'Friends' Star Matthew Perry Rushed to Emergency Surgery, Rep Releases Statement
Abdominal injuries and issues aren’t a laughing matter. In fact, some people maintain that a gut wound is one of the most painful things a person can experience.
For my own part, I landed in the hospital once when food poisoning took a very nasty turn. Let’s just say it’s an experience I hope never to repeat.
Still, it can’t hold a candle to what actor Matthew Perry recently went through. Perry has faced more than a few health issues during the past.
The former “Friends” star has spoken openly about his struggles with substance abuse. In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter highlighted a video he cut for Phoenix House, a drug and alcohol rehab center with locations in 10 states.
“You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and expect to solve it in 28 days,” he said. “I was very moved by the hope that I saw there, which is what this is all about.
“Getting sober is a really hard thing to do.” Yet Perry managed to do it and to translate his personal battle into a successful play titled “The End of Longing.”
“I’m always drawn to characters that improve, that are geared to try to become better men in their lives, that start off in a somewhat broken place and are trying to improve their lives, and that’s what I’ve tried to do in my personal life,” he told ET. “I like stories that tell that story.”
Fortunately, Perry’s recent health woes don’t have anything to do with his previous drug use. According to his rep, he landed in the hospital with a serious digestive ailment.
“Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation,” the rep said according to a report in People. “He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals.”
An intestinal perforation is no laughing matter. Healthline explains that it’s any sort of hole in the stomach or intestinal tract.
Bodily trauma can cause it. Think stabbings, gun shots, that sort of thing.
But more common illnesses may lead to it, too. Diverticulitis or acute appendicitis may cause a perforation.
A gastrointestinal perforation is a great concern, and not only because of the pain. It may lead to various bodily substances leaking into the abdominal cavity.
Bile, digested food, and even (yuck!) feces may slip into your insides. Left untreated, gastrointestinal perforations will often lead to peritonitis, a life-threatening inflammation of the abdominal lining.
Fortunately, Perry seems to have gotten the medical help he needs. According to his rep, he’s resting and healing.
Thoughts and prayers are with you, Matt. We wish you all the best as you recover.
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