Phillip Phillips has confirmed he will be undergoing surgery for his health issues soon.
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"Yes, I'll be having it here soon, so I'm getting ready -- getting prepared for all that. So I'm just ready to feel better, feel like myself," said the newly-crowned American Idol eleventh-season champion during a Thursday morning appearance on Live! with Kelly.
Phillips -- who called into Live! with Kelly via phone from Los Angeles -- said his medical condition has impacted his schedule to the point where he will not be able to make the usual full round of post-Idol press appearances, including an in-studio singing appearance on Live! next week.
"It's just -- I'm trying to -- Because I've been sick this whole show and everything, I'm trying to recover from that and get all my work done. I'm trying to just recover and feel a lot better than I have been," explained the 21-year-old pawn shop worker from Leesburg, GA.
"It's been tough, but you know, I've had a lot of great people around me and a lot of great doctors, so that really helped out a lot."
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On Wednesday, E! News reported Phillips will be traveling to Georgia for his surgery and depending on how quickly he recovers, the operation may result in the singer missing the beginning of this summer's American Idol concert tour.
Despite his doctor's immediate orders, Phillips refused to have surgery before Idol's conclusion although his kidney problems have worsened since the start of the competition. As a result, the modern-day crooner was instructed to go in for surgery immediately following last night's finale and allow himself at least six weeks recovery time.
When Phillips was rushed to a medical facility for emergency treatment in early March after experiencing intense pain in his abdomen, TMZ reported he had undergone five kidney stone removal procedures since October of last year. The singer was also reportedly hospitalized in January for a similar condition and had a stent put in at the beginning of the American Idol season as a temporary solution until he could go under the knife.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski