Nurse!

Kathy Bates is throwing her support behind a group of women on a mission that could affect millions of people like Kathy ... who are suffering with lymphedema.

We got Kathy at LAX on Tuesday, and she opened up about her painful battle. Lymphedema is a swelling of tissues caused by removal of/or damage to lymph nodes. Kathy developed it after undergoing a double mastectomy in 2012.

Kathy told us patients are dealing with two huge issues -- one being the lack of health insurance coverage, but as she explained it ... the cavalry is on its way to Washington, D.C.

Sorry Axl Rose ... AC/DC's Brian Johnson is "no quitter" and wants everyone to know his hearing issues will NOT force him to retire from the band.

On the heels of the news Axl's taking over lead singer duties for AC/DC's remaining European tour dates ... Johnson says, doctors advised him to stop performing shows in arenas or stadiums "where the sound levels are beyond my current tolerance, without the risk of substantial hearing loss and possibly total deafness."

However, he says he's still good to go in studio, and plans to do that when AC/DC records again. Brian will also continue getting treatments, and "I am hoping that in time my hearing will improve and allow me to return to live concert performances."

In other words ...

Even accomplished weed smokers like Waka Flocka Flame can overdo it.

The rapper was in Seattle Sunday and his evening was interrupted by some EMTs who gave him a lift in their ambulance. Waka blames it on "#nonGMO edibles and 20 or more blunts."

The rep says Waka didn't end up in the hospital, which is weird because that's usually the dropping off point for an ambo.

FYI ... recreational weed is legal in the state of Washington, though we doubt that would have stopped Waka.

Ace Frehley can no longer rock and roll all night -- doctors orders.

TMZ has learned Frehley is back home resting after being rushed to the hospital Friday night for exhaustion and dehydration. The ex KISS guitarist was released Sunday night with one warning: slow down.

Docs told the 64-year-old he's in great shape for his age, but needs to stop running around like he's still 18. He was advised to arrange a less exhausting tour schedule.

We're told Frehley already clocked in a dozen shows this month -- and was shooting a music video in L.A. at the same time ... flying back and forth to play his East Coast dates. Fortunately, the Saturday gig he had to cancel was his last tour date.

Joe Manganiello was sidelined over the last few days because of appendicitis and a surgery that was extremely serious ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected with the actor tell us, Joe went into the hospital late last week to have his appendix removed, but when doctors went in they were alarmed. We do not conclusively know the nature of the problem, but one source says his appendix burst.

Joe, who cancelled an event Sunday, was still in the hospital as of last night.

Joe's rep has said he has a chronic condition and suggested that's why he missed his Sunday appearance. We know he ripped a bicep during shooting of 'Magic Mike' and had surgery as a result. We also know the bicep is an ongoing problem, but we're told appendicitis is what kept him away last week.

Kanye West's new artist is making a serious splash in the biz -- by throwing up his guts in the middle of a show, and acting like it never happened.

Desiigner, who 'Ye signed to his label earlier this year, was performing his hit "Panda" Saturday night in NYC. Apparently he caught the same flu bug Prince caught recently ... because while D was jumping around onstage he lost it.

Props to Desiigner though ... he kept the show going.

Even more props to the janitors.

A woman claims she broke her pelvis falling off a stripper pole mounted on a bus during a bachelorette party, and she says the bus company is to blame.

Lacey Laatiks and her friends rented a bus from a L.A. based company for a round trip between San Diego and Temecula, where they hit up 4 wineries. On the ride home she says the bus swerved, causing Lacey's hands to slip off the pole.

Lacey claims in her lawsuit she landed on her side and the fall caused multiple pelvic fractures requiring metal braces and screws. She says she rode home in agony and when the bus finally stopped she was just thrown on the lawn and left.

She insists the company's to blame because it should have never let her dance, swing, and hang on the pole while the bus was traveling at freeway speeds.

She does not say if drinking was involved, but if we could guess ...

We have reached out to the company for comment, so far no word back.

Ace Frehley will not be back, back in a New York groove ... instead he's laid up in a hospital bed.

The former KISS guitarist says he was admitted to a Pennsylvania hospital for exhaustion and dehydration ... after a concert Friday night.

Frehley is still hospitalized, and as a result had to cancel his scheduled show Saturday nigh in NYC, his hometown.

3:30 PM PST -- A rep for Prince tells TMZ, the singer has been fighting the flu for several weeks. He canceled 2 shows on April 7th but wanted to make Thursday night's performance in Atlanta, even though he was still not feeling well.

After the show, he got on a plane and felt considerably worse, so his plane made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, where he was taken to the hospital and treated. He was released 3 hours later, got back on the plane and is now back home.

Prince was rushed to a hospital early Friday morning after his jet made an emergency landing in Illinois ... TMZ has learned.

According to our sources, Prince's private plane made an unscheduled landing at Quad City International Airport in Moline just after 1 AM. The singer was immediately transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

A source close to the 57-year-old singer tells us he's been released and is doing okay. The nature of the medical emergency is unclear.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had performed Thursday night in Atlanta ... and he was in the air for only a short time before things went south.

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill ain't that much of a rough boy after all -- he fell right before the band's show Thursday night in Texas and dislocated his shoulder ... forcing them to cancel the concert.

The bearded ones were set to play in Lubbock, but a manager at the venue tells us Dusty fell as he was getting off his tour bus. It's unclear what caused the fall.

The manager says an ambulance on site took the 66-year-old rocker to the hospital for treatment. ZZ Top momentarily considered going on with the bassist from their opening act, Tim Montana and The Shrednecks -- but decided fans would be disappointed if they went on with half-beard power.

The show's been rescheduled for May 29.

The actress who plays the mom in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was taken to the hospital after a nasty car wreck ... and some witnesses say it was her fault.

We're told Lainie Kazan was driving in the Valley Saturday and drifted into an oncoming lane. We're told her Lincoln SUV struck another vehicle head-on. And, of all places, the accident happened right in front of The Great Greek restaurant. For real.

Our on-scene sources tell us Lainie and the other driver were both conscious afterward -- but you can see in the pics Lainie's neck was immobilized in a neck brace.

Lainie's current condition is unclear -- her rep wouldn't comment. No citations have been issued, but cops tell us the accident is still under investigation.

Vince Neil has an uphill battle to clear his name after his Las Vegas battery citation, since cops say security cameras caught him red-handed ... with a fistful of the victim's hair.

Neil claimed he only "pushed past" a female autograph seeker at the Aria last week ... but according to police records, obtained by TMZ, officers reviewed surveillance footage which showed the Motley Crue frontman pulling the woman down to the ground by her hair.

Neil has denied it got that physical. She says she was left stunned, and suffered a sore neck ... as well as pain in her lower back and hip.

Cameras also captured the woman taking pics with Carrot Top before she saw Nic Cage. She claims she said, "Nicolas, I love you" and followed the actor before being pulled down.

As for the scene outside -- cops say Neil was actually trying to fight another individual, while Nic tried to play peacemaker.

Everclear's lead singer got into a car wreck ... and he's blaming his Ford's crappy brakes.

Art Alexakis tells TMZ he was driving the speed limit (35 mph) in Pasadena last Friday night just before sunset when traffic in front of him started to slow down. Art says he tried punching the brakes on his 2013 Ford Flex but they just didn't bite ... causing him to rear end the car he was trailing.

We're told cops and EMS responded to the scene to check everyone out and gave the all clear. Art says all he suffered was a scratch on his leg.

As for the Ford, Art says it was a goner ... but the good news? Insurance is picking up the tab on a new ride and everything is wonderful now.

Axl Rose broke his foot and underwent surgery, and he just announced it ... HOURS before Guns N' Roses officially kicks off their tour!

Axl posted an x-ray of his left foot and said, "This is what can happen when you do something you haven't done in nearly 23 years."

The real GNR is playing its first arena show in decades tonight and Saturday night in Las Vegas. We're told the injury happened when Axl slipped onstage while singing "Mr. Brownstone" during last Friday's Troubadour show. We're told Axl knew something was busted, but toughed it out. Rock 'N' roll.

He had surgery earlier this week, and got a bunch of hardware to repair the fracture. We're told he'll be in a cast for all the Vegas and Coachella shows, but don't expect him to be sitting the whole time. They're making some kinda support for him and the setlist won't be shortened.

The band clearly knows this would freak out fans. They got Axl's doc to explain the injury and the surgery.

Legendary Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan is battling both Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia ... according to a report in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Sloan -- who coached great Utah teams featuring Karl Malone & John Stockton -- told the paper he decided to reveal his diagnoses because his symptoms have become visibly noticeable.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Lewy body dementia is a condition that causes a progressive decline in mental abilities and can sometimes cause hallucinations.

Despite the setbacks Sloan says he's still walking 4 miles a day and is adamant he's not looking for sympathy from anyone.

'O.C. Housewives' Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Barney were way worse off than we initially thought after they rolled an ATV while taping on Saturday.

TMZ obtained these photos and video from the crash scene in Glamis, CA ... where Vicki had to be airlifted to a hospital for treatment. Witnesses on scene tell us she was puking after the accident, and couldn't feel her fingers. Both women complained of neck and back pain, and you can tell from these images ... everyone on scene was concerned about the severity of the injuries.

We're also told Tamra, who was driving the Polaris RZR, had been warned several times by the people training her to slow down.

TMZ broke the story ... both women had to be hospitalized after the accident, which happened while they were shooting for the show.

Both have been released, and we're told they're recovering well.