Laid up. Matthew Perry revealed that he’s been having a rough go of it following his August surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation.
“Three months in a hospital bed. Check,” the Friends actor, 49, tweeted on Friday, September 14.
Three months in a hospital bed. Check.
— matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) September 15, 2018
Fans were quick to offer up messages of support. “Please rest up & be well. We love you man — you have that special way of bringing the laughs & the world needs you!” one commenter wrote.
Another referenced the Friends theme song, writing, “I’ll be there for you!”
As Us Weekly previously reported, Perry has been on the mend after developing a hole in his gastrointestinal tract. According to Sepsis Alliance, when a perforation is present, contents from the gastrointestinal tract (which runs from throat to rectum) may spill into the abdomen, causing infection. Causes of perforation include diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and toxic megacolon among others.
Perry’s rep gave a statement to Us on his health at the time of his surgery. “Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation,” the rep said, adding, “He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals.”
The Odd Couple star has previously struggled with his health, returning to rehab for an undisclosed illness in February 2001.
He was also previously diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, a rare pancreatic inflammation which he revealed to Us was caused in part by alcohol. “In my case, it was hard living and drinking hard and eating poorly,” Perry told Us in November 2000. “You play, you pay.”
In 1997, the actor checked into a 28-day rehabilitation program for an addiction to Vicodin, which he originally took for pain following a watercraft accident wisdom teeth removal.
He later opened a sober living facility called The Perry House, which he sold in 2015.
