I was an Epileptic patient for 23 years.

I am the happiest person in the world now! Since last six months I haven't had an epileptic attack! This was possible because of the epilepsy surgery I went through in July 2003. I used to have 2 to 10 attacks a month. This surgery was done in Trivandrum, at 'Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences'. Now my family, my friends and me are living a very happy life. The anxiety and suffering is finally over.

1st July 1980, I was 7 years old, that day I had my first epileptic attack. I was unconscious for the whole day. I was suffering from left temporal lobe epilepsy. Since that day my attacks started increasing. First I used to have 2-3 attacks a month. But day-by-day attacks increased, and up to last year number of attacks per month settled on 5 to 10. There were so many restrictions on me. Swimming, driving, running was not possible for me. Above all it hampered my quality of life a great deal.

Both my parents were very positive thinking nature. They never treated me differently or as a child with some illness. They grew my sister and me in the same manner. But due to this illness I could not participate in any of the sports and out-door activities. So my parents encouraged me to cultivate hobbies, which I could do at home. They started my Indian classical music's class, drawing and so many other hobbies. For me, classical music turned out to be my meditation, which is still continuing. First drawings was my hobby, but eventually it became my profession. I became a commercial artist.

My mother was affected by cancer in 1989. But she was not at all depressed. She was working hard till her last day before she got admitted even if she was a cancer patient. That time I realized, my disease like cancer; so why should I cry? I just have to accept it.

Parag, my husband also thinks very positively as my parents did. After marriage he started to know and learn about epilepsy. He started to read, surf the net on this subject. He use to give information about this subject to me. But my attacks were increasing day by day. Then one day my neurologist, Dr. Pradeep Diwate told us about the possible epilepsy surgery.

We were in Belgium on account of my husband's job. During that year and half, my talks became very erratic and finally the most dreaded thing happened. I burnt my hand to third degree. I got an attack while I was cooking. That is when we decided to finally take a chance at epilepsy surgery.
We came to India, took an appointment at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute. After Video EEG, initial checkups and diagnosis of one-week stay at Sree Chitra, Dr. Radhakrishnan told us that I was a good feasible candidate for surgery. This fave us a ray of hope. I was operated on 2nd July. (My Surgery was 495th epilepsy surgery at Sree Chitra!) Operation lasted for about 8 hours. After a long wait, doctors told Parag that operation was successful. But the anxiety didn't go right away, because my family and me lived with epilepsy for 23 years.

All the doctors and nurses in Sree Chitra are a very dedicated, professional and caring team. After operation I kept myself occupied in "origami". And reading to ignore the pain. My recovery was very fast, and I was discharged from the hospital after 7 days. Now the last review at Sree Chitra after 3 months showed no signs of epileptic activity in my brain. This was sheer joy to us, this was simply too hard to believe and too good to be true. I am very grateful to the team at Sree Chitra, which includes all doctors, nurses and the staff.

All of us are very happy and satisfied family now. But I want to share my joy. Always wanted to reach out to people (this I possibly inherited from my parents), and hence decided that whatever the disease and a successful surgery has taught me and the manner in which I seem to have conquered it, should be passed on to as many persons with epilepsy as possible.

This has given rise to an idea for forming a support group for epileptic patients and their families. I started to meet epileptic patients and their families and many neurologists in Pune. I told them about myoperation and shared the idea of support group with them etc. I learnt about a very active epilepsy support group, "Samman", - in Mumbai. I started to attend the support group in Mumbai. When I saw confidence in epileptic patients, I felt very glad! Yet there is need to bring about more awareness in the society. An epileptic can lead a normal, confident life and live happily with the disease.

Neurologists in Pune are very co-operative. Some of them have started to send their patients to me, to counsel and convince them for the epilepsy surgery. When people look at me as an example of successful co-operation, they happily get ready for the operation! The support group is supposedly starting next month. Who so ever is interested, or know any epileptic patients, please do call me on my Cell No: 98220 08035 or pass message to them. I will be more than happy to be of help.

It is just a beginning of new life, new era.