BUTCH’S BUG

Butch Vig reveals the disease also turned his skin yellow and he became "delirious"...

GARBAGE drummer BUTCH VIG has said contracting HEPATITIS A left him unable to walk and turned his skin and eyes yellow.

As previously revealed on NME.COM, Garbage are currently on a European tour without Vig, who remained in the US on doctors orders, following his diagnosis with the disease.

Now, in a lengthy letter to fans posted on the official Garbage website, Vig said the disease turned his skin yellow and he became “delirious”.

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He wrote: “It’s been a couple of strange weeks for me. As I write this, I’m in Los Angeles under Doctor’s orders to rest, while the rest of the band are getting ready to take the stage for a sold out show in Trondheim, Norway.

“After the first (US) show with U2 we had a 15 hour bus ride and most of the trip I lay in my bunk with muscle pains, a severe headache, and a 102 fever. I thought it was the flu, so I just kept doing the U2 gigs, thinking it would go away…over the next few days, it just got worse, punctuated by nightly chills/sweats. I also lost my appetite…food tasted repulsive, and the only thing I could get down was chicken broth and ice cream. Still, I kept playing the gigs.

“Finally my temperature hit 104, and I was delirious. We flew from Chicago to Baltimore, and I don’t even remember the flight. When we landed, our tour manager took me directly to an emergency room. The doctor took one look at me and knew I had jaundice…my eyes and skin were turning yellow…so he took a blood test to determine what kind of virus I had, and admitted me to the hospital. I had lost 13 pounds, and couldn’t walk….they wheeled me to my room in a wheelchair. After 2 days of massive IV’s and sleep, I felt strong enough to take a car to NYC to see a doctor our management recommended.”

Vig said it is likely that he contracted Hepatitis A by “eating infected food” and it will take 4-6 weeks to pass through his system. The drummer maintains while the group are touring, he will make an effort to “tinker around” in his home recording studio.

Garbage return to the UK for a date at the London Astoria on November 14.

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