Filming of The Hobbit will be delayed after director Sir Peter Jackson was hospitalised with a perforated stomach ulcer.
Jackson was admitted to Wellington Hospital last night with acute stomach pains.
A statement said he had undergone surgery for a perforated ulcer.
"Sir Peter is currently resting comfortably and his doctors expect him to make a full recovery."
Sir Peter's surgery is not expected to impact on his directing commitment to The Hobbit beyond a slight delay to the start of filming, the statement said.
The Hobbit author JRR Tolkien suffered from a perforated ulcer before dying in 1973.
A perforated ulcer is a when an ulcer in the stomach burns completely through the stomach lining, leaving a hole for stomach acid and foods to enter the abdominal cavity.
In 2005, Sir Peter revealed he had lost over 31kg in 10 months, though other reports put the figure at up to 49kg, which he attributed to intense hard work.
Last week, he was reported to be scouting in Fiordland with the help of five helicopters for locations to the films.
His spokesman, Matt Dravitzki, confirmed the filmmaker was location scouting in the Queenstown area before filming starts next month, and that crews were also looking for sites in the North Island.
Warner Bros last year threatened to take the production to Eastern Europe because the films were the subject of a boycott by several international actors' unions, including New Zealand's Actors' Equity.
The studio agreed to keep the movies in New Zealand after the Government changed employment laws and gave millions in tax breaks.
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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
On the other hand, delaying the start of filming, if this also means delaying the final date of release of the film, can be exploited in the sense that anticipation can be increased. This will put some more dollars under their belts - with which I have no problem, so long as the film is good.
A hole in the stomach doesn't sound "minor" to me. Tolkien had a perforated ulcer while writing one of his books. A perforated peptic ulcer causes sudden, intense and steady pain, according to the Merck Manual. The perforation allows the contents of the stomach or small intestine to leak into the abdominal cavity. As more contents enter the abdominal cavity, the pain intensifies and spreads throughout the abdomen, radiating to include pain in one or both shoulders. The pain caused by a perforated peptic ulcer often worsens when changing positions or breathing deeply.
An ulcer severe enough to cause a perforation can also cause noticeable bleeding. Vomit that looks bright red or contains reddish-brown clumps or dark contents that resemble coffee grounds indicates bleeding caused by an ulcer. Other signs of bleeding include the presence of blood in the stool or passing black, tarry stools.
A thin membrane, known as the peritoneum, lines the abdominal cavity and the organs within it. The introduction of bacteria into the abdominal cavity, which can be caused by a perforated peptic ulcer, can cause inflammation of the peritoneum, a condition known as peritonitis. Since peritonitis is an infection, fever is one of the first signs of this potentially life-threatening condition. Abdominal Swelling
Patients with peritonitis exhibit abdominal swelling. The swollen abdomen feels tender when touched and worsens when pressed firmly and quickly released. Doctors refer to this as rebound tenderness. Septic Shock
A perforated peptic ulcer that triggers the onset of peritonitis is a life-threatening condition that requires prompt medical treatment, advises the University of Maryland Medical Center. An infection in the abdominal cavity can spread to the other organs, resulting in septic shock. Septic shock describes a condition of overwhelming infection that leads to life-threatening low blood pressure. Septic shock possesses a high death rate due to cardiac failure, respiratory failure or other organ failure.
Source: AMA Journal and several other books
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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
May he learn to eat REAL food that will heal his ulcer, or at least not give him too much trouble. Goat milk is one of the things that would be good for his tummy. And Capsicum vulgaris aka Cayenne pepper. I know doctors say not to eat spicy, but actually it heals it. Cayenne powder is in my First Aid Kit, because it stenches bleeding, inside and out. There are lots of other Herbal things one can use for Ulcers. I wish I knew how to get some of this advice to Sir PJ.
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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
'Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters - but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.'
'Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters - but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.'
