THE VALLEY EXPERIENCE

The last Salah holiday was quite an experience for me.

I had gone to the hospital the previous Wednesday to find out the cause of the feverish feelings and the weakness I was feeling.

Malaria was diagnosed.

I was given medications.

Then things went from bad to worse.

I got home on Thursday a different person.
I was seeing double, hearing things. My ringing phone sounded like a train was about to run me down. I jumped at every small sound. I must have starred in over 5 blockbuster movies, all while lying down on my bed. My imagination went agog, I simply lost control of my mind!

I cut my well groomed afro (e pain me ehn!), switched off all my phones, stayed indoors, all shades covered, all windows closed. Neither helped.

The hallucinations were horrendous!

Sure enough, I went back to the hospital, where I was told that the drug I was given was Quinine based.

Quinine and I are not friends! It has a way of turning me into a ghost of myself. My body turns white, hitching continuously, my nostrils become blocked, my breathing in spasms, and I feel larger than life, in an uncomfortable way.

I run from it, proverbially, with my heels touching the back of my head. But this was 'disguised'.

Anyways, I was told to let the drug wear off, in other words, 'you're stuck with this bro'.

It was a valley experience for me, and it got me thinking:

*Surviving the valley experience is a function of the amount of reserves you have from the mountain experience. I couldn't pray, I could not eat, I couldn't sing. I just rolled and rolled and yes, hallucinated. So while on the mountain, pray up!

*You need REAL friends during your valley experience. When you are having a valley experience, you are at the mercy of others. God help you if you're surrounded by haters! This underscores the need to wisely choose your inner caucus. It's not because of the good times, anybody is your friend when the going is good. But it's in the valley you get to know friends from 'frienimies'.

*Know yourself, what hurts you, what you react to, and run from such. What you don't know can kill you. What caregivers don't know about you can likewise kill you. It's their duty as well as yours to ensure that doesn't happen.

*Valley dwellers can't help you escape the valley. You need folks higher up to pull you up! In my case, what I needed was a good doctor. The key word here being, "GOOD".

I'm back at the hospital to conduct more tests, just to be sure the malaria is gone out of my system. I'm climbing back to the mountain top.

On another note, I still feel the medical practice in Lagos needs some attention. It would appear the care giving aspect has become secondary, attention is paid more to number of hours clocked. I know some amazing doctors, but I dare say too few.

Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the impression I get; but that's a story for another day.

To everyone going through the valley experience, hang on, help will locate you!