Steve Kerr still dealing with chronic migraines
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr appears to be past the worst of the health issues that forced him to miss the first 43 games of this season, but that doesn't mean his return to the bench has been problem-free.
Kerr has continued to deal with chronic migraines throughout the year, seemingly stemming from his two offseason back surgeries, he told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Kerr initially underwent surgery for a ruptured disk in July, but complications from the procedure left him with a spinal fluid leak, necessitating a second surgery in September. It took him months to start feeling like himself again.
While Luke Walton took up the reins on an interim basis, leading the Warriors' to an all-time best 39-4 start, Kerr dealt with nausea, dizziness, fatigue, pressure headaches, and intense pain behind his eyes. Though the majority of those symptoms have passed, the headaches have persisted.
From Shelburne:
He has had a terrible migraine basically every day since July. Some days he'll feel better and go for a hike. Other days he'll be seeing spots and looking for a chair to grab or a wall to lean on so he doesn't fall over.
You wouldn't know it to watch Kerr on the sidelines, where he's often engaged and on his feet, sometimes even flailing his arms in the direction of the officials.
Still, Kerr has had to manage not only the recurring condition, but the fact that he hasn't gotten a satisfactory explanation for it. According to Shelburne, one theory is that "the change in the volume of spinal fluid after the initial surgery knocked his body out of homeostasis and contributed to a condition known as new daily persistent headache syndrome."
Theories, alas, are all that doctors have been able to offer.
"It reminds you of how fragile everything is," Kerr told Shelburne. "It sounds like a cliché, but it really is true. We're all vulnerable. So vulnerable."
Despite returning to guide the Warriors to the precipice of history, Kerr has still found himself feeling weary at various points during the season. But he's accepted imperfection of his current circumstance, and the inevitable frustration it often entails.
"Of course I get angry and pissed off sometimes," he said. "But I can't hang on that. It does you no good."