South African Afrikaans singer Dirk van der Westhuizen, who took to his social media platforms to share that he had been hospitalised over the weekend, has been diagnosed with Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus.
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In his first health update, van der Westhuizen said he had been in hospital due to severe headaches, body aches, dizziness and a high infection count. However, no diagnosis could be given at the time. The hospital paperwork labelled his condition as an ‘unspecified acute lower respiratory infection’ as he underwent further testing.
‘Don’t think my head and body have ever hurt so much,’ he added.
The following day, he shared another update and urged his followers to take care.
‘Feeling really bad…This virus is horrible and I hear a lot of people are getting sick now. Please take good care of yourselves!’ he wrote.
On Tuesday, van der Westhuizen shared that he was finally diagnosed but that there was no specific treatment for the virus.
‘Finally know what’s going on with me – I have Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus. You guys, this feels worse than when I had Covid,’ he wrote. ‘Dr says there is no treatment for this, they just keep me on pain medication and do physio treatments.’
Van der Westhuizen added that he would continue to be hospitalised until his infection count decreases.
He also added that his upcoming show in Meyerton would be postponed and again urged his followers to take extra care.
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In his latest update, the ‘Komeet’ singer yesterday shared that while his body aches are starting to get better and his infection count has come down from 189 to 130 and now 105, he is still suffering from a really bad dry throat and headaches.
He added that he now has to permanently sleep with a machine to ensure his brain gets enough oxygen as he stops breathing approximately 80 times per hour for 10 to 15 seconds each.
‘Tested for sleep apnea last night… I now have to permanently sleep with a machine that makes sure I continue to breathe through the night,’ he wrote. ‘Dr says my brain is not getting enough oxygen.’
Thanking his followers for their support and urging them to maintain their health, van der Westhuizen added that the majority of his day is spent in constant pain and discomfort but he hopes to be out of hospital before the end of the week.
‘This disease is like a thief in the night, you think you feel better and then it hits you five times harder. I appreciate the moments where the pain medication kicks in and I can feel a little more “human”,’ he wrote. ‘The majority of the day consists of constant pain and discomfort. This Human Rhinovirus is not playing!’
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Picture: Dirk van der Westhuizen / Facebook