Captain Lee Is in the Hospital for ‘Serious’ Surgery

NBC Captain Lee pictured for "Below Deck" season 9 promotion.

Captain Lee Rosbach from “Below Deck” just gave fans a major health update.

The “Stud of the Sea” revealed that he has been hospitalized “all week” after a “serious” surgery. The reveal came in response to a Twitter follower who tweeted to Captain Lee about the actions of Chief Stew Heather Chase on an episode of “Below Deck.” Chase was caught on camera using the n-word during a night out with the cast. Twitter user Nickibeautiful addressed Captain Lee and said, “Here we are a week later with your chief stew Heather repeatedly saying the N word and your first officer Eddie telling Rayna not to take it personally. Shall I check your blog?”

Lee responded with, “Nicki, you should know all the facts before you spout off, but I guess facts don’t mean that much to you, and what’s worse is claiming you know when you don’t. Just a FYI I have been in a hospital bed all week recovering from a serious spinal surgery. Do I owe you an explanation?”

After Lee’s admission on Twitter, followers began to tweet to him with questions about his surgery and illness.

A user named Cyndi B wrote to Lee, “Oh boy! Sorry to hear this. That can be a rough recovery. How are you doing?” Lee directly responded to her tweet by saying, “I’m doing ok Cindy B just trying to get thru it a have it done. Doc say operation went really well. I’m a bit dopey from meds. But this will pass.” Lee also wrote on Twitter that he’s “getting better.”

Captain Lee Has Severe Spinal Stenosis

Captain Lee wrote on Twitter that he has “severe spinal stenosis.” The Mayo Clinic has stated that this condition, “is a narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck … Others may experience pain, tingling, numbness and muscle weakness. Symptoms can worsen over time.”

It continues, “Spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by wear-and-tear changes in the spine related to osteoarthritis. In severe cases of spinal stenosis, doctors may recommend surgery to create additional space for the spinal cord or nerves.”

Lee said his “plan” with the surgery is “relief” from his back issues.

This is not Lee’s first reported surgery. In August 2018, Bravo reported that Captain Lee had had surgery on his foot.

Captain Lee Also Suffers From A-Fib

Captain Lee was unable to join the beginning episodes of the recent season of “Below Deck” because he was held up due to a health condition. The previous season, he almost “missed the boat” after he fell in the shower. Lee missed the first few days of “Below Deck” season 9 and revealed on-camera that it was because of his A-fcondition. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Atrial fibrillation (A-fib or AF) is the most common type of sustained cardiac arrhythmia. It occurs when there are too many electrical signals that normally control the heartbeat, causing the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) to beat extremely rapidly (more than 400 beats per minute) and quiver (fibrillate).”

The condition can result in blood clots and stroke. Some of the symptoms include palpitations, fainting, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain.

Captain Sean Meagher stepped in for Captain Lee on the first couple of episodes of “Below Deck” season 9.