Taking to social media, on National Epilepsy Day, actor Fatima Sana Shaikh opened up about her battle with epilepsy. In order to raise awareness about the illness, which is often stigmatized around the world, the actor hosted a 'ask-me-anything' session on her official Instagram handle on 17 November and answered the queries of her fans.
For those who dont know, 'epilepsy' is a disorder, wherein, the nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, which results in causing seizures in a person.
When a follower asked her when she first learned about her illness, Fatima wrote, "(I) was diagnosed when I was training for Dangal. I got an episode and woke up straight at the hospital… Tab pata chala ke epilepsy naam ki koi cheez hoti hai (Then I learned about a disease called epilepsy). (I) was in denial first (for five years). And now, I have learnt to embrace it, and work and live around it.”
When one of her fans asked her about how she manages her professional life with the condition, the 30-year-old actor replied, "I inform all the directors I work with that I have epilepsy. They have always been very supportive and understanding. They know of the challenges that they might face on the days I get an episode. Some days are tough but I have learnt to work with it. It's a bit challenging. But itna toh chalta hai (But, it's fine)."
Upon another fan's query about how does one deal with the issue when alone, the Dangal actor shared, "I mean, if he is getting an episode and no one is around him. You can do nothing. But once you come to know and you are around him. Just let him feel safe. He might be confused, emotionally/physically drained and hopefully not injured. All we want is someone to just be by our side. And ask him if he needs anything."
Fatima also listed things one should keep in mind when someone is having a seizure. Here's what she said:
1. Don't retrain the person.
2. Don't put anything in their mouth.
3. Turn the person to one side. So, if they throw up, they don't choke on it.
4. Note the duration of the seizure.
5. Move sharp objects away.
6. Let it pass.
7. Take the person to the hospital if the episode lasts for more than 5-10 minutes.
8. Most importantly stay calm and don't panic.
On being told by a follower that epileptic patients are made to smell a stinking shoe, Fatima busted the myth and said, "This is a myth!!! Please aisa mat karna (Don't do this). Already it's traumatic to come out of a seizure. Last thing you want is to wake up to a stinking shoe! Hahaha! People have done this to me! (puking emojis) Horrible!"
The actor also shared that she suffers from tonic-clonic seizures, absence seizures, clonic seizures, and focal seizures. She further added that her episodes always begin with 'auras' and that she is 'lucky' to sense it before it happens.
On the work front, Fatima has several projects lined up. She will be soon seen in filmmaker Tarun Dudeja's Dhak Dhak and Meghna Gulzar's Sam Bahadur alongside Vicky Kaushal. Both films are slated for their theatrical releases in October 2023.
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