I’m sure many of you may be aware of rapper Lil Wayne’s health struggles over the past few weeks. According to MTV News, Wayne who’s real name is Dwayne Carter Jr., was rushed to Cedars-Sinai hospital last Tuesday for suffering from seizures. He was released the next day only to be rushed back on Friday March 15, into intensive care after suffering another round of multiple seizures.
For now, the Louisiana native rapper is out of the hospital and says “he’s more than good” as you can see from the video. However, some media outlets were reporting that his recent trip to the hospital was going to be his last. According to a TMZ, a report on the day of the incident said Wayne’s condition was “unstable, and had been placed in an induced coma”. It also stated that he was “breathing through tubes…and it didn’t look good”. On the other hand, some of friends and fellow rappers claimed that Wayne was never on his death bed and that those reports were exaggerated. Or were they trying to cover up the severity of his “so-called” near death experience?
MTV News reports that TMZ sources also said that Wayne’s stomach had to be pumped three times to remove the codeine from his system. According to E Medicine Health, codeine is a combination of “narcotic pain medicines” used to treat moderate to severe pain. Side effects of the medication include fainting, slow heart rate, unusual thoughts or behaviors and seizures or convulsions. The second time Wayne was admitted to the hospital last week, he was reportedly found unconscious and convulsing uncontrollably . It’s no secret that Wayne has been on the drug in the past, in a 2008 MTV interview he had this to say about quitting.
“It ain’t that easy — feels like death in your stomach when you stop doing that sh–. You gotta learn how to stop, you gotta go through detox.”
Another obvious sign of his potential substance abuse problem is the red cups he’s often seen carrying that is commonly suspected of containing codeine syrup drink. In an interview with VH1’s “Behind the Music” the rapper said “I don’t care if there was heroin in my cup. It’s my cup. F*** you”. Sounds like an addict to me.
If Lil Wayne’s most recent health scare ( he also suffered another seizure in October 2012 while on a plane and caused an emergency landing) was induced by drugs, and not a pre-existing medical condition, wouldn’t it be more imperative to seek out professional help before bouncing back into the music biz? In the video, Wayne says his new album will be out Tuesday, March 26th and that he plans to go on tour this summer. Many entertainers have died in their prime due to drug issues, so it’s not hard to picture the consequences of his actions if he keeps going at this rate. He says he’s “more than good” but is it a cover up?
A lot of times, substance abuse is a way to deal and mask inner issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts, low-self esteem or something else bad that has happened in the person’s life that they refuse to properly deal with.
What are your thoughts on this? Does Lil Wayne have a substance abuse problem? Should he quit while he’s ahead and get some help?
Dr. O
Picture source: http://urbanislandz.com/2013/03/16/lil-wayne-siezure-syrup-sizzurp-hospitalize-news/
