Bret Michaels in Critical Condition after suffering brain hemorrhage

[WyldeMan45]

Rocker-turned-reality star Bret Michaels has suffered a brain hemorrhage and is in critical condition at an undisclosed hospital, People magazine reported on Friday.

It quoted a source as saying the 47-year-old musician was rushed to hospital overnight with an excruciating headache, which doctors diagnosed as a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding at the base of his brain stem.

"(It) will be touch and go for the next few days while he is under intense observation," the source told People.

Representatives for Michaels were not immediately available to comment. Earlier this month, Michaels underwent an appendectomy. He also suffers from diabetes.

Michaels rose to fame in the 1980s at the helm of Poison, a glam-rock band whose hits included the ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

In recent years, he reinvented himself as a reality TV star in such shows as VH1's "Rock of Love" and on the current season of "The Celebrity Apprentice." He also just recorded a song with Disney starlet Miley Cyrus.

Bret Michaels -- The Odds of Survival

Bret Michaels doesn't just need good medical attention to survive his current condition -- he also needs luck.

According to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, people who don't receive proper medical treatment after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage have a 20% to 30% chance of experiencing a second bleed within the first month -- and the odds of surviving a second bleed are extremely slim.

Cedars states, "Recurrent bleeding has a 70% mortality rate."

Fortunately, Michaels is reportedly being treated in a capable medical center.

However, it appears as though Michaels is already beating the odds -- Cedars reports that roughly 1/3 of people who have a subarachnoid hemorrhage die during the hemorrhage because of extensive brain damage. Obviously, Michaels has already cleared that hurdle.

As for Michaels' treatment, Cedars warns, "Because of the ominous prognosis with delayed definitive therapy, referral to a center of excellence with experience in treating subarachnoid hemorrhage is imperative."