Pollard operation almost cost an arm!

CAPE TOWN - Springbok and Bulls flyhalf Handrè Pollard has exclusively told EWN Sport that a serious infection in his shoulder following an operation earlier this year saw him just weeks away from possibly having his arm amputated.

The 22-year-old, capped 20 times for the Springboks, opted to have the shoulder operation for a long-standing problem while on the side lines for a knee injury sustained in training with the Bulls ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby campaign.

That operation saw him fall seriously ill after the grooves on the screws inserted into his shoulder became infected and saw him spend an additional five weeks in a Pretoria hospital receiving intravenous anti-biotics for up to seven hours a day.

The infection was so severe that Pollard’s doctors warned him that he may lose his arm.

“There was a possibility [of amputation], they told me that early on, but luckily we identified it as early as possible, if we had let it go another month or so there was a big chance of that.

“Everything was sorted quite quickly, there was a possibility of that but fortunately I’ve still got all my limbs and can play some rugby.”

Pollard, who is well-known for his relatively laid-back demeanour, says that it was a difficult time for him as it was the first major injury of his career and that the scale of his scare has seen him take stock on his whirlwind career.

“I’ve had a very blessed three years at the beginning of my career and I’ve played a lot of rugby at the top level and I’ve been very privileged with that. 

“For me it’s kind of a funny thing, it’ll feel like I’ll be making my debut again when I go back. My mind’s refreshed and I’m hungry to prove myself again. I’m still young, I’ve got a few caps but that doesn’t mean much these days, so I’ve got to come back and prove myself all over again and I’m pretty excited for that challenge.”

With an initial prognosis of a playing return later this year, his return has been put back to around February but Pollard says that despite the lengthy lay-off the severity of his shoulder injury won’t cause much further delay.

“I was lucky that I’m out for the rest of the year with my knee so whatever happened with the shoulder didn’t delay anything too much, it’s not nice, it put me back by a bit and it’s going to make a recovery a couple of months longer but by the end of the day if everything goes well it should be all fine.

 WTF is going on? Schalk Burger had an op on his knee, IIRC, and came close to having hi s switch tripped due to meningitis, also cause by infection, was it?

When I read the headline I thought it said that it cost him an arm and a leg- as if to say it was expensive.

What's next? Pat Lambie go going to the hospital for a pimple, and getting his head amputated - and then making a miraculous recovery. 

 Poor kid....not a good advert for South African hospitals, but truth to tell these infections are a risk everywhere. Infected screws, though, man.....that sounds awful.

 The private hospitals in SA are top class - just ask the thousands of cases of foreigners they treat because of improved services compared to hospitals in Europe.  I do not know what happened here - but to go on a  newspaper report on the incident is not clear. 

 Geez louise your guys seem to have come down a notch since Christian Bernard .Spit polishing the scalpels is not a good idea eh ?How long is wee Pollard out for ? Mikey you best best put off that plank removal op at the opthalmologist ,Plum had it done and he is now permanently one eyed .Bwahahaha kidding mate!

 Ceradyne
 
Status: Rugby Legend 
Posts: 5496RE: Pollard operation almost cost an arm!
July 14, 2016, 16:00:34

 WTF is going on? Schalk Burger had an op on his knee, IIRC, and came close to having his switch tripped due to meningitis, also cause by infection, was it?

I have medical people in my family.  Hospitals are very unsafe these days.  There are super bugs around because hygiene has gone to pot in both state and private hospitals.Image a scrub-nurse - living in a shack with a dirt floor, hangs a uniform against the zink soot stained wall, tomorrow that uniform is put on over an unwashed body - ANC government has been lacking in providing running water.  She gets into a taxi filled with more unwashed people who have all kinds of ailments and what not.  That is the same nurse who tends to a patient in an operating theater.  There are quite a few studies which were done with regards to super-bugs that have become resistant to antibiotics etc.
To be honest, there are still some exceptional private facilities but they are in the same boat when it comes to expert care and prevention of contamination.