Chapter 1: When Wahala Hide for Body

I once come across one case where to find the real cause of the illness na serious wahala, and I wan share the tori with una:

This one no be your regular hospital gist o. Naija wahala deep, sometimes sickness go hide like thief for night until you dig am reach root. The patient, Madam Ronke, na 40-year-old senior manager for one company department. Normally, her life suppose dey sweet and full, but lately, everything just turn upside down.

Everybody sabi Madam Ronke for her sharp dressing—her Ankara wrapper always fine, matching gele sit for her head like queen for owambe. She dey arrange things for her office like person wey get sense. But recently, people say the shine for her eye dey fade, and her voice dey sound like person wey carry big load for head.

One day, Madam Ronke family rush am enter emergency. The case serious, but thank God, her vital signs still dey okay.

As she dey enter hospital, all her relatives just dey pray, dey rub her back, dey call her name. Her aunty dey sprinkle anointing oil for her palm, dey rub am for Ronke forehead. One of her sisters dey shout, 'Ronke! Ronke! E no go do you anything, God dey your side!' The nurses just dey quick put drip, everybody dey move sharp-sharp because the thing be like film.

As I dey ask small-small questions, I realize say Madam Ronke matter get as e be.

Even the way her husband hold her hand tight, like person wey no wan lose change inside market, you go know say the thing dey pain the whole family. I ask, 'Bros, how e start?' He just sigh, look ground, begin talk.

See as e happen:

The morning before, Madam Ronke just tell her husband say somebody dey follow her.

He shock, look Madam Ronke well, even check window as if person really dey hide. But na only her dey talk am. For Naija, if person say dem dey follow am, e fit mean spiritual wahala o.

As her husband hear am, fear and vex catch am together. He walk to the window, look outside, then close curtain. He mutter, 'God abeg, I no get strength for village people this morning.'

He no even know whether to call pastor or call police. For his mind, wahala don land. He even dey mumble, 'Kai! Wetin be this one now?'

For person to dey followed for broad daylight—na bad thing o!

All the uncles and aunties for house begin look each other. Small pikin sef dey look under table, dey fear whether masquerade dey outside.

If truly say person wan harm his wife, wetin he go do?

He think say maybe na one neighbor wey get beef with them, or one office matter wey follow them reach house. E just dey reason all kinds of things.

But na wetin his wife talk next come scatter his head pass. E no know whether to believe or doubt.

He clear throat, ask her to talk am again. She just dey shake head, eyes wide, voice low, like say she dey fear something wey dey corner.

She talk say, “You know how I take know say person dey follow me? Because I get superpower. I hear person use telepathy dey tell me for mind say somebody dey look me from one corner... She talk say she fit hear voice for her mind, like when pastor dey prophesy.”

At that point, na only God know wetin the man dey think. For his mind, maybe na ogbanje matter, maybe na juju, or maybe Madam Ronke just dey play.

As she talk am, her husband begin worry, even fear join.

Sweat dey his face like say NEPA just cut light. He dey bite finger, dey look sky. In his heart, he dey beg God, 'Abeg, make this one no pass my power.'

Superpower? Telepathy? Wetin be all this?

Na so the man look Madam Ronke, even touch her forehead, dey check if she dey run temperature. 'Abi na malaria dey worry this woman?' he reason.

Na the same wife wey he know so?

He begin remember how she dey wake him up for night if mosquito dey bite, how she dey arrange her children for school. This one no resemble the woman wey dey before.

He think say the thing go pass, but two days later, the woman repeat am again.

The man even call their pastor make he pray. The thing no gree go. Na so he begin dey confused.

On top that one, her colleagues for work even call her husband on the low, say Madam Ronke don dey behave somehow for office these days.

The AC for office dey hum, but everybody dey whisper, dey side-eye Madam Ronke as she dey pass. Her colleagues talk say, 'Oga, abeg, come check your wife o. She dey talk like say she dey dream, sometimes dey laugh for no reason.' The gist don spread reach HR. Na so wahala dey grow.

She go vex anyhow, dey talk to wall, dey laugh like person wey craze small, or just look scared for no reason.

For office, dem dey fear to approach her. One small girl for admin even say she see Madam Ronke dey talk to one chair as if person dey sit down there.

Her husband head begin turn—this one don pass normal.

He begin reason whether to call babalawo, or just carry her reach hospital. His brothers dey call from their own side, dey suggest prayer house.

He dey reason—should I call Alagba for prayer or just rush go chemist? Na only God know.

He just stop work, carry his wife rush go one big hospital to find out wetin dey do her.

Even his boss for office begin ask, “Oga, wetin dey happen for your side?”

He for like stop at one chemist first, but him spirit tell am say this one pass paracetamol level. Straight to hospital.

The doctor ask some questions, hear say the woman dey see things and dey hear voices, quick refer her go psychiatry.

The GP just dey write, dey nod head, before you know, refer letter don land. Psychiatry department carry the matter.

The psychiatrist check her well, say Madam Ronke get auditory and visual hallucinations. After dem do cranial CT scan and e show nothing, the doctor diagnose her with schizophrenia.

For inside consulting room, as the psychiatrist dey explain, Madam Ronke just dey look ceiling, dey murmur. Her husband just dey hold her hand, dey sweat.

As the couple hear am, e be like thunder strike them.

For Yoruba family, if doctor mention 'mental illness', the thing dey shake everybody. Even her sister begin whisper, 'Abomination!'

How person go just get schizophrenia like that?

Her husband dey look the doctor like say he want make the man explain am again. For his mind, na oyibo sickness be that.

Madam Ronke husband no fit understand, but as e be, e just accept am like that.

He dey think about the children, work, family reputation. But for her sake, he just keep quiet, dey nod.

The doctor talk say maybe na gene cause am, or work stress, or some other thing.

The man dey reason back—maybe na when her mother dey sick, or that time dem pursue am for job. He just dey pick different memory.

Long story short, dem no know the real cause.

Her aunty even say make dem try go church mountain, but dem no too sure which way to follow.

To make sure say no be brain tumor or anything like that, the doctor say make dem do MRI—e still show normal. No tumor.

For their mind, dem thank God, at least e no be cancer. But wahala still dey.

So, dem call am primary schizophrenia.

"Primary" for here mean say dem no know the cause, or dem never see any disease to explain the symptoms, so na schizophrenia dem call am.

Her husband just dey shake head, dey repeat 'Primary schizophrenia, primary schizophrenia' as if na new name for disease.

The doctor give Madam Ronke medicine for her mind. The medicine really work.

After the first week, her family notice say she don calm down. For once, the house quiet. Even the children fit sleep.

After she start the medicine, the wahala calm down—no more talking to wall or shouting anyhow. She no talk say she get superpower again, she stop to dey talk to wall, or dey complain say person dey follow her.

Small, small, her eyes begin clear. But for kitchen, she no fit last five minutes.

But after the medicine, Madam Ronke just dey weak. She dey sleep anyhow, no strength at all.

She go dey doze off for parlour, remote for hand, TV dey show Super Story but she no even sabi. For night, she no go get energy even to brush teeth. The medicine dey strong.

Work? Forget that one—even housework she no fit do. Motivation just die.

She try carry mop, hand begin shake. Madam Ronke wey like clean house before, now just dey look everywhere.

Na big problem.

Her husband begin dey buy take-away every evening. Even house girl tire. Family begin reason whether to stop the medicine.

Her husband worry well well.

He call doctor every day, dey ask whether dem fit change medicine. The children even dey ask, 'Daddy, when Mummy go well?'

Dem waka go different hospitals—even psychiatric ones—everybody talk say na schizophrenia, give her the same type of medicine.

From private hospital for Ikeja to teaching hospital for Ibadan, na the same matter. Everybody dey write the same drugs.

When doctor talk say the thing no get cure, her husband just dey sad anyhow.

He go sit down for balcony, dey look sky. E no even get appetite chop. For his mind, na 'so e go be?' be im only thought.

After many years as husband and wife, this sudden change just leave am confused.

Neighbours begin gossip, some dey pity, some dey avoid the family. Even church people dey pray.

But he prepare himself—no matter how e be, he go stand by his wife. If e hard, dem go carry go Abuja, look for bigger hospital, spend any amount.

He begin save money, call family meeting. Some cousins contribute, others dey advice.

But the night before dem wan travel, Madam Ronke case come worse.

As rain begin fall that night, the woman just dey walk around house, dey talk to herself, dey cry, dey laugh. Children dey hide inside room, dey fear.

She dey cry and laugh anyhow for house, dey talk anyhow, even begin show signs say she fit harm herself.

At one point, she carry knife say she wan peel orange, but the husband sharply collect am. Everybody begin panic.

Her husband fear catch am.

He begin call everybody—doctor, pastor, even his elder brother for Jos. At last, he call emergency, rush am go hospital.

He sharply call emergency, rush am go hospital.

Neighbours dey help carry her enter car. Her wrapper no even balance, hair scatter. The way dem drive that night, even LASTMA for road no stop them.