Cathy
09-27-2006, 02:20 AM
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has revealed that he was diagnosed with hepatitis C three years ago, and recently went through 11 months of treatment.
"I've had hepatitis C for a long time, asymptomatic," Tyler tells Access Hollywood in a new interview set to air Tuesday. "And I talked to my doctor ... and he said now is the time and it's 11 months of chemotherapy. So I went on that and it about killed me."
Tyler, 58, says he's much better after undergoing the treatment. "It is nonexistent in my bloodstream as we speak, so it's one of those few miracles in doctoring where it's like a complete cure," says Tyler.
Hepatitis C is a liver disease spread by contact with the blood of an infected person, according to the Web site for the Centers for Disease Control. Many people who have hepatitis C show no symptoms of the disease.
Tyler also says the treatments, which included taking the drug interferon, were hard in his marriage to his wife of 17 years, Teresa, whom he split from earlier this year.
"I had a little problem at home, to say the least," he says. "I would run upstairs at night, you know, to put the kids asleep and wake up at 3 in the morning with a nosebleed you know, just passed out from the interferon, the treatment."
After keeping quiet about the disease for so long, Tyler says he'd like to share his knowledge about it with others.
"I may go on Oprah and talk about this," he says. "I mean you know it's just one of those things... it's one of those things people don't speak about it, but it is treatable."
In March Tyler announced he planned to undergo surgery for an undisclosed medical condition, which forced Aerosmith to cancel its remaining tour dates. At the time, his rep said that doctors had advised the singer "not to continue performing to give his voice time to recover."
"I've had hepatitis C for a long time, asymptomatic," Tyler tells Access Hollywood in a new interview set to air Tuesday. "And I talked to my doctor ... and he said now is the time and it's 11 months of chemotherapy. So I went on that and it about killed me."
Tyler, 58, says he's much better after undergoing the treatment. "It is nonexistent in my bloodstream as we speak, so it's one of those few miracles in doctoring where it's like a complete cure," says Tyler.
Hepatitis C is a liver disease spread by contact with the blood of an infected person, according to the Web site for the Centers for Disease Control. Many people who have hepatitis C show no symptoms of the disease.
Tyler also says the treatments, which included taking the drug interferon, were hard in his marriage to his wife of 17 years, Teresa, whom he split from earlier this year.
"I had a little problem at home, to say the least," he says. "I would run upstairs at night, you know, to put the kids asleep and wake up at 3 in the morning with a nosebleed you know, just passed out from the interferon, the treatment."
After keeping quiet about the disease for so long, Tyler says he'd like to share his knowledge about it with others.
"I may go on Oprah and talk about this," he says. "I mean you know it's just one of those things... it's one of those things people don't speak about it, but it is treatable."
In March Tyler announced he planned to undergo surgery for an undisclosed medical condition, which forced Aerosmith to cancel its remaining tour dates. At the time, his rep said that doctors had advised the singer "not to continue performing to give his voice time to recover."