[Sportschosun, Lee Woo-ju] Comedian Song Pil-geun has opened up about the ordeal that once left him with a terminal prognosis.
On the 6th, the YouTube channel Saeropge Hasoseo uploaded a video titled "What You See After Crossing the Hill of Death."
Song Pil-geun, who battled necrotizing pancreatitis in 2023, recalled, "I woke up in the morning and suddenly felt like my digestion was off, but that night I collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. After the blood test, I wondered if pain could really be this severe. It felt like I had swallowed hydrochloric acid. Even after they gave me painkillers, they did not work." Necrotizing pancreatitis is a condition in which part of the pancreatic tissue or surrounding tissue dies.
Song said, "My pancreas was literally melting on its own. My blood test showed a normal level of 0.5, but mine stayed at 36 for four months." He added, "The inflammation would not go down, and around the three-month mark, the doctor called my family aside and told them, 'You need to prepare yourselves. This week may be the turning point.'" He said he was even given a terminal prognosis.
Song Pil-geun explained, "Because the pancreas is located toward the back, lying down made the pain even worse. I endured four months in an awkward position. I kept calling the nurse and asking for more painkillers. It felt like a fire was burning inside me. The melted inflammatory fluid built up in my abdomen, causing ascites. Later, they made a hole and drained it. But the fluid was so thick that it clogged the hose. Muddy water kept coming out of my body, and when it got blocked, they had to keep clearing it with a syringe. In the end, they said surgery would probably be necessary." He continued, "Even surgery would not mean much, because the pancreas had to stop necrotizing before an operation was possible. I had lost 36 kilograms, and they said my body could not withstand surgery in its current condition. For more than four months, I survived only on IV nutrition. So I had no choice but to lose weight, and I lost all my muscle too."
Song Pil-geun also expressed his gratitude to Song Eun-i, who had no close relationship with him but frequently checked in on him. He said, "She called me so often. It really gave me strength, and I was so thankful. After I fully recovered, the first person I went to see was senior Song Eun-i."
Fortunately, the pancreatic necrosis stopped miraculously, and Song underwent surgery that very day. He said, "Even after making eight holes for five and a half hours, it did not work, so they made a 20-centimeter incision in the lower abdomen and flushed it out more than eight times." He added, "From the next day, my inflammation levels dropped by 12 each day. Miraculously, all of this happened within two to three days. Two weeks later, my levels returned to normal, and I was discharged."
Song Pil-geun, who returned from the brink of death, said his outlook on life has changed. He stated, "I know that the things I used to want are meaningless and empty. Most of what people want to have is useless when they die. I decided to let go."
wjlee@sportschosun.com
