Bakkie met herstellende Boskamp: 'Ik kon niet meer lopen'

In "Bakkie met Boskamp," Jan Boskamp explains that he's been through a particularly difficult time. Of course, there's also time for some good old-fashioned football chat. The 77-year-old former footballer, coach, and analyst saw his health rapidly decline since last summer. For over six months, he barely went outside and struggled with severe pain and extreme fatigue. Boskamp, ​​at his own request, tells his story exclusively to Sportnieuws.nl. "It's a high and low." Since the summer, Boskamp's health has been deteriorating. The pain increased, and simple daily activities became impossible. At one point, he could no longer drive a car and was limited to just standing upright and walking slowly. He gradually lost 40 kilos. "I hid for six and a half months because I was extremely ill. I couldn't even walk," he explains in a video interview with Sportnieuws.nl. In October, he was diagnosed with a prostate problem, but that turned out not to be the cause of all his symptoms. "It started with my hands and ankles suddenly swollen," Boskamp says. Several hospital stays followed for extensive examinations. "They checked me countless times through my mouth and also through my back. Well, I even said to that doctor: 'I can't imagine you like that,'" he jokes in his characteristic way. Surgery seemed inevitable, but that wasn't immediately possible. "I was so weak," says Boskamp. In early December, clarity finally arrived. The cause of his symptoms turned out to be polymyalgia rheumatica, or muscular rheumatism: an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and is accompanied by severe stiffness and muscle pain. That was precisely the reason he couldn't have prostate surgery. He has recently been taking powerful anti-inflammatories and heavy medication. "It's up and down, but it's much better than a month ago," says Boskamp. Ultimately, he underwent three surgeries and spent a total of five weeks and one day in the hospital. That period was difficult for him. "I did leave the hospital one more time because I couldn't take it anymore. I thought: yeah, goodbye. I'm not staying in this room," he says with a laugh. At the same time, he's grateful for the care he received. "Those people did such an incredible job, but for me, it felt really bad." This marks the end of a period of radio silence for Boskamp. He was completely exhausted and unreachable. "People noticed I wasn't answering my phone anymore and thought: what's going on? Very few people actually knew I wasn't feeling well, but I'm going to pick up the phones again," he says enthusiastically. Boskamp and his family feel it's important to emphasize that he hopes they'll give him the time and space to recover in peace. The impact of being inside for so long has been significant. "I've been inside for six and a half months now. Imagine, it's even smaller in prison. Sometimes I'm already going completely crazy," the Rotterdam native emphasizes. Yet, he's cautiously seeing improvement. "Last Sunday, I walked for the first time without a walker, fifty meters outside and back. Even though we're having a snowstorm... If I can get outside, I'll definitely do it." Boskamp is now looking more positively towards the future, although he knows a full recovery time will be very long (about two years). "Tuesday morning I took pills and I can move my hand again, so that's fantastic," he says. And what about his great love, Feyenoord? "I wanted to go three weeks ago, but that wasn't allowed. I hope I can sit in the stands again against Go Ahead (February 15th, ed.). Being stuck inside drives you crazy," Boskamp concludes. #Boskamp #Bakkie #Feyenoord #Sportnieuwsnl FOLLOW US: Instagram:   / sportnieuws.nl   Tiktok:   / sportnieuws.nl   Facebook:   / sportnieuws.nl   Website: https://sportnieuws.nl/