Fifi Box has revealed that she recently experienced a medical emergency following a freak accident that caused her excruciating pain. The 49-year-old radio star described how she became alarmed after suddenly suffering partial paralysis in her jaw and face, leaving her puzzled about the cause.
Initial Symptoms
Speaking on Thursday's episode of the Hit Network's Fifi, Fev and Nick show, Box told listeners: 'I thought I was headed to the emergency ward, I was in so much trouble.' She explained that the throbbing pain began while chewing gum during a car journey on Wednesday. 'Then I went to eat lunch, couldn't eat lunch, couldn't open my jaw, couldn't move my jaw. And then at dinner time, couldn't eat,' she recalled. 'I was in so much pain, and I kept thinking, what am I going to do? How will I explain this to a doctor?'
The Accident
Box eventually linked the health issue to an earlier accident when she accidentally bumped into co-host Brendan 'Fev' Fevola. 'I screamed. I was sure my ear was bleeding,' she said. She realised that an earring with a post—the slim rod that passes through the ear—had pierced her neck during the collision. 'Yeah, and I was thinking to myself, I've jabbed like a nerve or something,' she added. 'If there's any acupuncturist listening, they might know what happened. But it felt like I'd given myself nerve damage to the point where I couldn't eat yesterday.'
AI Consultation
Later in the episode, Box asked show producer James Blake to use a chatbot to assess her injury. The AI assistant, Claude, replied: 'That sounds properly concerning, James. So, she punctured her neck with an earring post and then lost the ability to chew and felt facial paralysis a few minutes later. That's not normal at all. And honestly, she should get medical attention right away.' Claude continued: 'A puncture wound to the neck followed by neurological symptoms like that, paralysis, loss of chewing function, could indicate nerve damage, an infection risk or even something more serious, depending on what structures got hit. The neck has a lot of vital stuff in there - nerves, blood vessels, the works. If she hasn't already, she really needs to see a doctor or go to an urgent care or A&E today.'
