- Singing legend reveals he feels free again for the first time in months
- Cold Chisel frontman finally back in action and ready to rock again
Jimmy Barnes is back to being a working class man – and rehearsing again – after an emergency medical procedure derailed his last tour.
The Cold Chisel frontman has opened up about his road to rehabilitation, saying he was finally feeling free after finishing his painful ‘recovery’.
The 68-year-old was forced to cancel two months’ worth of gigs in August after noticing a suspicious ache in his side while performing in New Zealand.
Barnes ended up going under the knife for an urgent ‘remedial’ hip operation and has spent the past six weeks recovering at home with a PICC line.
The peripherally inserted central catheter tube – which was fitted into a vein in his arm and delivered medication to the larger blood vessels around his heart – had allowed the singer to recuperate at home but severely limited his mobility.
But a celebratory Barnes took to social media on Friday to announce that, after six grueling weeks, it had finally been removed.
‘It’s meant that I could leave hospital and continue most of my recovery at home,’ he said.
‘It’s been restricting and liberating at the same time.
‘This part of my recovery is now over and with the help of (doctors), nurses, physiotherapists, family, friends, you guys and my Jane, everything is on track.’
Jimmy Barnes is celebrating his ‘freedom’ after having recovering from emergency surgery
Barnes was forced to cancel his last tour after noticing a suspicion ‘twinge’ in his hip
The unexpected hip pain stuck just one year after Barnes had undergone open-heart surgery to fend off a bacterial infection.
He now appears fighting fit again after Barnes posted a photo of himself in front of a blackboard calendar, which lists Cold Chisel’s schedule for the coming months.
‘Rehearsing with Cold Chisel this week has topped things off,’ he said in the post.
‘I can even get back behind the wheel. Aah! FREEDOM.’
The Aussie icon first revealed his medical emergency on August 3, after experiencing a ‘twinge’ in his hip in the morning.
The Cold Chisel legend has undergone two serious operations in as many years
‘By late last night the pain was unbearable so I went off to hospital,’ he said at the time.
‘The doctors have recommended a remedial medical procedure ASAP followed by some physio to address the issue. These doctors don’t muck around!
‘However, as a result of this unexpected surgery, my August and September solo shows will all be impacted.
‘As you know, I hate to let anyone down but I’m also never going to compromise the quality of my gigs.
‘I apologise for the inconvenience this will cause everyone — I HATE moving shows! — but thank you for understanding.’
Barnes rehearses with Cold Chisel ahead of their renewed tour later this year
Before the shock surgery, Barnes had been in good health and regularly working out only to be overcome by a bacterial infection in his heart in December.
‘Despite everyone’s best efforts, the bacterial infection I’ve been battling over the last fortnight has apparently now spread to my heart,’ Barnes said at the time.
‘It’s infected an otherwise healthy valve that was replaced some years ago due to a congenital defect, so I’ll be getting open-heart surgery over the next few hours to clear out this infection and put in a clean valve.
‘Obviously, this is going to take me out of action for a while.
‘I know lots of other people are battling even worse things, but it still feels hugely frustrating.’