QPR’s Lyndon Dykes opens up on ‘enjoying each moment’ after a ‘scary’ time left him in hospital , battling with pneumonia.
Fans were left worried for the Scotland international after photos first emerged of the player laid on a bed in hospital, with teammates visiting him, but the reason behind his visit wasn’t initially mentioned.
The 27-year-old is thankfully doing better since then, recently returned for the West London outfit following a near seven-week absence where he has spent time recovering.
He has played three games since recovering, playing all 90 minutes of Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Birmingham, with one moment producing. laugh from fans.
One of the worst throw-ins ever?!
Lyndon Dykes gets it ALL wrong for QPR 😅 pic.twitter.com/8YTvs31LmI
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 18, 2023
It was in January that a concerning update was made on Dykes after he was admitted to hospital when subbed off in the 1-1 draw with Swansea.
He was taken to the hospital, with it reported that it was due to illness, feeling sick at half time of that game.
On a Thursday, he returned to training and was scheduled to travel to Hull to take part in a Saturday Championship fixture at the MKM Stadium.
He became ill again that Friday, and was admitted to the hospital, with fans, staff and players wishing him all the best recovering at the weekend.
💙 Stay strong Lyndon.
The club are closely monitoring Lyndon after he was admitted to hospital this week.
We wish our No.9 a quick and safe recovery 👊 #QPR | #EFL pic.twitter.com/lh1b4FVS7T
— QPR FC (@QPR) January 28, 2023
Meanwhile, Livingston boss David Martindale wished Lyndon Dykes a quick recovery, claiming pneumonia has put the ex-Livi player in hospital.
The manager said, as per FootballMad: “The big man texted me yesterday actually and he sent me a picture, he had been watching Soccer AM in his hospital bed.
“Hopefully the big man makes a recovery very, very soon.
“Lyndon had Covid before Covid was a thing in Scotland. We were going to Ibrox, he trained on the Friday and he phoned me on the Saturday morning to say he had been up all night and had been to the hospital for an X-ray, saying he couldn’t breathe.
“For me, Lyndon struggled to get over that Covid. I thought at one point he had long Covid and now he has pneumonia.
“So he has not had the best of times of it over the past couple of years in terms of his lungs and cardiovascular side of it but everybody at Livingston just wants him back playing football as quick as possible. Hopefully the big man can make a quick recovery.”
Our thoughts are with Lyndon Dykes who has been admitted to hospital.
Wishing him a quick recovery 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hX8hhEQVyG
— Fitba Culture 🏴 (@fitbaculture) January 28, 2023
And now, he’s spoken in an interview about what happened, how he’s doing and on being thankful.
He said, as per Daily Record and The Times: “I was happy just to get through it, to be honest. It was a tough time. I was playing with a bit of the illness for a week with QPR. I had sort of flu symptoms, a temperature, a cough, not feeling great.
“But I’m the type of person that tries to batter through, just take medicine and try to play. I played on the weekend against Swansea and was ill at half time. Then that Thursday, I tried to train and I knew then that something wasn’t quite right.
“By night, I was in critical care in the hospital. It was a bit of an emotional and crazy time for me. I’m an athlete, so I’m used to running around everywhere, but I couldn’t run 10 metres.
“So I was just happy to come out of it. For my family as well it was quite a tough time. It was crazy. Being at training in the morning, then going to see the specialist. You are going straight to hospital with that amount of pneumonia in your lung!
“I just couldn’t believe I was going into hospital, but I ended up in there for eight days, so it was as crazy as crazy. I was in critical care the whole time.
“The first few days were rough. The medicine wasn’t working as well as they wanted it to work. They changed a few things and the following week I started to pick up a bit and get back on my feet.
“I was walking around the halls and ended up trying to get a bit of a jog on and seeing what I could do. But it was tough. Being locked in a room and seeing what happens in hospitals is not a nice sight, so to get out of it was just a relief. I was so happy to be out of it.
“Just being in that environment and experiencing it all, seeing how ill people are, and even myself, being an athlete but still seeing how vulnerable I could be. It was a real eye opener for myself and my family. You realise that at the end of the day it comes down to your health.
“At the start, I wasn’t even thinking about football. It was that bad.
“It was quite hard getting your breath when you first started walking. I had a physio work with me to help with my breathing and I ended up doing laps of the hospital, trying to get my fitness back. I knew it would be a slow process, taking it step by step, day by day, and I needed to work as hard as I could to get back. It did make me appreciate things. Obviously, I’ve got kids and a wife so it was a hard time for all of us.
“The kids came into hospital with my wife to see me a couple of days after I went in. Seeing me like that was a big shock for everyone. I’ve got three kids. Aged five, and two step daughters aged 13 and 16. My little man wasn’t quite aware of what was going on, but, once he saw me it was a big shock.
“Now I use it to scare him and when I want to make sure he eats his vegetables or gets his fruit into him! I tell him to make sure and eat up or he will end up in hospital like me!
“My fear was to be in hospital. It was the first time I have been in, but the staff were all amazing. Funny enough, with all my tattoos, needles and blood I have an issue with.
“I think there was a picture going about with me on the drip and whatever, I was on everything! It’s just one of those things, but I am used to it all now, with the amount of blood tests I had taken and the amount of needles I had to deal with.
“You can’t ever write off your health, that comes before everything else. It is what it is. Sometimes I would try to batter through and try to play with illnesses and play when I shouldn’t, but next time I might actually take a step back. I have to think about what could happen.
“I had a lot of people in contact, and I was in contact with the manager throughout.
“It was quite nerve-wracking going into that first QPR game. It wasn’t the plan for me to start. I was thinking: Ooof, this could be a bit dicey, hopefully I do alright.
“There were a few times I felt quite out of breath, you just have to get those minutes in your legs and get those deep breaths, but I got through it, so I was happy with that.
“I’ve got the all clear. I’ve had my final checks. The pneumonia is gone and everything is good. I’ve had three games and I was training with the team and the sports scientists, so I’m good to go.”
As QPR’s Lyndon Dykes opens up ‘enjoying each moment’ after having a ‘scary’ time which left him in hospital, fans gave their reaction…
@crickbar: Wise words from Lyndon Dykes. Puts everything into perspective. Something a minority of our @QPR community could bear in mind.
@foreveroufc: was stunned to see that photo of him like that in hospital, glad he is now on the mend, but a wake up call and a show of just how precious life is and how we take it for granted
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