Vice Ganda is now recovering after undergoing a procedure to address the kidney stones that had been causing him “severe abdominal pains,” the box-office superstar’s sister said Monday.
In a message to ABS-CBN News’ Mario Dumaual, Dr. Tina Viceral detailed Vice Ganda’s condition, and the medical procedures that had to be done to address it.
The comedian had been rushed to the hospital over the weekend, forcing the cancellation of his appearance at an Ilocos Sur festival and his absence from “It’s Showtime,” the noontime show he regularly co-hosts.
Dr. Viceral said: “Vice had ureteral colic, a condition when a stone from the kidney falls and gets stuck in the tube connecting the kidney to the urinary bladder. Urine could not pass, resulting in a pressure buildup in the kidney, thus the pain.
“The first plan for Vice was extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to fragment the stone in the ureter and using IV contrast to locate the stone. However, even with the IV contrast, the stone remained not targetable so the urologist revised the treatment plan to cystoscopy, insertion of stent.
“This is a minimally invasive procedure which bypasses the obstructing stone. This allows urine to pass thus relieving the pain. He is being given a medication to dissolve the stones.”
According to Dr. Viceral, Vice Ganda was discharged from the hospital Sunday night. “He is on his way to recovery,” she said, adding Vice Ganda can resume work Wednesday.
“Thank you to all of you who prayed for Vice!” Dr. Viceral said.
Aside from being a mainstay of “It’s Showtime,” Vice Ganda is juggling work as judge on the top-rating “Pilipinas Got Talent,” and as host of his eponymous late-night talk show “Gandang Gabi Vice”.
(abs-cbn news)