Corey Jensen’s Health Scare and Recovery Journey
Brisbane Broncos forward Corey Jensen has shared more details about the health scare that led to a nine-day hospital stay. The incident, which began at the end of April, involved a pulmonary embolism, a condition where blood clots block the arteries in the lungs.
Jensen was told he would need a minimum of 12 weeks of recovery time. Since the start of this ordeal, he has lost around 10 kilograms. During a recent media appearance, he confirmed the weight loss and revealed that fluid was drained from his lungs during his hospital stay.
He is currently on blood thinners, and the Broncos’ medical team is cautious about clearing him for contact training. The 32-year-old explained that a few weeks before a game against the Tigers in Round 7 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, he started experiencing cold and flu symptoms.
By the week of the game, his condition had worsened, leading the club to initially believe he had a viral infection. He was placed on antibiotics as a precaution. However, the night before the match, Jensen began feeling pain in his right side.
“I didn’t think anything of it,” he said. The symptoms escalated after the game when he started coughing up blood and experienced breathing difficulties. The Broncos’ doctors were concerned, and a CT scan in Brisbane was conducted.
Initially, they suspected pneumonia, but the scan revealed something far more serious. “During the scan, they said they needed to get me to emergency, my lung was full of clots,” Jensen revealed.
The Diagnosis and Treatment
Jensen spent nine days in the hospital as doctors worked to stabilize his condition. Despite the severity of the situation, the cause of the blood clots remains unknown. Using his degree in sports science, Jensen explained that such cases typically originate in the legs before traveling to the lungs.
He now has to wait three months before any decisions are made about contact training. The medical team wants to ensure all blood clots have been cleared and that his lung capacity has improved. “I can’t do anything while I’m on blood thinners, contact-wise. They want to make sure all the blood clots are gone, and I can just do the field-based stuff and get my lungs back to the capacity they were before and get my strength back up,” he explained.
The Challenges of Recovery
The uncertainty surrounding his recovery has been one of the most difficult aspects. “The hardest part is the unknown,” he admitted. Even with his medical knowledge, Jensen finds it hard to explain the cause of his condition. He ruled out any family history of blood clots and noted the blood clot he had in his leg last season.
“They say in a lot of these cases, they don’t understand why you get blood clots. Some people’s bodies are more prone to clots than others. That could be my case.”
Despite the seriousness of his diagnosis, Jensen has not considered retirement. “It hasn’t crossed my mind,” he said. Instead, his focus is on returning to the field.
“I am still training as much as I can on the field and keeping my strength and fitness up in preparation to get back. I plan to be back and play the last few rounds with the boys and hopefully get the all clear to play.”
