A health scare brought Blink-182’s Travis Barker to the hospital on June 28, sending the drummer’s fans into a panic.
Reports appear to indicate that Barker’s trip to the hospital was the result of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. He is currently being cared for at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Pancreatitis is typically the result of “digestive juices or enzymes” attacking the pancreas, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, and can lead to long-term medical problems including diabetes, chronic pain, weight loss, permanent pancreas damage, and pancreatic cancer. The culprit behind Barker’s pancreatitis is still under speculation, but Johns Hopkins lists “alcohol abuse” and “lumps of solid material (gallstones) found in the gallbladder,” as common culprits.
Another potential culprit, as theorized by publications like TMZ, was a recent colonoscopy Barker underwent. The routine medical procedure is quite common among adults above a certain age, and rarely leads to complications. Despite this, TMZ reports that “multiple sources connected to the family” claim the colonoscopy is behind Barker’s current condition.
How old is Travis Barker?
A versatile drummer with several band affiliations under his belt, Barker is currently 46 years old. He’ll ring in 47 this coming November, alongside his recently wedded spouse, Kourtney Kardashian. He’s of a similar age to both his wife and his bandmates, all of whom are between their mid-40s and early 50s.
Are routine colonoscopies common in your 40s?
Routine colonoscopies are uncommon for people below a certain age, but become far more familiar for people above the age of 45. Once you reach 45, doctors typically recommend that all adults undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years. This is if you have no other signs of colon cancer, and are otherwise generally healthy. Barker falls perfectly into this window, and his most recent colonoscopy may well have been his first.
Non-routine colonoscopies also crop up from time to time, when a doctor feels it is necessary. These are most often the result of irregularity in the intestines or pancreas, to treat a specific issue, or to search for polyps, according to the Mayo Clinic.
A colonoscopy involves inserting a long narrow tube into the rectum, per the Mayo Clinic. An attached camera on the tube allows a patient’s physician to view the inside of the intestines and check for any issues. It can also allow for the removal of polyps and the gathering of tissue samples. Typically, the potential risks of a colonoscopy are limited. The Mayo Clinic lists bleeding, a reaction to the sedative, and a perforation in the colon or rectum wall as the most common risks. None of these seem to link back to Barker’s issues with pancreatitis.
That doesn’t mean the colonoscopy wasn’t behind the condition, of course. The procedure may have irritated his pancreas enough to cause significant irritation and swelling, the primary culprits behind pancreatitis.
Thankfully, pancreatitis isn’t an overly dangerous medical condition. The most common treatments, according to Johns Hopkins, include intravenous fluids, pain medication, antibiotics, and a several day hospital stay for observation. Typically, pancreatitis resolves itself within a few days, but the symptoms of the condition are rather harsh, and include vomiting, severe stomach pain, rapid heart beat, fever, jaundice, swelling of the belly, and fluid buildup. In very rare cases, acute pancreatitis can lead to serious conditions or death, but it is extremely unlikely that Barker’s situation is this dire.