Metal Anarchy

As previously reported, Hatebreed guitarist Wayne Lozinak recently underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. Now, the musician has opened up about his recovery, saying his “brain had to relearn after the disruption.”

Lozinak told The Mike James Rock Show the following:

“ I had symptoms at [the U.K.’s] Download festival [in June]. I went to the doctor in France the next day. It was weird — my lip got numb, and I was, like, ‘That’s kind of weird.’ But then I couldn’t talk. It was almost like I was having a stroke. So then we had a day off in France the next day. I was fine the next day, but I was, like, ‘Let me go see the doctor.’ My girlfriend actually told me… I was, like, ‘I’m fine.’ She’s, like, ‘You’d better go or I’m gonna come out there.’ I was, like, ‘All right. All right. I’ll go. I’ll go.’ And then I got the scan and they saw a big tumor. I had to stay overnight. Then they did the MRI and then they finally said it was benign. [There was] no cancer, which was good, but it was big. And they said it’s probably been there for years, the doctor said. And they were, like, ‘It’s not an emergency, but get it done within the next three months.’ So I went back to the U.S., made an appointment with a surgeon. I got it taken out, and now I’m here [back on tour with HATEBREED].”

He continued:

“I got the surgery August 4th… I couldn’t even talk when they first took [the tumor] out. ‘Cause it was in my speech center, so I actually had a mild stroke when they took it out. So I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t write. It was almost like I just forgot how to speak. So I needed speech therapist, all this stuff.”

He also added the following when asked if it was difficult to relearn playing his guitar:

“I was in the hospital for five days, something like that. So I was just in bed. When I got home, it was slow. When I first got home, I picked it up. That was one of the first things I did. I was, like, ‘All right, I know the chords.’ And then as time went on, then I was fine.

They said I should probably be doing normal things withing four to eight weeks. And then I was, like, ‘Well, can I go on tour?’ And they were asking me questions and doing tests. They were just, like, ‘Don’t headbang too crazy.’ That my one thing. I’m, like, ‘I’ll try not to.’ It’s hard, but, yeah, that was about it. But I’m pretty good now, so I’m happy. The brain had to relearn after the disruption.”

[via Blabbermouth]