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Vanessa Carlton Cancels Gigs After Undergoing Emergency Surgery
A few weeks ago Vanessa Carlton’s management told fans a handful of dates were being rescheduled because of a “medical emergency.” Now the singer/songwriter has canceled a few November gigs and reveled she recently underwent surgery related to an ectopic pregnancy.
Carlton was supposed to play Vancouver’s Tom Lee Music Hall tonight. The Nov. 7 gig has been canceled along with the next three stops on the tour, scheduled Nov. 8-10 in Bellingham, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle.
“I’m so bummed about having to jank up this tour,” Carlton wrote in a Facebook post Nov 5. “It started off pretty great. My favorite even. Gimme a couple more days, I’ll be ready. Thank you for all your support and understanding through this.”
Carlton explained she was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy Oct. 15.
“In my case it was a fallopian pregnancy (the embryo settled in my tube, which is the width of a straw.) This is not considered a viable pregnancy because the fetus cannot develop and it is a high risk situation for the mother because of the potential for tubal rupture and internal bleeding.”
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Doctors tried to save her fallopian tube by prescribing a shot of Mehotrexate, which Carlton describes as a mild chemotherapy, rather than surgery. At this point she postponed her last four dates in October so she could stay close to a hospital.
She ended up in the ER to have surgery to remove her entire fallopian tube because it started to rupture and she suffered internal bleeding 11 days after the chemo shot. The surgery was a success and Carlton noted, “On the bright side my other tube and ovaries are perfectly healthy.”
Unfortunately, Carlton’s medical troubles weren’t over yet. On Tuesday she wrote, “I started getting intense nerve pain in one of my incisions. … I need to stay close to my doctors and the hospital in case this initial pain turns into something more serious.”
Carlton’s next concert is scheduled Nov. 13 at San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall. She says, “I’m ready to get back out there mentally though and if all goes even remotely as planned I will be ready for San Francisco.”
As for the October dates, three out of the four gigs have been rescheduled. Carlton’s set to play Alexandriam Va., at the Birchmere Feb. 6; Charlotte, N.C., at Visulite Theatre Feb. 8 and Atlanta’s Terminal West Feb. 9. A new date has not been announced for Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley.