Van Halen’s official site announced tonight that Eddie Van Halen has undergone emergency surgery for a severe bout of diverticulitis and it will take four-to-six months for him to recover from the surgery.
Eddie Van Halen
That means all future dates, including the band’s upcoming tour of Japan, are being postponed into 2013.
Diverticulitis is a condition of the lower intestine where pouches (diverticula) form on the outside of the colon. On occasion, a particle of food may become trapped in one of the diverticula, causing inflammation which is normally treated with an antibiotic and rest. Symptoms can include abdominal pain and can progress to other problems if the infection worsens.
While chronic diverticulitis can be treated with surgery, emergency surgery normally only happens when the intestine is actually ruptured by the infection which then spreads to the abdominal cavity. This can be a life-threatening situation. As this was an emergency, it appears that the more urgent surgery was performed on Van Halen. In these cases, an additional operation is usually needed in about ten to twelve weeks.
