Machine Head Frontman Robb Flynn to Have Gallbladder Surgery

Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn is expected to have surgery tomorrow (May 12) to have his gallbladder removed. Flynn has been suffering from pain due to a gallstone and is hoping the surgery will help him begin and complete the seven-week tour Machine Head begins in just two weeks. In the video above, the singer lets his fans observe his entire decision making process about whether or not to have surgery before the trek; from when he is in the hospital and finds out what he has, to when he decides he needs to have the surgery.

The video above is a series of clips from the singer. In the first, Flynn is in the hospital trying to find out what is wrong. Flynn informs fans, "I had food poisoning about a week ago and I've had this pretty severe pain under my right rib since then. I've been to the doctor a few times but they don't know what it is, so the only way I could get in was to go to emergency.”

Once results come back and he knows what is wrong, Flynn tells the camera, "I have a gallstone in my gallbladder and I need surgery to remove it. It’s the only thing that will fix it. You can’t pass a gallstone. And I'm getting ready to go on tour in two f--king weeks, for seven weeks."

Flash to Sunday and Flynn is in his home (with his cat) and tells his fans he has decided to have the surgery. “It’s now two weeks before the tour starts and I am going to go get the surgery, it’s got to be done," Flynn comments. "In 2012 I had a hernia for a year and a half, and I put it off because I discovered it at the beginning of a tour cycle,” he continues. "It just got too painful on the road… I’m going to get the surgery before the tour because I can't really take the pain and we need to do the tour… I’ll likely have the surgery on Tuesday."

Flynn told his fans he is surprised his whole gallbladder has to be removed, not just the gallstone. He stated, "It's not just the gallstone they're removing – they actually have to remove my entire gallbladder, which I guess you don't really need. I had my appendix removed was I was nine or 10, and I haven't needed that."

Machine Head are still touring behind their latest album Bloodstone and Diamonds. They kick off their tour on May 25 in Guadalajara, Mexico and then play in South America, New Zealand and Australia before wrapping things up in Japan on July 5. According to the Mayo Clinic, if Flynn has a laparoscopic procedure he may only need a week at home to recover, so starting their Machine Head tour on May 25 is still a possibility.

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