Matthew Perry revealed he spent the last several months in the hospital after having surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation.
On Friday, the 49-year-old Friends star tweeted, “Three months in a hospital bed. Check.”
The news comes a little over a month after a rep for the actor said in a statement to PEOPLE that “Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation.”
“He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heels,” the statement concluded.
A gastrointestinal perforation, “occurs when a hole forms all the way through the stomach, large bowel, or small intestine. It can be due to a number of different diseases, including appendicitis and diverticulitis. It can also be the result of trauma, such as a knife wound or gunshot wound,” according to Healthline.com.
Throughout his career, Perry has been candid about his health battles including his struggles with alcohol and Vicodin addiction.
“I couldn’t stop,” Perry told PEOPLE in 2013. “Eventually things got so bad that I couldn’t hide it, and then everybody knew.”
Perry has also become a voice for people struggling with addiction. “You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it be solved in 28 days,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter in a video for Phoenix House, a California-based treatment center where Perry has gotten treatment.
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“At Phoenix House, I was very moved by the hope that I saw there, which is what this is all about,” Perry said.
“Getting sober is a really hard thing to do,” Perry added.
In honor of his road to recovery, Perry was presented with the 2015 Phoenix Rising Award.
“I’m an award-winning alcoholic,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter. “I shouldn’t be getting an award; Phoenix House should be getting an award.”
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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