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Tina Turner Opened Up About Her Declining Health Two Months Before Death: Her 'Kidneys Didn't Work That Well Anymore'
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About two months before Tina Turner, a.k.a. the Queen of Rock, passed, she opened up about her health decline over the last few years.
In her March interview with European Health Kidney Alliance, the "Proud Mary" singer discussed her struggle as she received a kidney transplant.
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"The months after the transplantation were marked by a never-ending up and down. From time to time my body tried to reject the donor kidney as it frequently happens after a transplantation," she shared about her 2017 surgery and recovery. The star received her new kidney from husband Erwin Bach.
"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 iconic musician added.
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The Tennessee native also discussed her struggle with hypertension which she was diagnosed with in 1978.
"I can't remember ever getting an explanation about what high blood pressure means or how it affects the body," she explained. "I considered high blood pressure my normal. Hence, I didn't really try to control it."
Due to her condition, Turner suffered a stroke in 2013, and later learned that her "kidneys didn't work that well anymore."
She was prescribed pills for her medical issues, though she confessed they made her "feel even worse." She then decided to see a homeopathic doctor in France where she saw shockingly positive results.
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"I had not known that uncontrolled hypertension would worsen my renal disease and that I would kill my kidneys by giving up on controlling my blood pressure," the "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" vocalist expressed.
"I never would have replaced my medication by the homeopathic alternatives if I had had an idea how much was at stake for me. Thanks to my naivety I had ended up at the point where it was about life or death," she noted.
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As OK! previously reported, Turner passed on May 24 due to natural causes.
"Tina Turner, the 'Queen of Rock'n Roll' has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland," her representative shared. "With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model."