(Photo credit: Tank Instagram)
Tank, the toned R&B crooner who has sang and penned so many hit love songs like “Maybe I Deserve,” “Please Don’t Go” and recently the hit slow jam, “When We” is always sharing stories of love and pleasure with his fans. But now, Tank has taken to social media to share something serious.
The singer, whose real name is Durrell Babbs, revealed that he is going deaf in a post he shared on Wednesday.
“So I’m going through something right now and I want to use my situation to encourage your situation. I’m going completely deaf in my right ear and I’m kind of losing sound in my left,” Tank, 45, began. “I’m dizzy, can’t walk a straight line. All of this out of nowhere. Don’t know how or why. I’m seeing a doctor, got MRI’s going on and medication and, you know, all of that.”
“But, it still hasn’t given me a reason to give up. It still hasn’t given me a reason to stop feeling like I can do and be everything that I’ve set out to be,” he continued. “The goals are still the same: to be great, to be the greatest. And I want to say that to you too. No matter what you’re going through, no matter where you find yourself. Whether your body is failing you, whether your mind is failing you, whether your spirit is failing you: keep going, keep pushing.”
He added that he would document his process and show people his fight. The GRAMMY-nominated artist received a slew of uplifting and supporting messages, with his wife, Zena Foster, even jokingly commenting, “I love you babe and don’t worry I can talk louder.”
Tank got back online and shared that he revisted his doctor and just gave an update. He shared that his Ear, Nose and Throat doctor “didn’t see anything crazy” when it came to brain function and that he is taking Meclizine for his dizziness. Meclizine Hydrochloride is an antihistamine. It is used to prevent nausea, vomiting, or dizziness.
Tank also found out that he has a deviated septum. A deviated septum is a condition in which the nasal septum — the bone and cartilage that divide the nasal cavity of the nose in half — is significantly off-center, or crooked, making breathing difficult.
A deviated septum occurs when the thin wall (nasal septum) between your nasal passages is displaced to one side. In many people, the nasal septum is off-center — or deviated — making one nasal passage smaller.
When a deviated septum is severe, it can block one side of your nose and reduce airflow, causing difficulty breathing. The additional exposure of a deviated septum to the drying effect of airflow through the nose may sometimes contribute to crusting or bleeding in certain people.
A nasal blockage or congestion (obstruction) can occur from a deviated nasal septum, from swelling of the tissues lining the nose or from both.
Treatment of nasal obstruction may include medications to reduce the swelling or nasal dilators that help open the nasal passages. You’ll need surgery to correct a deviated septum.
Many different conditions lead to partial and total deafness. Ear infections, fluid buildup behind the eardrum, holes in the eardrum, and problems with the middle ear bones can cause deafness from conductive hearing loss. In rare cases, tumors can also cause conductive hearing loss – they block sound from getting into the inner ear. Birth defects and diseases passed on by genes can do this, too. Genetics is one cause of sensorineural hearing loss.
According to the Mayo Clinic, in rare cases, deafness or hearing loss can occur suddenly. This condition can be permanent or temporary, and usually affects only one ear, like in Tank’s case. The cause is unknown but may be due to viral infections, or disorders of the circulatory or immune system. The loss is may be treated with corticosteroid medications; however, the likelihood of recovery is low if the loss was severe initially.
Although Tank is dealing with a lot, he wants to use his situation to encourage others to keep persevering.
“It still hasn’t given me a reason to give up,” he added. “It still hasn’t given me a reason to stop feeling like I can do and be everything that I’ve set out to be. The goals are still the same — to be great, to be the greatest. And I wanna say that to you, too. No matter what you’re going through, no matter where you find yourself, whether your body’s failing you, whether your mind is failing you, whether your spirit is failing you, keep going. Keep pushing.”
(Photo credit: Tank Instagram)
Tank was met with lots of support from many of his celebrity friends. Singer Anthony Hamilton said he is praying for him. Daron from 112 commented, “Keep fighting bro! Prayers up!.” Bishop T.D. Jakes wrote, “Praying for you bro,” while singer Tweet left several praying hand emojis under the post.
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