Travis Barker Undergoing Surgery
Travis Barker is going under the knife to repair his injured finger after hurting it earlier this month. The Blink-182 drummer took to Instagram Monday to reveal his upcoming procedure, giving his followers a look at his swollen and gnarled finger. In one close-up photo of his finger, the 47-year-old rocker can be seen wearing a brace, while another shows just how swollen the digit has become.
In another video, a medical worker tries to pop Barker's finger back into place, asking him, "Do you feel pain?" to which he responds, "I mean yeah, it feels painful." Barker simply captioned the post, "Surgery tomorrow," adding a crossed fingers emoji for good luck. His wife, Kourtney Kardashian, made sure to support her love in the comment section, leaving a series of prayer hands and red heart emojis.
Barker first injured his finger earlier this month while rehearsing for Blink-182's upcoming reunion tour. "I was playing the drums at rehearsals yesterday and I smashed my finger so hard I dislocated it and tore the ligaments," the musician tweeted on Feb. 8. Soon after, he shared a photo of his injured knuckle to his Instagram Story, writing that he hurt it "again" after the initial practice incident.
Barker's surgery comes as Blink-182 prepares to kick off its world tour, which will be the first with its co-frontman Tom DeLonge since 2014. The tour is scheduled to launch March 11 in Tijuana, Mexico, but it's unclear if the touring dates will be affected by Barker's surgery and recovery. No dates have been announced as being rescheduled or canceled at this time. Mark Hoppus, Barker and DeLonge announced in October that they would be reuniting the band's classic lineup for a 2023-24 world tour after coming together to release a new single, "Edging" last year.
Barker has suffered a number of health problems over the past few years, including "life-threatening" pancreatitis that hospitalized the drummer last summer. In July, he recounted on social media, "I went in for an endoscopy Monday feeling great. But after dinner, I developed excruciating pain and have been hospitalized ever since." Barker continued, "During the endoscopy, I had a very small polyp removed right in a very sensitive area, usually handled by specialists, which unfortunately damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube. This resulted in severe life-threatening pancreatitis." Despite the initial scare, Barker noted, "I am so very very grateful that with intensive treatment, I am currently much better."