WAIT! Is the right side of my face paralysed?

Let me start from the beginning.

I was showering and felt soap in my right eye. Not the little sting that makes you instantly shut your eye and wipe off. It was a lot more. Stinging enough to notice it.

After that I went and brushed my teeth. As I was spitting out, I felt some heaviness in my mouth, my right side. The heaviness one feels after coming from the dentist. I brushed it off thinking I may have bumped something without noticing.

I was with my sis, Gloria. We headed to Kimiti ‘s house. As we were playing Formula 1 I felt that there was something wrong with my eye. I asked Gloria if my eye was blinking properly. She said it wasn’t. It was delaying. I went and looked at myself in the mirror. I realised my smile wasn’t full. My right side was slightly off. Kimiti was like dude, you might be having a stroke, ebu go to hosi. In my mind I’m like no way. I never get sick; how could I be getting a stroke? I called my cousin Muthoni who is a doctor. She took me through a couple of tests on phone and asked to send her photos smiling, raising my eyebrows and both. She instructed me head to hospital for tests. Mimi I’m huku thinking we are supposed to go on a lunch date with Gloria and also, we have a Formula 1 game to finish. I didn’t think it was a big deal.

We finished the game, ate and headed to Cottage Hosi with Gloria. I called Josiah, a doctor pal of mine at Cottage. He wasn’t in but called ahead to the doctor on duty letting him know nacome and my condition.

The doctor took me through some physical tests, then I did blood tests. They found slight viral infection. I had been having recurrent sorethroats, some strong enough to give me an ear ache. I never get sick except for sore throats. Hizi tonsils mimi naona nitatolewa soon.

There was a time, almost 10 years ago, I was rushed to hosi in the middle of the night juu massively inflamed tonsils. The doctor adviced that I get them removed. After kupona, I lengad that story.

So after the blood tests at Cottage, I was sent to get a CT Scan. All this time I was very chill. In my mind, this was just some random bug that will be cleared up in a day or two by some random strong antibiotic. All until, I was under the CT scan.

Under the scan is when it hit me. What if they find a blockage or something in my blood vessels in my brain? Or a tumor? What if I’m told I’ve got 3 weeks to live? Have I lived my life to the fullest? For the most part I have, but there are parts that I’m “making it through” as opposed to thriving. I still don’t have the kind of money that I’ve always wanted but that doesn’t bug me much. What bugs me if that I have not done the things that I have always wanted to do. I can’t die without achieving those. Can I achieve them in 3 weeks? There’s a type of photography I’ve always wanted to do that I keep postponing. There’s a type a furniture I want to build but I can’t because I am swamped with orders. Why can’t I do only what I love? There are so many places I’ve always wanted to go. Switzerland to ride the Golden Pass train, see the Alps and the houses with grass on top of their roofs for insulation. Holland to see the old mills, the flower fields and definitely visit the red-light district. Greenland to experience the 24hr sunshine, and back again for the 24hours of night. Norway to enjoy the Fjords, Italy to visit the tons of Italian friends I’ve made especially the ones who live in the villages, to visit the little island at Lago Maggiore and the beautiful Lake Como. Brazil for Carnival, Swaziland for Reed Dance, Ethiopia for the magical culture, the beautiful women, Munich in Germany to visit my pal in time for October Beer Fest. Iceland… the beautiful green Iceland, Sweden up north to see the Northern lights, do a 1 week cruise ship tour. The list is long, very long…

My brother survived a brain aneurysm and only because a certain South Africa based doctor was specialised enough to operate. Aga Ghan had already sent him home unable to do it. What if I did have an aneurysm too? And it was too far to operate or something like that?

I don’t know how long the scan lasted. Maybe 10 or 20 mins. But if felt like a lifetime. My incomplete, not fully fulfilled life flashed before my eyes. I will spend this last 3 weeks happier and more fulfilled than anyone on earth could ever be. When the scan was over ata sikungoja 2 seconds. “Umepata kitu?” I asked him. He looked he was going to tell me to wait for the results. “Umeona anything? Is my brain okay?” I insisted.

“Uko sawa”

Best words I have ever heard from a doctor.

I waited for the official results to come. The doctor informed me that I have something called Bell’s Palsy and it’s nothing to worry about. I just need loads of rest, take my meds. I was given steroids, antivirus and an eye drop. No alcohol for 3 weeks, and no stress, no loud noises so no clubs, no heavy work, reduce screen time because of my eye. Stress is a one of the major causes. As far as I know, I have no stress. Diabetes and high blood pressure are causes which I don’t have either. They didn’t really find the cause. The only thing that made sense was the sore throats. Bell’s Palsy happens when a certain nerve behind the ear is under pressure.

I went to bed knowing I will heal in no time. Mine was very mild, very mild. The doc said to be patient and I’ll only see improvement from week 2. My right-side face muscles were just a bit weak. I figured in like 5 days or so, I should be good. But then I woke up the following morning……!

WAIT! Is the right side of my face PARALYSED?

It had gotten worse. It wasn’t functioning at all.

The only thing was working was my eye that I could barely shut. But nothing else was working. I couldn’t smile at all with that side.

I immediately called Muthoni and sent her a photo. She told me not to worry. It’s normal for it to get worse before it starts getting better.

Then I started realising other things too. I couldn’t hold fluids in my mouth coz lips couldn’t fully shut. It would just pour out from the right side of my mouth. I couldn’t maneuver food on my right side so if food goes to that side, I had to push it to my left with my hand by pushing my outer cheek. I couldn’t raise my right eyebrow. Then when I shower, I have to manually hold shut my right eye with my hand so that soap doesn’t go in. I couldn’t wink with my right eye, I couldn’t whistle, I couldn’t brush my teeth properly. My face was slightly dropping on one side. I couldn’t say the letter P, F and V properly. What the hell is happening to me! It was a dark day.

But light was waiting for me with open arms. My famo showed up big time. I was planning to stay indoors until I get well but my friends didn’t let me…

Ring ring..

“Weh! 50 Cent! Uko?”

“Ebu pigia Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle umulize anafika saa ngapi?”

There’s no hangout I missed out on. Picnics, road trips, game nights. As long as I was with my peoples, I was okay kabisa nikicheka na half a face, and showing half surprise. Hiyo side ingine ya face iko tu gangster, no expression. I was only conscious when I was with strangers. I tried not to smile or laugh because as long as you don’t know me well, and I have sunglasses on, you wouldn’t notice anything different. It was hard when I had a photography job. I always smile with my clients. That period they must have thought, he’s quite expressionless this one.

As I was doing a shoot for Nairobi Hospital Management at Fairmont Hotel, I talked to one of the doctors and she told me “Focus on physiotherapy. It’s the most important”.

For those guys who met me and asked “what’s wrong with your face?” or “Is your face okay?” it helped sana. At least I wasn’t too conscious. The strange stares were weird but I understand. At least for the 1st week. I had to do quite a bit of adjusting; physiotherapy, drinking with a straw or holding my lip and all that.

My journey to healing was easy, a bit frustrating once in a while but mostly a breeze. There was a bit of progress every few days. The first thing I noticed was that I wasn’t biting my lip anymore as I chewed. That happened around day 5. I started getting migraines appearing in different parts of my head. The doc adviced me to reduce my screen time during the day and avoid any screen at least 3 hrs before sleeping. That one was tough so what I did was sleep early so that between 7 and 8pm I was already in bed listening to rain sounds on Spotify so that I sleep. I’d wake up at 7am having got about 10 hrs of sleep. The migraines disappeared almost immediately. During the day if I felt a migraine coming on I’d zima my laptop, avoid my phone and look for something to do. Listening to music on earphones would also trigger. Stress also triggered migraines. There was a time we trying to figure something out that had messed with woodwork, I felt a migraine coming on strong. I dropped everything asked them to figure it out and drove to Coffee BencH for a coffee. I found guys there. We played cards until like midnight, mimi niko hapo tu nimeshikilia mzinga ya chai.

I watched videos of many people around the world with Bell’s Palsy and how the overcame it. Depending on the intensity, there were various ways people were handling it but one thing was consistent. Everyone started with steriods and antivirus then physio. Physio was the most important, morning and evening.

My physio included:

Chewing gum almost all day with my right side to strengthen it.

Face massages. I’ll post a video of how I used to do it.

Singing Old Mcdonald had a farm. Because it forces my mouth open and uses all my face muscles especially the letters a, e and o.

Filling my mouth with air

Whistling

My smile started opening up around day 17 and I was able to whistle on day 25. I had told myself that by Christmas I’d have to have my smile back and I did.

Today (Jan 2024) is 2 months later and I’m okay kabisa. I’m not at 100 yet lakini very very little is left. My face muscles are like 90% healed. In maybe two or three weeks everything should be in perfect condition.

After posting a video showing my journey, I got lots of responses from people who have or have had Bell’s Palsy. Most of them being my friends or close people to my friends. I’m thinking haiya, kumbe it’s more common than I thought. About 11 people that I know or within my social vicinity. And huku I was hearing about it for the first time as I’m sure most of you are. Looks like people get it and disappear for a while which I get kabisa. I was about to do the same. I’ll post the individual videos with the conversations soon.

And on that note, I have immense gratitude to the guys who called me every day for two weeks to check up on me, the ones who called me every so often, the ones who came home to chill with me, those who never let me lock myself indoors for too long, those lovely messages, akina “Mwamz uko aje leo”. There’s only one person who spells it Mwamz, unajijua. The tips I got from guys who knew people who had gone through it. Ahsante sana. To be honest it wasn’t a dark period in my life. It wasn’t at all. If anything, I was an opportunity to go through something and be able to share the journey.

It was also a massive eye opener for me. My goal in life is one: happiness. Striving, whatever it takes, to do what makes me happy. Now that’s a full life.

I have posted videos on Tiktok showing the journey from Day until when nilipona. My Tiktok

UPDATE: For some reason, the sore-throats disappeared. I am editing this is August 2024 and I can’t remember the last time I had a sore-throat unlike when I used to get almost every two weeks or every time I go out and take something cold.