Aishwarya Sakhuja recounts the time when she was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and how she dealt with it
Aishwarya Sakhuja believes international pop star Justin Bieber, who recently spoke about his facial paralysis due to Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, will be back to performing soon. The internet went into a frenzy last Friday after Justin took to his social media to update his fans about contracting the rare disease that had caused a temporary facial paralysis, due to which he had to cancel his concerts.
In 2014, Aishwarya suffered from Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
Aishwarya was affected by the Ramsay Hunt Syndrome around eight years ago. Sharing her account, the Saas Bina Sasural actress says, “This happened when I was shooting for the show Main Naa Bhoolungi (2014). We were shooting back-to-back as we had a wedding sequence coming up. I vividly remember I had a 2 pm shift the next day and the night prior, Rohit (her husband, who was her boyfriend then) kept asking me why was I winking at him. I thought this was one of his silly jokes and did not react to it. The next morning, when I went to brush my teeth, I had a tough time holding water in my mouth while rinsing. At that point, too, I thought it was exertion.”
'Pooja told me something was off'
In those days, actress Pooja Sharma and she used to be flatmates. Recounting that morning, Aishwarya says, “When I got dressed and was ready to leave, Pooja noticed that something was off. She asked me if I was feeling okay because she thought my face didn’t look normal. We didn’t have a mirror in the bathroom, and since I was in a rush, I didn’t really get a chance to check my face. Pooja was persistent that something was wrong and insisted that I visit a doctor.”
The doctor confirmed it was facial paralysis
Aishwarya and Pooja visited their GP, who confirmed that she had facial paralysis and asked her to do a brain MRI. Aishwarya didn’t inform her team and continued shooting that day. She says, “We somehow managed to shoot and I went for my scan the next day, where it was confirmed that I had been hit by Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and had to be put on steroids."
Work had to go on
Given tight shooting schedules, Aishwarya knew she couldn't take an off, so she continued with her shoot. She says, "I couldn’t take a day off since we didn’t have a bank of episodes ready. So, I continued shooting. The cast and crew were very supportive, and they tried to shoot in a way that half of my face was not visible.”
It was a difficult phase but she bounced back
The period when she was on medication and dealing with fears of whether she would get back to normal was tough. She shares, “The steroids were extremely heavy and even heavier was the emotional turmoil because as an actor, my face is everything.”
Fortunately, Aishwarya recovered fully in a month and moved on in life. With proper treatment, Justin Bieber, too, should be able to bounce back soon, she says.
What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?
“Ramsay Hunt Syndrome also called herpes zoster oticus is a major otological ear-related complication of varicella zoster virus reactivation. It is a painful rash around the ear, on the face, or on the mouth. It occurs when the varicella zoster virus infects a nerve in the head,” says Dr Neha Kapoor, Sr Consultant & Head Unit (I)- Neurology, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences Faridabad. Dr Vipasha Brajpuriya (Senior Consultant & Unit Head) ENT, Accord Superspeciality Hospital, Faridabad, adds, “In this, the facial nerve near the inner ear gets infected leading to irritation and swelling of the nerve. The virus belongs to the herpesvirus group and the virus also causes chickenpox. Classic symptoms of this disease include severe pain in the ear, rashes around parts of ear, tongue and infected side of the mouth. In some cases, it can even cause hearing loss, spinning feeling, contorted faces and even paralysis.”