I’ve professed my affection for Matthew Perry before but I don’t usually get a reason to write about him. Although he still working, he doesn’t live his life in the spotlight as much as some of his former co-stars. I follow him on Twitter and he tweets consistently (unless there is a big tennis match and then my Twitter feed is merely alternating posts between Kaiser and Matthew). But since the start of the year, Matthew’s Twitter remained pretty quiet. In August, we learned from his rep that Matthew underwent surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation. Finally, last Friday, for the first time in almost six months, Matthew tweeted this:
Three months in a hospital bed. Check.
— matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) September 15, 2018
Oof! I couldn’t handle three days in the hospital after I gave birth, let only three months – my heart goes out to him. A gastrointestinal perforation – also known as a ruptured bowel – is pretty bad. What we know: GP is a hole in your gastrointestinal tract that allows bacteria in that can result in peritonitis. It’s life-threatening and very painful. It can be caused by disease, like diverticulitis or colon cancer, but it can also be caused by trauma, such as a knife wound or gunshot.
We don’t know what caused it in Matthew’s case. Matthew has been vocal about his struggles with alcohol and opioids, which can lead to bowel obstruction and perforation. However, neither he nor his team have confirmed any cause for his condition as of yet. There was a lot of talk about Matthew’s appearance and behavior at the end of last year. Most speculated that he had fallen off the wagon. When he was hospitalized earlier this year under doctor’s orders for an “undisclosed illness,” it was assumed he’d gone back to rehab for drugs and/or alcohol. But if his body was poisoning itself, that would also cause bloating and erratic behavior – believe me, I’ve witnessed it. Like I said, Matthew is pretty open about his health, I suspect we’ll get the full story when he’s back on his feet. I think his tweet was just letting us know he’s okay. Whatever the cause, I just hope Matthew is on the road to a full recovery and out of pain.
Photo credit: WENN Photos
I just adore him. I really hope he recovers well and manages to stay healthy. Poor guy.
I do too. Love him.
I hope he gets better. He seems like a genuinely nice guy who has struggled through a lot of stuff. He had a show a few years ago where he played a guy who lost his wife and took part in group therapy and it was actually a great show – I was so sad when it was cancelled.
As a side note, I wish he would stick his chin out a little in pictures.
Saying he should stick out his chin is rude to say.
Please, I don’t think it’s rude. I also think Matthew could attempt a more flattering pose — most celebs are highly conscious of showing their “best side” — but clearly he doesn’t gaf.
I’m also rooting for him, hoping he’s on the road to better health.
That was such a good, sweet show, I really enjoyed the ensemble cast. So of course it got canceled!
Glad he is doing better, that had to be scary and serious. I can’t imagine 3 months in the hospital, the one and only time I’ve been in, It was 4 days and I was begging to be let out.
@ESMOM Please, it is rude. Women don’t have to smile and men don’t have to stick out their chin to be attractive to YOU.
Okay Willa, you’re right. These are incredibly flattering photos…
I loved that show! It helped me some when I was grieving. I love Matthew and hope he’s okay.
@ knx
He has a weak chin.
I wish he would get his neck sucked, which would make his chin more prominent.
Nevertheless, I like him so much.
I love him because of his role as Chandler Bing. It always seemed to me that Matthew was essentially playing himself, a nice, funny guy with baggage. I hope he fully recovers soon.
Yeah, I actually loved him on Friends and cheered when Monica/Chandler made it public and official with the group.
Exactly! It just felt soo natural. I love Chandler! Always thought he and Rachel should have ended up together because Monica and Ross are both equally awful.
The poor guy, that would’ve been horrific. I wish him all the best. I too have always loved him.
On a side note, my nan passed away following a perforated bowel. She had been in hospital with a broken pelvis and a few days before she was due to be released it happened. She only lived a couple more weeks. It was such a shock as she wasn’t in there for anything life threatening.
It must’ve been very serious for Matthew with a 3 month stay. Fingers crossed he recovers fully. 15 year old me wanted to be Mrs Chandler Bing so badly!
Oh. My. Gawd. You’re Janice, aren’t you? 😉
I had this happen last fall due to scar tissue wrapping around and strangling my intestine. Before they figure it out, I got. Bonus appendectomy just for fun! The perforation was the size of a pin hole but I still ended up with an abdominal infection and sepsis. However, I was only in the hospital for two weeks and it still seemed like an eternity. My heart goes out to him.
My bowel perforated and I was also in the hospital for just under 3 months (over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years….just for fun). I have very serious health issues but that was by far the worst.
Getting out of the hospital from this sort of thing is very much only a first step, he’ll be recovering for months if not years. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, let along a (seemingly) perfectly nice guy. I hope he gets well soon!
Get well soon, Matthew. He’s always seemed likeable.
He has looked unwell for a while and he always seems alone at these industry events. I hope he has friends and family behind the scenes helping him as he recovers.
I hope he’s ok. Very talented actor
I will forever have a soft spot for Matthew.
I love his work with people in recovery. This sounds like a nightmare – hope he feels better soon.
Love him. Get well soon!
My father had diverticulitis and while it did not develop into a perforated bowel, it was very painful and life threatening. According to the drs, there’s really no cause why it happens. It just does. It took maybe over a year to recover from that.
My Mom wound up in the ICU for weeks (on life support for 3 days) due to sepsis caused by a hole in her esophagus that happened during a routine hernia surgery. The doctor told us that there are 2 places in the human body that a hole is incredibly dangerous in: the esophagus and the GI tract. You can get sepsis and die within 24 hours from either, and it can be incredibly hard to heal those holes.
My heart goes out to him, especially after seeing what my Mom has gone through. Over 3 months later and she’s still recovering and will be for a long time. 3 months of being stuck in a hospital bed is no joke and he’ll have to fight to recover his strength.