News24.com | EXCLUSIVE | Derek Watts is back in hospital, but not for long: 'I am feeling better, feeling stronger'

• Derek Watts is back in the hospital after sharing that he was diagnosed with severe sepsis last month. 
• The veteran Carte Blanche presenter tells News24 what happened when he collapsed in Hoedspruit and what his recovery will entail when he returns home.
• "I am feeling better, and walking better, feeling stronger. I got a set of exercises from the physio that I do every day," he says from his hospital bed.

When Derek Watts set off on a family trip to Hoedspruit, he never would have thought he'd end up fighting for his life in hospital two days later. 

The veteran Carte Blanche presenter tweeted a photo on 2 April, with a caption explaining that he had "collapsed with [a] suspected stroke", was rushed to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg and later diagnosed with severe sepsis. 

"Destroyed the bod in an hour (sic)," Watts says of the damage the sepsis caused, adding that he is "learning to walk again" as a result.

"It was a decision I made because people were saying, you know, 'Why weren't you on air?' and 'Where have you been?'" Watts tells News24, explaining his decision to make his diagnosis public.

"I generally don't like to say a lot about myself, but I thought, in this case, I had to say what was going on and how serious sepsis can be."

Watts adds that after his diagnosis, learning about sepsis has been an "interesting journey" for him because he has "never really heard" of it and "wasn't sure what it was all about".

He adds that "it's a difficult, difficult infection in many ways" and, unfortunately, isn't just a case of, 'Hey, you've got sepsis. Here's the drugs you need,' and you'll be back at work in a couple of weeks."

After revealing his diagnosis, Watts shared an update. He had been home for four days and was "walking unsupported for short distances". 

On Tuesday, the investigative journalist was back in the hospital, but not for long. 

"To be honest, I'm back in hospital, but just for two days. I moved in this morning. And so, the reason is just [to do] a few more tests to isolate some of the problems with the sepsis. And to have a small procedure," he tells News24.

Regardless of his return to the hospital, he is "feeling better" and is sure the next couple of days will result in getting the correct medication he needs to get better, he adds.

Sharing more about his recovery, Watts says in the coming days, the main thing is "not to lie in bed the whole time" and to get back to "walking a bit in the garden and going up and down stairs".

The main concern is his heart rate, he adds.

"The only thing you have to watch is your heart rate because that can soar quite high very quickly, but with the right breathing, I can actually spend quite a lot of time off oxygen and get a certain amount of exercise."

"But I've just got to be careful not to overdo it," he continues, "because my heart rate to go from a normal rate, which is 72, to say 140 just by going downstairs, walking in the garden and walking upstairs. So, I've just got to be careful."

Watts says breathing correctly has been the biggest learning curve, adding that thanks to his physiotherapist, he now knows how to breathe from his diaphragm rather than his clavicle.

Watts recalls what happened leading up to his "attack", sharing that everything went wrong after going for a walk.

"Sunday morning, I went for a bit of a walk, and I got back, and I was shaking a bit and probably was out of sorts, but still wanted to take my son quadbike riding and then while we were out there, I just had no power."

Watts says his son noticed something was wrong, and that's when they made the decision to call a paramedic. 

"They examined me, and I can't remember everything because I was feeling a bit out of it then, but they said, 'You've had a stroke.' And that's when they decided I had to get to Milpark as soon as possible," Watts explains.

When he arrived at the hospital, he went for an MRI, which came back with no evidence of a stroke, he adds. "The second test they did was an ECG with Professor Essop, the famous Professor Essop (the cardiologist), and he said, 'No, there's nothing wrong with your heart.'"

Watts reveals that doctors are still working out "how" he got sepsis, adding that it could have been due to any cuts or open wounds that became infected; however, the presenter had none.

"They're not absolutely sure how I got it. But I think the drive now is to actually find the right antibiotics and counter it."

For now, though, Watts hopes to be back home by Thursday to focus on getting better so that he can return to TV screens as soon as possible.