Rock ‘n’ Roll star Tina Turner shared an Instagram post about her kidney failure two months before her untimely death.
Turner, 83, opened up about her health struggles on International World Kidney Day on March 9, revealing she put herself in ‘grave danger’ by not taking her 1978 hypertension diagnosis seriously.
‘My kidneys are victims of my not realising that my high blood pressure should have been treated with conventional medicine,’ Turner wrote. ‘I have put myself in great danger by refusing to face the reality that I need daily, lifelong therapy with medication.
The What’s Love Got to Do With It singer died on Wednesday in her Switzerland home, following an unspecified illness. It remains unclear if her kidneys contributed to her death
‘How would you like to be remembered?’ the Guardian asked.
‘As the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. As a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms.’
Asked what frightens her about getting older, she replied: ‘Nothing. This is life’s full adventure and I embrace and accept every day with what it brings.’
When Turner was diagnosed with hypertension, she said she didn’t understand she could do anything about it.
With her condition left untreated, Turner suffered a stroke in 2009.
She had another in 2013. Three years later, in 2016, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.
Doctors removed part of her intestine, but her kidney issues worsened.
Turner suffered from unpleasant side effects from her hypertension treatment, and stopped taking her medicines, trying homeopathic medicine instead.
The results led to kidney failure and eventually resulted in her husband, German music producer Erwin Bach donating his kidney to save her life.
The operation took place in April 2017 and was largely a success, though Turner still experienced mild symptoms, which included nausea and dizziness, according to her interview with the European Kidney Health Alliance.
‘The months after the transplantation were marked by a never-ending up and down,’ she said.
‘From time to time, my body tried to reject the donor kidney, as it frequently happens after transplantation. Every so often, this required more hospital admissions. I kept feeling nauseous and dizzy, forgot things, and was scared a lot. These problems are still not quite resolved.
‘I am on multiple prescriptions and take great care to follow my doctors’ orders meticulously. For I know that I can trust them and their therapies.’
The operation took place in April 2017 and was largely a success, though Turner still experienced mild symptoms, which included nausea and dizziness, according to her interview with the European Kidney Health Alliance.
‘The months after the transplantation were marked by a never-ending up and down,’ she said.
‘From time to time, my body tried to reject the donor kidney, as it frequently happens after transplantation. Every so often, this required more hospital admissions. I kept feeling nauseous and dizzy, forgot things, and was scared a lot. These problems are still not quite resolved.
‘I am on multiple prescriptions and take great care to follow my doctors’ orders meticulously. For I know that I can trust them and their therapies.’
