Wishing all my doctor colleagues a very Happy Doctors’ Day!
Being a doctor is not easy. It is the hard work, the long hours and the sacrifices of less time with friends & family which wear us out emotionally, not just physically, & overwhelm us.
To stay energized & motivated, we have to love what we do. Allow me to share a part of my personal journey.
After completing my DM Neurology, I wanted to do something which would give me complete satisfaction as a neurologist; that’s when I decided to subspecialise as an epileptologist (a doctor who treats fits or seizures, or epilepsy).
As a neurologist treating epilepsy, I could bring hope & confidence to patients with epilepsy. When the patients changed their lives with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts & lived “a full life, with everyone, like everyone in spite of epilepsy” I was truly grateful for the many ways in which I could help them.
We as neurologists can treat anything related to the brain, but this subspecialty is one in which I could bring a lot of hope to youngsters who felt lost in their lives due to this seizure disorder.
Also, my dream for its complete cure (with drugs & surgery) motivated me to complete MCh Neurosurgery and I am proud that my passion for being an epileptologist was the driving force for me to be the first and the only woman in India to qualify and practice neurology and neurosurgery.
Though a consultant neurologist since 1978, I rejoined Madras Medical College to pursue my MCh degree in 1986 and worked as a surgery post-graduate in the morning and as a consultant neurologist in the evening for almost 5 years before qualifying as a neurosurgeon in 1990.
Today, I am very proud and pleased about my vision and have more than 5000 patients who are seizure-free and living fulfilled lives, studying, working, raising a family & enjoying their lives free from fear & stigma.
I thank Kauvery Hospitals for the opportunity to bring EPICENTTRE (started by me in 1994) into its services since January 2024 – a place for specialized care for epilepsy.
I dedicate this poem written by me highlighting the pain of epilepsy & the hope we now offer to all the patients who have been a part of my life. I thank all my doctor colleagues, mentors, guides and Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet, for their support towards achieving my goals of providing expert comprehensive care for people with epilepsy.
Happy Doctors Day.
Do what you love & love what you do & both you as doctors & our patients will benefit.
A Patient’s Perspective of Epilepsy – A Poem by Dr. Prithika Chary
My head is dizzy, I am in a tizzy,
Unsteady my walk, confused my talk,
Falling, falling into this abyss I sink,
Out like a light before you can blink.
What happened to me I do not know,
This pain in my head, it seems to grow,
A cut in my tongue is there to show,
Something did happen – Oh where can I go?
My limbs they jerked & I had a turn,
A fit it was in alarm I learn.
A week goes by, my tongue heals,
Back to my life I go,
But fate steals, my life once more,
Knocking me over & over & over again,
Making people around me hover.
What is this curse whose cause is unknown?
My control is gone & I am all alone,
Like a leaf in the wind I am blown,
Is there any hope for me? I moan.
Step into the light my dear & know more,
We are there to bring you ashore,
Trust us for we really do care,
Your pain & strain & burden to share.
So “out of the shadows” I emerged,
Instead of in sadness being submerged,
Proactive I was & my treatment worked,
Looking full in the face of those who smirked.
I shed my cloak of doubt & fear,
Not knowing the friends I had from far & near.
Specialized epilepsy services are delivered by EPICENTTRE now at Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet, Chennai.
Dr. Prithika Chary
Neurologist, Neurosurgeon & Epileptologist,
Founder Director, EPICENTTRE Kauvery Hospital
