Colchester United loanee Rhys Healey admits being rushed to hospital with a burst appendix was a “scary experience”.

Healey, who is on loan at the U’s from Cardiff City, is recovering at home after undergoing emergency surgery last week.

The 20-year-old striker, who has scored four times for Colchester since arriving from the Bluebirds last September, had returned to Cardiff for dental work.

But after experiencing severe stomach pains, he was rushed to hospital where he underwent an operation to remove his appendix.

Healey said: “It was a scary experience.

“I went back to Cardiff to have a little bit of dental treatment done and the next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed!

“At first, I thought it was just a stomach bug but after a while, I knew it was something different.

“The Cardiff physio Ed Richmond took me to hospital and 40 minutes into my appointment, I went in for an operation.

“At that stage, I was in a lot of pain but I had been for the nine hours before that, too.

“I’d learnt to deal with it at that stage and the medicine helped.

“Luckily, the operation was a success and I only had to spend two days in hospital, so it could have been worse.

“As I’m a professional footballer I’m an active person and hopefully, my body can shake this off.

“I’m a bit sore after the operation but I’m getting better every day.

“I’ve been told it’ll be a maximum of six weeks but I definitely hope that I’ll be back before that.”

Healey missed Colchester’s vital 2-0 win over Leyton Orient last weekend - and says he learnt of their success on television.

“It was strange being at home on the couch watching the result come in on Final Score,” added Healey, who will initially report back to parent club Cardiff for his rehabilitation.

“It was a massive result for us, especially at home where we’ve struggled a bit this season.

“I’ve had some nice messages from the Colchester manager and players and they’ve all been really supportive.

“I hope that I can make up for lost time when I get back to Colchester.”

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