Brian May’s wife shares positive update following Queen guitarist’s stroke
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(Credits: Raph Pour-Hashemi)
Earlier this month, Queen guitarist Brian May revealed he’d recently suffered a stroke, and now, his wife, Anita Dobson, has provided a positive update on his current condition.
May took to Instagram on September 4th to break the news of the stroke to his fans. However, despite the recent setback to his health, the guitarist appeared in good spirits and sounded optimistic about the future, noting, “I’m here to bring you first of all some news, I think. The good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days.”
Playing down the severity of the stroke, May described the event as a “little health hiccup” which he then revealed to be “a minor stroke”.
Although he initially glossed over the incident, it did have a serious effect on May and his body, leading him to question whether he’d be able to play the guitar again. He revealed: “All of a sudden, out of the blue, I didn’t have any control over this arm, so it was a little scary. I had the most fantastic care and attention from Frimley Hospital; blue lights flashing the lot, very exciting.”
For the foreseeable future, May has been told to follow strict orders from doctors which will forbid him from working. He stated, “But the good news is I’m ok and doing what I’m told which is basically nothing, I’m grounded, I’m not allowed to go out, drive, get on a plane, I’m not allowed to raise the heart rate too high. But I am good.”
Although May is yet to provide a further update, Dobson has given hope to fans, telling The Sun at the This Is Icon awards in London, “He’s been told to rest. It’s hard to keep him resting, but he needs to, otherwise he won’t get well.”
She added: “He’s doing great – he’s on the road, he’s doing really, really well. We’re very pleased.”
Dobson also maintained that she’s “completely confident” that May will “make a full recovery”. Although the actor refrained from sharing a potential timeline of when May will be back to full fitness, her comments should be viewed positively.
At this stage, May has no tour dates in the calendar with Queen and Adam Lambert with his sole focus on recovering from the stroke. However, the Queen guitarist is yet to rule out the possibility of returning to the stage, and Dobson’s remarks suggests he plans to perform again.
How long does it take to recover from a minor stroke?
According to the NHS, a minor stroke is also known as a transient ischaemic attack. They say that the symptoms may “resolve in a few minutes or hours, you’ll need treatment to help prevent another TIA or a full stroke happening in the future.”
One of the three symptoms relates to the loss of control of an arm, as May suffered. The NHS say that a major sign of a transient ischaemic attack is when a “person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them raised because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm.” Additionally, the other main symptoms are issues with the face or speech.
The severity of the stroke is the key determinative factor of the recovery time, and the recovery is quicker the more minor it is. The Stroke Association state: “Every stroke is different, and every recovery is different. Someone who had a small stroke could return to work within a few weeks, while others may return after months or a couple of years. There’s no set pattern.”
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