Feather tells of terrifying ordeal

7:00am Wednesday 14th May 2008

Doctors have been battling to diagnose a mystery condition that left Bulls ace Chris Feather in intensive care, partially paralysed, unable to speak and fearing for his career.

The giant prop has revealed for the first time his personal horror after a simple-looking concussion left him hospitalised FOUR times and unable to breathe.

All my body went numb and I couldn�t talk or walk. It was scary

Chris Feather

Feather was knocked out attempting a tackle against Toulouse last month but hasn't played since following a string of frightening reactions.

He explained: "I was going home in the car with Jimmy (Evans) after the match and started hyperventilating.

"All my body went numb and I couldn't talk or walk. It was scary.

"Jimmy took me straight to the hospital, where they had to sedate me and put me on a ventilator in intensive care for 14 hours.

"When I woke up the next day I felt dog rough but the docs said my head would have swollen up a bit, restricting the blood flow.

"That night I went home having been told to have the week off training and I should be right."

Dazed Feather followed those orders before returning to training the following Monday but he quickly suffered another relapse.

"All I did was a little bit of cardio but when I went home that night it all started happening again," he continued.

"This time I was taken in by ambulance and we went through exactly the same.

"They let me go again but it happened once more on the Thursday and then I was kept in. I had a CT scan, an MRI, tests on my neck, but they still couldn't find out what was wrong or what had happened.

"They told me I wouldn't be able to drive for a year and weren't really sure about me playing rugby again."

Feather, 26, spoke to the Bulls' club doctor Roger Brown, who booked the player in for a private specialist appointment.

"I went to see a neurologist, who asked loads of questions and decided I'd split my carotid artery," said the 6ft 4in former Leeds Rhinos forward.

"That's the one that controls the right side of the body. Apparently, blood clots had formed.

"It explained all the problems I'd had and it takes about four weeks to heal.

"I went back training on Monday and was fine.

"I can't do any contact until the end of the month but then I should be all right to start playing again.

"It's great to be back; I've been either stuck at home or in hospital for three weeks now."

Feather admits being relieved after the ordeal, although frustrated that his Bulls career has been put on hold again.

"I don't think I've managed to put ten games together yet," he said, having broken his ankle, dislocated a shoulder and suffered back spasms since debuting last season.

"But, I suppose hearing I might not be able to play again means overall it's not too bad.

"It has been worrying. I just thought it was a normal concussion and didn't think anything of it but then all the weird stuff started happening.

"I felt really drowsy and not quite with it for a couple of weeks but I feel back to normal now."

Feather admitted he got some flak for conceding the only try in Bradford's record-breaking 98-6 thrashing of Toulouse, Frederic Vaccari busting his tackle for the amateurs.

But that was the incident which left the Bulls man grounded and he said: "It felt like an elbow just under my jaw where that artery is.

"I just wanted to get back on the pitch as that sort of thing happens all the time but by the second half I didn't have a clue where I was."

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