Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer ‘Better Than Ever’ After Heart Scare
Aerosmith's Joey Kramer says he's feeling fine, two months after a health scare. So much so that he's ready to take on those who misreported his heart condition as chronic.
"The likes of TMZ and some other [media outlets] out there said that I had previous problems, that I had existing heart problems from the past and it was something that I always had, which was just completely not true," Kramer tells Eddie Trunk. "I've never had any problems in the past. It's just strictly a hereditary thing. There's a family history, and I was the victim. But no more."
Kramer missed two Aerosmith concerts in August after undergoing what he called a "minor medical procedure" to clear up a coronary artery blockage. Kramer's son Jesse filled in on drums. "It wasn't my time," said Kramer, reiterating that he has no prior history of heart issues. "It wasn't time for my ticket to be punched. And so I got fixed, and I'm back 150 percent, and everything is as good as it can possibly be."
Kramer says he initially saw a doctor about acid reflux. "I kept getting this burning sensation in my chest, and that's what I thought it was," he said. "So I kept taking antacids. And, finally, my GP [general practitioner] said to me, 'Just to make sure and rule out that it's anything cardiac related, go and take a stress test.' So I went and took the stress test. I got through the echogram [echocardiogram] with flying colors. He said that my cardiovascular system looked like that of a 48- or a 50-year-old, and I'm 64. And then I got on the treadmill, and when I got on the treadmill, it started to bother me a little bit."
Kramer underwent an angioplasty, and had two stents added. He took a total of seven days off, "and now it's better than ever. I feel great and the playing is great. And that's the story."