been on the road to recovery. Read on to learn more about what he had to share.
Billy Joel shares a major health update
Almost a year ago, the ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’ singer revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Now, while featuring on SiriusXM’s ‘The Billy Joel Channel,’ the singer revealed more details about his diagnosis and how he received surgery to manage everything. He revealed during the interview that he had earlier started noticing symptoms that he could not explain, with one of the most prominent ones being that his balance was off all of a sudden. His fall during a concert later led to him going to the doctor and finding out that he had NPH.The 77-year-old then commented that at first he was against a brain shunt after the doctors recommended it. However, he was able to convince himself after doing his own thorough research on the matter. He added, “I said, ‘Well, what does that entail?’ ‘Well, we drill a hole through your skull, and we stick a shunt inside your brain.’ I said, ‘Nah, I think I’ll pass on that.’ I didn’t want to do that, but then I read up on it, and I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory. You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles.”He further added, “It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt. I had a surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain—and it actually improved things.”
Billy Joel says that he has to lessen his work because it is one of the things related to his diagnosis
The singer also revealed during the interview that while his memory, balance, and ability to function improved, he was told that his work of playing rock music on stage was one of the biggest things that caused his condition. He shared, “The doctors told me this: because of my job, which is playing rock and roll music very loud, it was giving me something like a concussion every time I did a show. It was causing damage to my brain nerves, and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did, and I realized that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I got to improve.”He concluded that he has been following all of his doctor’s orders in the matter, which also include physical therapy and avoiding stress. He shared, “I’m doing whatever it is they tell me to do because I don’t want to lose it, you know?”He further added that he is doing well and that he does not wish for anyone to be worried about him. “I know people have heard, ‘Oh, he’s got a brain disorder,’ and I’m okay. I just want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m still here,” he mentioned.
What is normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)?
The Cleveland Clinic reports that NPH is “a condition that happens when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside your skull and presses on your brain. This condition is most likely in people over 65. It’s often treatable and sometimes even reversible. Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of your skull.” The report also shared that a lot of the time, the symptoms of NPH mimic those of dementia; however, in a lot of cases, it is reversible or at least manageable.
