Photo Credit: Rich Alan/WENN.com

A couple of weeks have passed since TMZ had the world thinking the “greatest rapper alive” was on his deathbed. And while everyone chalked up the seizures and hospitalization to Lil Wayne’s chronic sizzurp habit, Weezy is offering a different explanation – epilepsy.

In an interview with Power 106′s DJ Fellie Fel last night, the 30-year-old YMCMB rapper said:

“The bad news is I’m an epileptic. I’m prone to seizures. This isn’t my first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh seizure. I’ve had a bunch of seizures, ya’ll just never hear about them. But this time it got real bad ‘cuz I had three of them in a row and on the third one, my heart rate went down to like 30 percent. Basically, I could’ve died, so that is why it was so serious….But the reason being for the seizures is just plain stress, no rest, overworking myself. That’s just typical me though.”

Maybe so, but I’m betting that purple drank in his cup isn’t exactly helping the situation. I always thought when Wayne said “I am not a human being,” he was on some of that alien-type stuff, but the issue may be he really thinks he’s an immortal. Sorry to tell you homie, but one day these habits will catch up to you. If the recent hospitalization didn’t prove that to him, I really don’t know what to say.

A lot of people have questioned what type of people Wayne has around him to keep allowing him to run his body down like he does, but he insists he has people looking out for him, telling DJ Fellie Fel:

 “I have people around me. I actually have [the seizures] so much they already know what to do. They already know how to handle it. Certain times I don’t even go to the hospital, but this time, it was real bad because it was three in a row, and I’ve never had three back to back like that.  The third one was so bad and I live in the hills in L.A. So the reason why it was bad was that I live all the way at the top, so you know how hard it is getting down those hills. That was what was so scary about it.”

What was so scary to most fans was the thought that the rapper was receiving his last rites — a detail TMZ later recanted. Asked if he’s pissed about how the gossip site broke the news on his health scare he simply said:

“That’s what they do. I can’t be upset at that. I get upset at my kids when they do things that I tell them not to do. I can’t be upset at TMZ for doing what they do. They gon’ probably come out tomorrow and say something else about somebody else that ain’t true. That’s what they do. The truth isn’t good enough for them, so they gotta twist everything up.”

Sort of how he’s twisting his hospitalization into not being about drugs, huh?

Check out the full interview with Wayne here. What do you think about his epilepsy explanation?

Source: WENN

This past Friday, exaggerated reports hit the web, claiming that rapper Lil Wayne was near death  and in a medically induced coma at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, following his hospitalization after an alleged syrup-binge and a series of seizures. Shutting down reports of these claims Weezy took to his Twitter page, informing fans that he was just fine.

“I’m good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love,” he expressed.

As of this morning, Wayne’s current medical condition is being communicated as “good.” A close friend of Weezy insists that the “Love Me” rapper is just fine and getting some much needed rest, reports CNN.

“He’s good, just resting,” Weezy’s pal said of his medical condition after visiting him in the hospital Saturday night.

On the other hand, over the weekend during a surprise SXSW appearance, Usher expressed that the rapper was having a hard time and asked that his audience send some “positive energy” Weezy’s way, reports E! Online.

“I don’t mean to bring everybody down, but right now I think I want to just ask something of you guys. One of my fellow artists, good friend, Lil Wayne is going through a real hard time right now, y’all. And I just want to send a lot of positive attitude about his state. And a lot of positive energy out there right now. Can you guys make some noise for Lil Wayne one time? You know it’s ultimately about positive energy. You believe in that? So one time make some noise.”

While no medical professionals have come forward to confirm or refute, many believe that Weezy’s troubling medical condition is a result of his addiction to a concoction known as syrup, which generally consists of cough syrup containing promethazine and codeine mixed with soda. In the past Weezy has openly admitted to his abuse of syrup. He also revealed that he began drinking syrup when he was young and impressionable, listening to Pimp C, an entertainer who frequently rapped about his use of the drug and eventually died of syrup-related causes.

We’re happy to hear that Wayne is doing okay and will continue to keep you posted regarding his medical state.

Turn the page to see a video of Weezy chronicling his syrup addiction.

Image: Thinkstock

This is shocking. According to a U.S. News & World Report analysis, certain states have few—if any—health insurance plans that offer benefits broad enough to protect individuals and families in the event of a major illness. Isn’t that the point of health insurance?

In conjunction with this report,  U.S. News also released the Best Health Insurance Plans, an interactive tool featuring ratings and data on the nearly 6,000 health plans the publication analyzed.  The Best Health Insurance Plans ratings cover all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The states are rated on scope of coverage for various services, such as hospitalizations, emergency room visits, prescriptions, and cost to consumers paid out of pocket. Plans available to both individuals and families received two separate ratings.

According to the analysis, Alaska and Washington had the lowest number of plans offering what U.S. News rated as four-star or five-star coverage — no more than 10 percent of the plans evaluated in either state. By contrast, all Massachusetts plans and more than 70 percent of those in New York, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia earned at least four out of five stars. The report found that while Massachusetts plans had among the highest premiums in the nation, about 45 percent of plans in that state fully cover (once the deductible has been satisfied) hospitalization, doctors’ charges during hospitalization, and imaging, offering patients greater protection against unexpected healthcare costs. The state also offers subsidies to help residents with household incomes below 300 percent of the federal poverty line pay for coverage.

Hospitalization still remains costly. According to the U.S. News analysis, for a hospitalized individual whose care costs $20,000 and whose deductible is $2,700 (the national median), a 20 percent co-insurance rate could translate to more than $6,000 in out-of-pocket expenses.

Source: Trendfashionstyle.org

Considering Rihanna’s had at least two well-known hospitalizations for fatigue this year, it’s not surprising the singer has lost weight—especially with the grueling tour schedule she’s had.

Rih Rih’s latest hospital stay was just last month after the Met Ball, and in a recent interview with Us Magazine , Rihanna told the mag what led up to her hospitalization:

“I got no sleep [beforehand],” she said. It’s harsh on your body!”

Aside from feeling rundown between recording, touring, making appearances, and filming the movie “Battleship,” there’s another side effect of the ripping and running that Rihanna’s not so pleased with: dropping pounds. She told Us Mag:

“I’m a size 0 — and not happy about it! I went way too far. I prefer myself a bit chunkier. I want my old butt back!”

Saying the word chunky is about as close as Rihanna’s ever been to it, but I get the point about wanting to have her rear-end cushion back. Rihanna’s already slim so the drop in weight probably went unnoticed by most, but I think it’s interesting that a few months ago her father was talking about how she was getting fat and he’s glad she was back down to normal size. It’s a good thing she doesn’t appear to share his hangups about not being super skinny.

Hopefully more than being worried about having her butt back, Rihanna will chill a little bit on the work and the play so she’s not going so hard she keeps sacrificing her health. I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t mind having her “weight problem” though.

Do you think Rihanna’s gotten too thin?

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Source: popcrush.com

Ray J had a rough Billboard Music Awards experience all around. After issues with security and Pat Houston over seating, Ray J apparently had an even tougher night because the next morning he was found “out of it” in his hotel room and he couldn’t get out of bed. An ambulance was called because the singer was so disoriented and he was immediately taken to the hospital.

According to TMZ, the cause for the hospitalization was a combination of exhaustion and stress. In the entertainment world, we know exhaustion is usually code for drug abuse but Ray J did have a pretty hectic schedule this past weekend. On Sunday, he had just returned from a 32-hour round trip to China and when he landed he immediately drove four hours to Las Vegas for the awards show. Add that to Pat’s shenanigans during Whitney Houston’s tribute and you can see how Ray J would be a bit out of sorts.

As of earlier this morning, Ray J was still in the hospital with no word on when he would be released. Hopefully he’ll get himself together. Whatever that means for him.

What do you think about this hospitalization?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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