Asking Michael Reeves About His Exploding Bladder & "Education"

TL;DR

Michael Reeves felt a pop in his bladder area while rushing to a mall urinal on Maui, got lightheaded, and recovered after sitting on the bathroom floor for 15 minutes. Instead of seeing a doctor, he built a WiFi flow-meter that streams his urine volume live on Twitch. He had no health insurance and shrugged it off with "if I die, I die." Here's what really happened, including the black-urine myth his fans got wrong.

Transcript

• As a real doctor, I'm legitimately afraid for Michael Reeves and his health condition. You've probably heard of Michael Reeves. He builds interesting robots on YouTube. (Michael screams) - Oh, hell, yeah! - [Mikhail] In fact, last year he took inspiration from the life-saving da Vinci surgical robot and made his own. (robot crashing) Still pendin... Read More

Key Insights

• 😷 Michael Reeves’ experience with a ruptured bladder serves as a reminder of the importance of health awareness and immediate medical attention.
• 🧑‍⚕️ His creative approach to monitoring his health through technology highlights the intersection of humor, engineering, and health management.
• 💗 The discussion illustrates the growing trend of learning outside traditional educational paths and the resources available via platforms like YouTube.
• 💉 Frequent urination after a health scare can signal underlying issues, emphasizing the need for proper health evaluations.
• 😨 Michael's humorous attitude towards serious health problems offers a unique perspective on dealing with fears and concerns in a lighthearted manner.
• 😷 The importance of having health insurance is highlighted, as it can influence decisions around seeking medical attention.
• 😷 The conversation around aneurysms and health risks emphasizes that serious medical conditions can often go unnoticed until they result in critical incidents.

Questions & Answers

Q: What happened to Michael Reeves' bladder?

While rushing to a public mall urinal on Maui after eating at a Genki Sushi, Michael felt a popping sensation in his bladder area during the belt-buckle "suck-in" moment. He got lightheaded and his vision blurred, but he finished urinating, sat on the bathroom floor for about 15 minutes, and then felt fine. It never popped again.

Q: Did Michael Reeves' urine actually turn black?

No. That was a misunderstanding his fans picked up from his stream, and they worried he was in kidney failure. In the interview Michael clarifies that the urine was a normal color, saying "the piss was fine" and "the piss was a piss color."

Q: Did Michael go to the doctor after his bladder popped?

No. He didn't have health insurance at the time, so he decided not to get checked out, joking "if I die, I die, whatever." He also cited COVID-19 as a reason to avoid a doctor's office. The interviewing doctor, Mikhail, went on record saying that is not what he would recommend.

Q: What did Michael Reeves build to track his urine?

He built a flow-meter setup: a flow sensor with a half-funnel cut around it, connected to a WiFi-enabled board. The board transmits data over WiFi to his computer showing how fast liquid passes through it, then displays it in OBS so his Twitch stream shows how much he's urinating in real time.

Q: Did the incident change how often Michael urinates?

Yes, he says he urinates more since it happened, sometimes several times an hour when he's chugging a lot of water. The doctor notes that sounds excessive, since most adults typically urinate roughly four to eight times a day, though he stresses that isn't a hard rule.

Q: How did Michael Reeves learn engineering without a degree?

Michael says he didn't finish college and has no urology or engineering degree. He learned mostly off Google, YouTube courses, and similar resources. The interview points to him as an example that you can learn engineering online without paying a huge sum for school, though he notes not everyone has to follow that path.

Q: What robot did Michael Reeves make from the da Vinci surgical robot?

Mikhail mentions that the year before, Michael took inspiration from the life-saving da Vinci surgical robot and built his own version, which is described as still pending FDA approval. It's cited as an example of his creative, entertaining engineering projects on YouTube.

Q: Does Michael Reeves believe in preventive health care?

He agrees with the idea of getting ahead of problems, but only as a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of thing. His own story shows the opposite in practice, and the doctor emphasizes that preventing problems is ideal rather than ignoring symptoms out of fear or lack of resources.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Michael Reeves recounts a distressing incident where his bladder ruptured, causing him concern but leading to a humorous response in true Reeves fashion.

• Instead of immediately seeking medical attention, he decided to create a robot that tracks his urine output, combining his passion for engineering with personal health monitoring.

• The conversation highlights the importance of understanding health issues, while also showcasing how learning from unconventional sources like YouTube has impacted Reeves' life and inspires others.