Jeff Lewis Undergoes Second Surgery for Spinal Cord Condition: ‘I Have to Do This’
On Friday, the Flipping Out alum shared a photo to Instagram of himself lying on a hospital bed — a white sheet covering his body and face — captioning it, “My surgery was a success! I’ve never felt better. Thanks for giving a s—t.”
His legs, which are visible from the knee down, appear to be wrapped in intermittent pneumatic compression devices — inflatable sleeves that support circulation and prevent blood clots.
On Wednesday, the father of one visited Andy Cohen at his apartment in New York City, where the Bravo stars co-recorded an episode of Lewis’s SiriusXM radio show, Jeff Lewis Live! On the show, Lewis shared that he would be getting the surgery on Thursday, at a hospital in New York.
“I have to do this surgery. I cannot wait,” Lewis told Cohen, mentioning that he had a “pinched nerve” and an issue with his discs that had been making it hard to walk.
A few of Lewis’s famous friends commented on his post-surgery Instagram photo, including his Jeff Lewis Live! co-host, Megan Weaver (who also appeared on Flipping Out as an interior designer), who joked, “Nice socks.”
Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge also shared a playful comment, writing, “Wow, you’ve never looked better.”
RELATED: Jeff Lewis Recovering in Hospital After Undergoing Major Neck Surgery for Spinal Cord Condition
In August, PEOPLE reported that Lewis had undergone major neck surgery after learning he was suffering from Cervical Myelopathy, a spinal cord disease, which was causing pain in his lower back and neck and instability in his legs. It’s unclear what exact surgery he underwent on Thursday.
Cohen was concerned about Lewis getting to the hospital due to the snowstorm hitting the city, but the interior designer assured his Sirius XM boss that he already had a car service booked, and that the aftermath of the storm would be the perfect time for him to recover post-surgery.
Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage
“Tomorrow this needs to happen, because you know what’s not sexy? Me walking around with a cane, or a walker, or in a wheelchair,” he joked. “It’s going to be hard for the dating life.”
Lewis has been in an on-and-off relationship with boyfriend Scott Anderson. The Bravo alum split from his partner of 10 years, Gage Edward, with whom he shares daughter Monroe Christine, 4, in February 2019.
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The home is listed by Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles stars Josh and Matt Altman
Lewis went into detail about his spinal cord condition back in August on an episode of his radio show, explaining that he had been diagnosed with Cervical Myelopathy after undergoing an MRI.
“There is a disc actually in my neck that’s pushing against my spinal cord and has bruised my spinal cord, which has caused nerve damage,” he shared on-air, noting that his doctor told him he would have to get surgery as soon as possible, because “if it goes untreated it can cause paralyzation — and it gets progressively worse.”
Jeff Lewis/instagram
The surgery was scheduled 13 days after the diagnosis, and Lewis went in on August 26. He talked about how nervous he was for the surgery in the days leading up to it, even going so far as to jokingly plan his funeral with his co-hosts. (He would like to be buried in his favorite John Varvatos tux that he wore to the 2014 Emmy’s, he noted.)
RELATED: Jeff Lewis Threatens to End Friendship with Tamra Judge Over Her Liking His Ex’s Instagrams
The day after the surgery, Lewis shared a post to Instagram to let his fans know he was alright. and featuring an edited image poking fun at his contentious co-parenting relationship with Edward.
The doctored cartoon showed Lewis lying in a hospital bed in his neck brace with Edward pulling the plug on Lewis’s equipment and a flatlined electrocardiogram screen. “It’s Monroe Edwards now bitch,” Edward’s speech bubble reads.
Jeff Lewis/instagram
The pair have been in a custody battle over their daughter for several years.
In February 2020, PEOPLE reported that Edward had filed a lawsuit against Lewis, asking for Monroe’s name to be changed from “Monroe Christine Lewis” to “Monroe Christine Edward Lewis.”
“Thanks for all of the support,” Lewis captioned his Instagram post. Edward quipped back in the comments section, writing “I’ve been looking for that [plug emoji] for a while. [black heart emoji].”
