Aretha Talks About Recent Health Problems
The Queen of Soul is talking about her recent health problems -- but not revealing too much.
Speaking to JET, Aretha Franklin says: "I am not one to do a lot of talking about my personal health or business. Not too much, not too much. There are a lot of people who will talk about anything, as long as there is somebody listening. But I am not one of those people. That's not Aretha."
And that's why she says she's not discussing the news reports and rumors that she is battling pancreatic cancer. "I am not going to even deal with that," she states. "I don't have to talk about my health with anybody other than my doctors. The problem has been resolved."
The soul icon encourages people to stay on top of their health. "If there is anything happening with you that is uncommon and something that you know should not be happening, go to your doctor. Be determined to find out what is going on."
She reveals that she went to a series of doctors who ran tests before they discovered what was wrong. She recalls saying to herself, " 'I know there is a problem, but these tests are showing nothing.'"
She recalls having "a very hard pain in my side" during a concert in Toronto, Canada last year. "I had a colonoscopy and it showed nothing was wrong. I associated the pain in my side with the colonoscopy that I had within a day or two before. I got up at 2 o'clock in the morning and called the doctor who did the colonoscopy and told him what was happening.
He said, 'Miss Franklin, whatever it is, it is not from the colonoscopy. You need to come home and have a CAT-scan.' Thank God he said that because that unfolded everything, what the problem was and everything."
She reiterates why she talked to JET, "I know my fans are concerned. Let them know I am feeling great and coming along."
