He felt he was suffocating, recalled Springbok lock Lood de Jager as the effect of pericarditis revealed itself during a training session in Buenos Aires last year.
After much rest De Jager, who was cruelly ruled out of the Rugby World Cup on the eve of the squad's announcement, is on the comeback trail with the Panasonic Saitama Wild Knights outside Tokyo.
Though he did not play for five months, De Jager counts himself fortunate as his condition was initially misdiagnosed.
“I was very pleased,” said De Jager from Tokyo, where his is plying his trade in Japan Rugby League One.
His tale could have been far more harrowing had the Bok medical staff not acted with an abundance of caution.
“Credit to the Springbok medical staff. It was misdiagnosed in Argentina. I went for scans there because that is where I picked up the issue. They didn't perform an MRI.
“The doctor said let's make sure when we get back to South Africa that we didn't miss something. Then they picked up the pericarditis [inflammation of the casing around the heart]. I'm very thankful. It could have ended terribly.”
His condition, which is a build-up of fluid around the heart, was shrouded in mystery.
Then Bok coach Jacques Nienaber, when the full extent of De Jager's affliction was yet to be determined, said the player felt “a bit chesty” when explaining the lock's absence from the team sheet against Argentina.
De Jager said the condition had spun its stealthy web while he was unaware of its presence.
“I had a viral infection I wasn't aware of. I didn't have any fever or stuff like that. I had a few symptoms but kept training and that put the heart under more pressure. Then I ended up with the fluid around the heart.
“I developed symptoms that were worrying in a training session before the Argentina Test in Buenos Aires. It was on the Monday, which is more a flush (out) session. Five minutes in it felt like someone was sitting on my chest.
“I couldn't breathe. There was pressure on my chest and it felt like I was suffocating. Shortness of breath, an eerie feeling. I walked off the field and told the doctor something was not right.
“In that moment you are not sure. You think maybe you're a bit sick, or its Covid-19. We started with antibiotics and then I was given an inhaler. The Tuesday morning I felt no good and I said to myself 'you're out for this week'.
“Then I did the scans but they did not pick up the pericarditis. I stayed in my room.”
Once he returned to South Africa, he went for an MRI which unmasked the condition. Withdrawn from combat, he was consigned to a serious dose of R&R.
“It was weird. I could not do anything for the first 10 weeks. I saw the cardiologist and he said he wanted to see me again in six weeks to do another MRI and echo scan of the heart. Until the fluid disappears there is not much you can do. There was a bit of residual fluid left but after 10 weeks it was all clear.”
His road to recovery was laborious, more than anything he had to exercise patience.
“If you injure say a knee or a shoulder, you can still train unaffected parts of the body. You can gym and cardio. With this it was full stop. To get back I felt horrendous the first few weeks. It was bad. I was completely out of shape.
“If you've played professionally for 10 years, your body gets used to certain things. Luckily I got it back quicker than I thought.”
He has returned to action for the Wild Knights and for once the clichéd “game-by-game” approach seems appropriate.
Not looking too far down the road, De Jager is focused on continuing the Wild Knights' upward curve that has seen them win 38 out of 41 matches since he signed for them in 2022.
“The whole organisation is run on the right way and that filters down to the players,” he explained said.
“We have the best Japanese players in the competition, mixed with some decent foreigners. Winning I guess is also a habit. We pride ourselves on our winning record,” said De Jager.
As for returning to the Boks, he was guarded.
“I can't say too much. Hopefully I will be there.”
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