Rush Limbaugh gives candid update on his battle with advanced lung cancer

Rush Limbaugh doesn't want to "divulge" too much about his advanced lung cancer diagnosis, but he did provide a candid update on Tuesday's "The Rush Limbaugh Show."

"I vowed not to be a cancer patient on the radio. I vowed to shield as much of that from the daily program as I can," the longtime conservative commentator and radio host said before getting real with listeners on his third wave of treatment. "I have to tell you, it's kicking my ass."

He shared that the past seven days of treatments have left him "virtually worthless" and "virtually useless." He hasn't left the house or done much of anything, as doctors warned him would happen.

"It's the price that you pay if you make the decision to go ahead and do treatment to try to prolong your life," he said, adding that he is doing "extremely well, all things considered."

Limbaugh revealed on his show in early February that he was battling advanced lung cancer, having been diagnosed on Jan. 20. He has kept updates to a minimum but has talked about a time when he may have to step away from the show, so he wants to keep listeners informed.

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Last week, he mentioned his team is ready to start rolling a "best of" show or have a guest host fill in. But he hopes he won't have to do that anytime soon.

"Every day I wake up and the first thing I do is thank God that I did. Just waking up is a blessing," he said.

Limbaugh continued to share details on his treatment plan.

"There has been one particular kind of treatment that works in 97% of patients and did not work in me. And it's because of a 1% mutation I have that led to my lung cancer in the first place," he said.

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He said he participated in a clinical trial that "did a number on the tumor," but the other side effects of the drugs were too severe to continue. So now he is on week two of this third cycle of treatment.

He reiterated that he doesn't want to divulge much: "I'm still here and that's all that's important." In the meantime, he plans to get in as many shows as possible while he is still able to do so.

Limbaugh, 69, is the leading conservative talk radio host, a star of the airwaves for more than three decades having gotten his start in the 1970s. According to Talkers, which tracks audience numbers for talk radio, Limbaugh is the most-listened to radio host in the country, with 15.5 million listeners tuning in weekly as of December 2019.

He is an ally and friend of President Donald Trump, who awarded Limbaugh the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one day after revealing his diagnosis at this year's State of the Union address.

Limbaugh was visibly stunned and overcome with emotion.

"Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country," Trump said during his speech.

Contributing: Cydney Henderson, Anika Reed, Maria Puente

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rush Limbaugh provides update on lung cancer treatment