Radio host Rush Limbaugh told fans Monday that his recent absence from the show was due to complications from chemotherapy for his battle with lung cancer.
The man behind “the golden EIB microphone” said he’s feeling well after a “hideous” few days in which various parts of his body revolted to a specific form of cancer treatment.
“You might notice my voice is a little strange,” he told listeners. “It’s not. It’s just from lack of use. I’m actually feeling better than I have in about a month. I’m actually feeling what I would call normal prior to the cancer diagnosis happening. And I’m in a temporary hold right now. I had a dire, dire, dire reaction, side effect reaction to the type of chemo I was on. The bottom line is I couldn’t walk for three days. My leg muscles had swollen, it was hideous. It was hideous. Blood clot in the left calf. Even had some eye damage in my right eye.”
The radio host said he was back in the studio, where he “should be,” thanks to a steroid treatment.
“Steroids have been administered to undo the damage, and they’re working like a champ,” Mr. Limbaugh added. “Regardless of how my voice sounds, be confident here that I’m feeling better than I have in a long, long time and I’m looking forward to chatting with you all on the phones.”
The conservative icon, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump after the diagnosis was made public, recently said that he believes millions of prayers are giving him strength.
“I really, I really believe … I’m running a risk saying this, but I really, really … believe all of your prayers are having an impact,” he said Feb. 20. “I cannot tell you how good I feel. The other side of this is that other people think that it could be inspirational for those also suffering from the diagnosis or from cancer in their own ways, and that’s true too.”
Mr. Limbaugh added that he would try and strike a balance between giving supporters updates on his condition and not letting the disease become an “all-consuming” focus of the show.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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