Former England and British & Irish Lions international Courtney Lawes has revealed that he spent 10 days in hospital after doctors determined his infection markers were extremely high while he battled a serious illness. Lawes, who is 37, disclosed that the reason for his absence from the pitch was a staphylococcal infection.
Lawes has not played since Sale Sharks' defeat by Glasgow Warriors in the Champions Cup on 17 October. Speaking on the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby Xtra, he recounted that he initially thought he had the flu. "I had flu symptoms, but also some really severe muscle pain," he said. On the way home, he added, his right arm had practically stopped working.
Staphylococcal infection is caused by the staphylococcus bacterium, which can live harmlessly on the skin but become serious if it enters the bloodstream through a wound or break in the skin. Lawes believes the infection may have entered his body through a foot injury sustained during a match. "It had torn up my feet, and it didn't heal very well, so I think that's where it came from," he said.
Lawes sought advice from Sale Sharks' medical staff, who initially planned for a doctor to examine him the following day. However, his condition continued to deteriorate. "I kept getting worse and had a really high temperature," he said. His right arm was not working, his abductors and pelvis were completely blocked, while his left arm was functional, and that was about it.
His wife Jessica urged him to go to the emergency department. Lawes described waiting for the blood test results as one of the "darkest places" he had ever been. Doctors informed him that his infection markers were dangerously high and admitted him to hospital. On the fourth day of his hospital stay, he was diagnosed with a staphylococcal infection.
Initially, he was treated with penicillin via intravenous infusion. His temperature remained high, and his infection markers continued to rise until doctors identified the source of the illness and prescribed the correct antibiotics. "The first six days in hospital were very dark," Lawes said. The muscle pain was, as he described it, something he had never felt before. "In those first five days, it was the worst pain I have ever endured," he added.
Lawes was warned that untreated bloodstream infections can affect vital organs and have potentially fatal consequences. The former England international, who has more than 100 caps for his country, is now on the road to recovery. "Obviously, I feel better, I'm still recovering, but we're taking it day by day," he said.
