Bill Kelliher, guitarist of Mastodon has been hospitalized in London as of Nov.3, during the bands current European Unholy Alliance Chapter 3 package tour. Doctors will continue to monitor his condition which is improving at press time.
At the moment, Mastodon has decided to continue on the tour as a trio. Doctors and Bill are hopeful that he will rejoin his band mates in time for their headlining tour of Europe which begins Nov 30, in Utrecht, Holland and will end on Dec 7, at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in Somerset, England. More details to follow as they develop. A source close to the band says Kelliher is suffering from pancreatitis.
Pancreatitis is caused by inflammation of the pancreas, a large gland located behind the stomach and close to the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum). When this occurs, digestive enzymes attack and damage the tissues that produce them. In severe cases, bleeding, infection, and permanent tissue damage may occur, says the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which adds that every year, about 210,000 people in the U.S. are admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis.
Most frequently, acute pancreatitis is caused by the presence of gallstones, which inflame the pancreas when they pass through the common bile duct. Chronic heavy alcohol use is another. The most common cause of acute pancreatitis is the presence of gallstones—small, pebble-like substances made of hardened bile—that cause inflammation in the pancreas as they pass through the common bile duct. Chronic, heavy alcohol use is another common cause, and, given Mastodon’s appetite for beer and booze, we wouldn’t rule that one out.
Acute pancreatitis often starts with gradual or sudden pain in the upper abdomen, which occasionally extends through the back. Other symptoms include: swollen and tender abdomen, nausea and vomiting, fever, a rapid pulse.
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