Perez Hilton says 21-day hospitalization changed his life after ulcer, perforation and sepsis scare

Latino celebrity and Entertainment influencer Perez Hilton says a frightening 21-day hospital stay after what he described as an ulcer, a perforation and sepsis has left him physically weakened, emotionally transformed and newly committed to slowing down for his family.

According to a video published on social media by Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., Hilton's real name, the medical crisis began after he spent about a week taking flu medication without food, something he now describes as a costly mistake.

"My stupidity landed me in the hospital for 21 days," Hilton said at the start of the video, calling the ordeal "the worst and best thing" that has ever happened to him. He said the pain escalated so severely that he had to be taken by ambulance to Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas, where doctors eventually found the perforation after days of scans and testing.

Hilton said his condition worsened as infection spread through his body. He underwent laparoscopic surgery, had fluid drained from both sides of his lungs and later required another procedure to remove more infection. He also said he suffered heart complications during the ordeal, developed another infection in the hospital and went more than two weeks without eating, receiving nutrition through an IV instead. Even after being discharged, he said he returned home with a PICC line and a 10-day course of intravenous antibacterial and antifungal treatment.

The celebrity blogger said the experience was brutal not only because of the pain, but because of the vulnerability that came with it. He described having an NG tube inserted twice, losing weight, experiencing severe weakness and dealing with what he called humiliating setbacks as his body struggled to recover. Still, he repeatedly thanked the doctors and nurses who cared for him, naming several medical professionals and singling out one nurse, Bella, for her kindness during some of the hardest moments.

But the medical emergency also brought what Hilton described as profound emotional healing. He said his mother was by his side every day of the hospitalization and that the two had some of the most meaningful conversations of his life. In one of them, Hilton said he finally found peace over a question that had haunted him since childhood, whether his late father would have accepted him as a gay man. Hilton said his mother assured him that he would have, a moment he described as deeply healing. He also reflected on growing up gay in a Cuban family in Miami during the 1980s and 1990s, saying those years had been painfully difficult.

Hilton also said the ordeal sparked a religious awakening. Though he was raised Catholic, he said he had "never been a believer until now" and described the experience as life-changing. He said he now plans to take his children to church every week and restructure his life in more meaningful ways. Among the changes he promised, more sleep, less workaholism and nightly dinners with his children and his mother.

By the end of the video, Hilton said he is still recovering and "not 100%," but is grateful to be alive. He closed with a warning to viewers to take medication with food and avoid repeating the mistake he believes nearly cost him his life. "I'm back. I'm alive," he said. "And I send you all love."

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Perez hilton, Influencer