Pearl Jam's Mike McCready Discusses Struggle with Crohn's Disease

Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready Discusses Struggle with Crohn’s Disease

2012-06-07

Story by Cat Badra

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready says he’s dealt with Crohn’s disease on the road

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has struggled with Crohn’s diseases for the better part of the past 25 years. Crohn’s is an autoimmune disorder that causes periodic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, and McCready is speaking out about his experience with the disease.

“[It first started] when I was 21 years old,” McCready told Fox News of his battle with Crohn’s. “At first I thought it was food poisoning, but then there was a bunch of blood and mucus — and it kept happening for months.”

For years, McCready didn’t even know he had Crohn’s disease, but he knew something was very wrong. He was faced with occasional flare-ups that forced him to use the bathroom frequently.

“There’s a level of anxiety and depression with that, along with shame, anger and fear,” McCready said. “Sometimes you might [just go], and you can’t do anything about it, because it’s completely painful, and you have to go in two to three seconds. Psychologically, it can be quite damaging in terms of going out in public or going on a date.”

McCready also says that he has dealt with the symptoms of Crohn’s disease while on tour with Pearl Jam. “Last time it happened was in New Zealand,” he says. “We were playing to 46,000 people and then all of a sudden I had to go. I somehow held it in, but I’ve had big accidents on stages.” McCready recently named some of his favorite Pearl Jam songs to play live and stated that “Black” holds a special place in the rockers’ heart.

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.