Hema flew down from Srinagar to see me. She was drop-dead gorgeous: flawless skin, impeccably symmetrical eyebrows, expressive dark brown eyes, and long healthy eyelashes. Her nose looked as if it was sculpted by Michelangelo. Her cheekbones and jawline would make an anatomist gaze in wonder. She had bouncy burgundy hair reminiscent of Dimple Kapadia’s in her youth. I thought it was perfectly appropriate for a doctor to momentarily appreciate utopian beauty within the quiet recesses of his brain. In fact, looking at her, I was reminded of 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic Amir Khusrau, who famously proclaimed Kashmir’s beauty with, “If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.”
When I asked what the problem was and before her docile husband sitting next to her could answer, her left eye started twitching. For a moment, I thought she was winking at me, but then her face also fluttered a little uncontrollably, grimacing involuntarily, transiently disturbing the natural beauty of her face, like it was trying to communicate in Morse code to a passing firefly. “Every time she’s stressed, fatigued, or anxious, the tremble exaggerates,” he said. “It’s as if I’m fighting a war inside my face,” she spoke for the first time. Kashmir had transformed from being the bliss it once was to the battlefield we now know it to be. “This started several years ago, but the intensity and frequency are now increasing,” she told me, adding how socially embarrassing this was for her. “We’ve tried everything – medication, Botox, stimulation, and even alternative forms of therapy – but it’s just getting worse,” her husband added. In case you’re wondering, Botox is often used medically to control spasms, not only to enhance beauty.
They had come to me because they knew the only option now to fix this was a surgical procedure. Hema had a condition called hemifacial spasm, where an abnormal artery was pulsating upon the seventh cranial nerve – the facial nerve responsible for the muscles of facial expression. Every time the artery touched the nerve, the face would contort. “We’ve been avoiding surgery for so long because we are very scared,” her husband spoke, adding that they had been forewarned that facial paralysis could be a complication of the operation. “Fear is not an emotion anyone must associate with,” I gave them some hope and courage. I acknowledged it was a possibility but assured them that if at all it happened, it would be transient. “The bigger concern is that on occasion, even despite surgery, the spasms don’t disappear,” I revealed. Nonetheless, we fixed up a date for surgery.
Within a week she was in the operating room. Under the magnificent light of the microscope, her facial nerve looked more sublime than her face itself. White and yellow in equal proportion, like on the days you see the sun and moon holding hands next to each other against a pale sky. A thick scarlet artery grooved over the nerve, hugging it like a jealous ex. I teased off the silver strands that held the artery against the nerve, and with a pair of pointed forceps, lifted it up and moved it away – the indentation on the nerve clearing up just like the dent in a cushion flattens out after someone gets up from it. I placed a buffer of fluffy Teflon between the two just in case the artery was to recoil back onto the nerve, like a jilted lover wanting to get back again.
When she woke up and smiled, her face was in perfect symmetry. The twitching had disappeared. Flowers bloomed where there once was bloodshed. No one was going to war. Paradise was restored.
36 thoughts on “The seventh nerve”
Great job Doc
Doctors indeed you gave kashmir… kashmir ki beautiful kali
Congratulations 🎊
You make it sound so simple and easy! Bravo Dr Mazda!
Amazing, first time I heard a surgeon noted a dent on the nerve-itself. WOW, great case—bringing back her natural beauty;)
Brilliant allegories .. you have the hand of a surgeon and the heart of a poet ! My compliments
Description of patient’s beauty was more interesting than the surgery. Good, inspite of being a neurosurgeon (always looking inside the skull) you observe, appreciate and describe the external views also.
Amazing writeup , was glued up to your case presentation and narration of Kashmir and its beauty as if reading a novel.
Dearest Dr Mazda sir…….
Taking care of Seventh Nerve is an outstanding task done & explain so easily like a 10 th standard student doing a surgery …..
I am not only started appreciating Procedure but also more importantly started appreciating your detail analysis of Kashmiri beautiful features…….
Combination of Surgeon & Poetic writer is rare 🌹
May AHURA MAZDA brings more & more both the skills in full blossam sir 🥰
Hi Doc,
Why is it that I knew the surgery would be a cent percent success— was it because you were behind the craftsmanship of the beautifully described face?
By the way, did you miss the winking post surgery?
You’ve made this particular feat/surgery seem so simple.
Such a beautiful read to begin the day
Wonderful and so well described the disease and the victim.
Amazingly well written Dear Mazda. Enjoyed every bit of the description.
Regards.
Beautifully penned just like Kashmir and Hema
Brilliant write up
Brilliant surgery too
Kudos👏👏
As always I enjoy reading your in depth description of how you dealt with Hema’s distress with her 7 th nerve.
For me, personally, it was very poignant this time because my wife is Kashmiri. We met at med school 55 years ago. Your description of Hema’s beauty could be applicable to all the women of this valley. Yes, they’ve had their share of turmoil but I think they have now begun to say “ enough is enough “ to our troublesome neighbour.
Enjoy the weekend, doc👏🏽
I wish you would have written a bit more about her post surgery recovery Doc.
Beautiful article as always 👌
GOD bless you 🤗
Indeed…good things have beautiful endings!!!
The scalpel u hold replaces the pen at other times! Both brilliantly done!
God bless doc!
SUPERB JOB
Kudos to your surgical skills!
Beautiful textual narration!
Stay abundantly blessed always 🙏
Super….poetic justice😬. Should I say😍
Wow that’s amazing Kashmir ki Kali blossomed once again. Kudos to you Mazda god bless
“her facial nerve looked more sublime than her face itself.”
That is More like shifting of balance from poetry to neurosurgery
Excellent write up Sir!
Such a relief not only for you but for this beautiful woman who regained normalcy in that lovely face of hers and such a huge relief to her, her husband and her family. God bless you and your hands that continuously perform these miracles. Hug you from my heart for the way you help others regain control of their live.
Mazzzzz,
Absolutely loved how the article ends — ‘paradise was restored’
How relevant are your metaphors and how poignant the message! I love your articles because they give me more than a medical outburst of surgical facts. They strike a humanitarian gong amidst the careful choreography of your surgical tango!
Dear Dr Mazda
Your words drift like poetry. Each one a brushstroke on the canvas of human experience, weaving stories that are as moving as they are profound. Through every account, even of surgery and science, your compassion shines brightly.
Your passion for your calling is deeply felt, not just in what you do, but in how you see your patients – truly see us. Not as cases, but as souls, whole and worthy.
You honour the humanity in others because you so fully embody it yourself.
You are a rare gift to this world, Dr. Mazda.
May you continue your beautiful work with grace, courage, and kindness.
And above all, may you always hold fast to the gentle power of your humanity.
God bless you always,
Andrea
I always enjoy reading your articles.. Beautiful,thought provoking , humorous and also knowledgeable..
Always looking forward for the articles..
Thank you
Warm Regards
Uma Prabhu
God bless you. Firoza and Zinoo Master Mani mami’s brother and your former patient
Beautiful parallels with Kashmir. The metaphors you’ve used, to describe her and the procedure, paint the perfect picture.
On reading the way you amply describe the canvas you work upon, I was impishly wondering what if you were a gynaecologist instead of a neurosurgeon 😂
Trust you to turn a neurological spasm into a romantic drama and that too, with a poetic climax!
From twitch to triumph, you’ve restored not just symmetry but the sovereignty of paradise – one nerve at a time 🙃
Your depth knowledge and very firm decision is trustworthy.
You are really great Dr. Mazda.
Andrea has put it so beautifully!! You dear Mazda are a gift to this earth. Your talent, your compassion, your humane spirit strike a deep chord in the hearts of every reader!
The girl you operated upon was an ethereal beauty. But even if she hadn’t been so breathtakingly beautiful, your eyes would have found the beauty nevertheless!!
Write on! Operate on!!
Doc. You are a genius ! Congrats! One mor feather in your cap. Your poetic skills need praises too….
When are you going to see me?? Waiting for an appointment. ..
Hi Dr Mazda
In a lighter vein…
Did you miss her winks after you cured her.
Or did she ever wink at you after that ? 😁
Keep it up!
Hormaz C Daruwalla
Oh loved every word every sentence then paragraphs but then it ended very soon
You did it a marvelous job. You are a prolific writer too. Very well expressed 👏
We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Mazda for his dedication to sharing this valuable and useful information with us.
Love your comparisons and metaphors and descriptions..keep operating and keep writing..