‘I was scared’: Andrew Johns opens up on ongoing health battle
In an open and frank interview about his career and personal life, eighth rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns discusses battling his mental demons and how head knocks suffered while playing may be contributing to epilepsy seizures every couple of months.
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Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns has revealed head knocks suffered during his stellar NRL career may be contributing to the frontal lobe epilepsy that, for three years, has seen him suffering seizures every couple of months.
Speaking on Sunday Night with Matthew Johns, the legendary Newcastle halfback spoke openly with his older brother about the ongoing health battle that now sees him medicated, stripped of his drivers licence, no longer surfing alone and warned by medical experts to slow down his lifestyle.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW JOHNS IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
The 44-year-old also revealed his epilepsy was confirmed during recent testing in Melbourne, which has seen an “upping” of the seizure medication he’s taken since his first episode in 2016 — when calling an NRL game for Channel 9 in Canberra.
The rugby league great also spoke about how bipolar disorder left him unable to get out of bed during his career and how, after retiring, he felt “absolutely lost”
While Johns has been dealing with seizures for three years — “I’d get one every two months” — his two most recent episodes were so “severe” he underwent further testing in Melbourne.
“And it came back I’ve got mild, frontal lobe epilepsy,” Johns said.
“It can be managed by medication.
“I’ve been on medication for three years but they’ve upped it right up. And the last two or three months, since the last seizure I’ve felt really clear.”
Quizzed on the cause, the Knights great continued: “They can’t be sure, it could be something that popped up later in life.
“But they think maybe — and that’s maybe — a contributor could be some of the concussions I’ve had, some of the continual head knocks.
“I was scared before I had the final scans because, like everyone, when something goes wrong you Google it and then it comes up with the worst-case scenario. But the doctors and professors I’m seeing, they said if you get your medication levels right you can live a normal life.”
Johns revealed his first seizure occurred while calling a 2016 finals match between Canberra and Penrith in the nation’s capital.
“I was commentating and all of a sudden, something came on in my body where I went into this trance like state,” he said.
“I went into a dream, it’s hard to explain … like deja vu. Everything goes quiet.
“It hit me and then I’ve come out of it, just sitting in the comm box and obviously I didn’t say anything for a while. Then the producer came up and said ‘mate, are you all right?’. I said ‘yeah, yeah’.
“Later that night I went back to the hotel and straight to bed … (then) woke up in the morning with two big puncture marks in my tongue.
“And my tongue had swelled right up.
“Before this I’d been in Newcastle seeing Dr Andrew Gardner and Professor Chris Levi who were doing studies on concussion. I’d had several scans off them.
“I went up after this first episode and said this is what happened. They said it might be epilepsy, and went from there.”
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW JOHNS IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
And as for slowing down?
“I’m trying hard to,” he told Matthew Johns.
“You know I can’t sit still.
“When I’ve got this idle time, idle energy, that’s when I can put myself into trouble.”
Speaking about life after retiring, Johns said: “I was lost for, God I don’t know how long.
“It felt like something was missing. And I tried to replace it with other things, surfing was one.
“But for a long time I didn’t know how to fill my days in. And I’m one of the extremely lucky guys who went on to work for Channel 9.
“But, yeah, I felt absolutely lost. I felt empty.”
Originally published as ‘I was scared’: Andrew Johns opens up on ongoing health battle
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