“A car accident nearly rendered me infertile”

Soni Kanake speaks to Jeddy Mwai who was nearly rendered infertile in a car accident 10 years ago.

“The events of that day are still hazy in my mind. When I came to, I was lying in a hospital bed. I remember asking my mum what I was doing there. Unknown to me, I had been in a coma for 11 days. I had been knocked down by a vehicle, which had left me with a blood clot in my head and a pelvic fracture.

That was in November of 1998 when I was only 21 years old. Try as I could, I could not remember the details of the accident and still have no idea about the Good Samaritan who took me to Guru

Nanak Hospital. I was later transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital, which was going to be my home for close to two months.

“Being bed-ridden for two months was very agonising. My leg was hung on a pulley-like structure and tied to a heavy weight to help stretch the fractured bone, causing excruciating pain.

I had to lie on my back and had bad bed sores as a result and the hair at the back of my head fell off. I could also not walk myself to the bathroom and had to use a bed-pan to relieve myself.

It was such an inconvenience I would skip tea to avoid getting the urge to use the toilet. I needed help with everything including taking a bath. I remember one time waking up to find a male nurse sponge-bathing me and I nearly got a fit. I closed my eyes through the entire time. My greatest fear was having my periods while in this state. I was, however, grateful when they did not come for the two months.

“I was using a cocktail of drugs including some to dissolve the clot at the front of my head. After I was discharged, I was on crutches for a month after which I went back to the hospital for a review. My pelvic bone was healing well so I was advised to use a single crutch as opposed to the pair I was using.

WIERD QUESTION

Then I remember the doctor asking me a rather weird question, “Did the person who hit you have an agenda of rendering you infertile?” Needless to say, that was not the kind of question I was expecting. He handed me an X-ray report that revealed a damaged Fallopian tube on the side where I had a pelvic fracture.

“The intensity of the report did not hit home until he said that my chances of conceiving were now 50/50. The doctor explained that women have gone ahead to bear children with one Fallopian tube though if anything happened to my remaining tube, it would dim all chances. Anything like what? I asked him. “Sometimes Fallopian tubes get blocked,” I was distraught.

I left hospital a worried woman, not to mention the doctors told me that one of my legs had become shorter than the other one after the accident. Later, my elder sisters confessed to me that while I was in hospital, the doctors had told them about my damaged Fallopian tubes but they did not want to alarm me.

“About seven years after the accident, I met a man and we started dating seriously. My greatest fear suddenly came to the fore. Would I be able to bear him children? Would he accept me if I confessed to him that there might be a chance that I would never conceive? What if I told him and he left me?

“Nonetheless, I decided on full disclosure as I watched and waited for his response. Fortunately for me, my man stood with me. He said as Christians we should leave that matter in God’s hands and assured me of his support, whichever way it went. That was one hurdle out of the way but deep down, I knew the only thing that could pacify my heart was getting pregnant. Like most women after getting married, I desired a child of my own. At this point my greatest concern was whether to use contraceptives or not. Deep down within me there was that battle that I had been fighting for close to 10 years.

“At around 31 years of age, I conceived. I was beyond myself with excitement! I called my sisters and shared the good news. They were happy and confessed how worried they had been for me.

They were concerned about the doctor’s earlier report and because I was already in my 30s. However, due to the pelvic fracture, my doctor recommended a Caesarian section as there was a chance the fracture could recur. When my baby was a year old, my pelvic bone started aching, which was diagnosed as post-arthritis.

“Today I still experience periodical pains though I’m in a good place as my fears are now gone. I’m a mum of three girls, nine, six and three, who were all born via CS because of my earlier fracture.

My greatest fear though is the arthritis, which the doctors said will recur. I can only pray.”