Randy Travis Is ‘Awake And Alert’ Following Stroke, Emergency Surgery

Randy Travis is “awake and alert” after last week’s stroke and emergency surgery to relieve swelling in the country singer’s brain. but despite being awake, Travis still faces a long road to recovery.

Travis’ doctors posted an update to YouTube on Monday afternoon, allowing his fiancee to also talk about the singer’s condition. Cardiac surgeon Michael Mack explained:

“[Randy Travis] did suffer an acute viral illness over the past three weeks, but that seems to have tipped over a more chronic condition.’

Mack added, “He has what’s called idiopathic cardiomyopathy, which means he has scarring of his heart muscle that is causing his heart to be weak and not able to support his circulation without help of either medical devices or medication.”

Now that Randy Travis is awake and alert, he will likely remain in the hospital for two or three more weeks for recovery. Then, he will have to stay in an inpatient facility, where he will undergo aggressive physical therapy for his stroke. Dr. Gary Erwin explained:

“He is awake and alert, interacting with his family and friends and beginning to start doing some early physical therapy. We anticipate it will take months to recover from the stroke.”

Stroke patients often have difficulty with one side of their body. That side will have to be rehabbed until the patient can either us it normally or function well despite the disability. There was no word on whether or not doctors expect Randy Travis to fully recover from his stroke.

While they didn’t mention Travis’ chances at a full recovery, doctors at Baylor’s Heart Hospital in Dallas have said the country singer is breathing with the help of a ventilator, but they hope to wean him off the device soon. Randy Travis’ fiance, Mary Davis, thanked fans and friends for their prayers and support, saying, “I know that Randy feels each and every one of those.”

While Randy Travis is awake, alert, and starting some early rehabilitation, it is not yet clear if or when the country singer will be able to perform again.

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]