03/08/2025
Great minds may think alikeâbut sometimes, great people share the same afflictions too đ
Jokes apart, Salman Khan is suffering from the same brain diseases that Iâm suffering from. Two of the diseases that we are suffering from are life threatening but today, I want to shed light on the third â not because it threatens life, but because it quietly steals the life you live.
Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) â a rare neurological disorder, often referred to as the âsuicide disease.â Not for drama, not for sympathy, but because its pain is so abrupt, so electric, so violently sharp that many who endure it fall into despair. It hijacks your life, leaving you afraid to smile, talk, chew, or even feel the wind on your face.
At its core, TN is often called the âsuicide diseaseâ â not as exaggeration, but because the pain is so sudden, electric, stabbing, and intolerable, most patients feel completely hopeless and some end up taking their lives.
Imagine pain that strikes like a lightning bolt across your face â without warning. A burning, stabbing sensation so fierce that it can stop you mid-sentence, mid-smile, mid-bite. Simple actions â talking, brushing your teeth, chewing, even feeling a breeze â become potential landmines.
You begin to live in fear of your own face.
Thatâs the cruelest part: TN doesnât just cause pain; it hijacks your identity.
It makes you question your body. It makes you hesitate to laugh, to eat, to even exist naturally in the world. Youâre held hostage by your own nerves, never knowing when the next attack will come.
The gentle touch of hair on my face in the cold breeze doesnât feel romantic anymore. Now it just brings fear.
TN is a hidden illness. People canât see it â no bandages, no visible swelling, no obvious wound. You may look completely fine on the outside while enduring one of the most excruciating pain conditions known to medicine.
That invisibility makes it even harder. Harder to explain. Harder to be believed. Harder to be understood.
And yet â Iâm fortunate.
In the midst of all this, Iâm blessed with some beautiful souls in my life: family and friends who never need a reminder to be kind. They instinctively shield me from chores, always save the most comfortable seat, and offer their arms when I walk â not because I ask, but because they care. They see what the world doesnât. And that makes all the difference.
Between the pain attacks, thereâs often nerve sensitivity, background throbbing, and emotional fatigue. Youâre left drained physically from the pain, as well as mentally from the anxiety and unpredictability of the next flare-up.
The worst part of trigeminal neuralgia is not just the excruciating pain â itâs the way it makes you fear your own body, mistrust your own face, and feel like a prisoner inside your skin.
For the past few days Iâm getting constant attacks of TN. Life is getting unbearable. Yet, I know we do not get to choose our illnesses, nor can we always escape our pain. But amidst the suffering, we are given a choice â not to mourn endlessly or seek constant solace in others, but to respond with humility and gratitude.
Gratitude to ALLAH, our Creator, for entrusting us with this unique experience, for making us strong enough to endure what many cannot, and for surrounding us with beautiful souls whose presence brings light in our darkest moments.
In pain, we find purpose. And in gratitude, we find peace.
Š Tamanna Shafique Tazree, 3rd August 2025