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News

Flex Wheeler To Have Difficult Back Surgery: ‘They’re Not Even Sure I’ll Make It Through’

Greg Patutoby Greg Patuto Published on Mar 4, 2022

Flex Wheeler
This post may contain affiliate links (disclosure policy).

Flex Wheeler shared the news from the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival.

Flex Wheeler has dealt with health issues recently and he recently gave an update on his latest hurdle. The bodybuilding legend is present at the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival launching Bullfrog Nutrition, his signature nutrition series. This is where he shared that he will have to go through a difficult back surgery with many complications.

In a recent Instagram video, Wheeler explained the current situation. He went through rotator cuff surgery on Thursday and will now need to have back surgery, which is a complicated procedure that brings many risks.

““I’ve a major back surgery coming up and that’s going to be pretty intensive. I’ll be really cutting clear about it. They’re not even sure if I’ll be able to make it through that surgery or the recovery. But it’s something I have to do because I can’t endure the pain anymore,” Flex Wheeler explained.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by IFBB LEGEND FLEX WHEELER (@officialflexwheeler)

Flex Wheeler continued by explaining his recent path. He was rushed to the hospital on Monday morning due to complications of the rotator cuff surgery. He was discharged that same day and was able to make it to the Arnold sports Festival on Tuesday. This was one day later than he was supposed to travel but he was thankful to make it out there at all.

“The tube that they put down your throat to help you breathe while you’re unconscious, unfortunately did a lot of damage to my throat. So, Monday morning I had to call emergency. They brought me in and immediately the EMT said you’re not going to make it tomorrow. We’re definitely going to keep you for 24 hours.

I appreciate all you guys support. Thank you everybody who came out to support Bullfrog Nutrition… Thank you very much Bullfrog for my line. I’ll look forward to seeing you all tomorrow and throughout this weekend.”

Flex Wheeler was in the hospital for 14 days and this is how the doctors pinpointed his back issues. At 56 years old, Wheeler is continuing to fight against multiple issues and keeping a positive attitude.

Wheeler was forced to spend time in the hospital with a severe case of COVID-19 in the fall. He was released from the hospital in November after a month of fighting the disease. Even during that fight, Wheeler remained in god spirits providing updates to fans on his condition.

“So I’m going through that with my will and all that stuff. So, what’s the lesson behind all this? Never give up, man! Simple as that. Never ever give up.”

For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Greg Patuto

About Greg Patuto

Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.

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