Anaswara Rajan's sister Aishwarya reveals her battle with fibromyalgia

A chronic disorder that causes extreme musculoskeletal pain, sleep issues, cognitive issues and exhaustion, fibromyalgia is a condition that affects all genders and age groups. Last year, actress Priya Mohan, sister of Poornima Indrajith, revealed that she had been diagnosed with the condition. Recently, actress Anaswara Rajan's sister and influencer Aishwarya also disclosed on her social media page that she has been battling it for the past eight years.

A surgery that started everything
According to Aishwarya, her health struggles began at the young age of 16 following a complicated appendicitis surgery that left her bedridden for months. By the time she reached her early twenties and was in the fifth semester of her undergraduate degree, her condition worsened. "I reached a point where I couldn’t even bend down to wash my face or hair," she recalled. "An MRI scan revealed that my L4 and L5 discs had prolapsed and were overlapping the S1 vertebra. Sitting was out of the question. I had to attend college classes and even write my final exams standing up to cope with the pain."

When treatments fail repeatedly
In her quest for relief, Aishwarya explored allopathy, Ayurveda, and physiotherapy, but often ended up worse off. "I spent ₹1.5 lakh on an Ayurvedic treatment in Kozhikode that yielded absolutely zero results. Over the years, I encountered several doctors who dismissed my pain, pushing me into deep psychological trauma."

She particularly recalled a highly popular physiotherapist in Kochi who dismissed her condition because she was still riding a bicycle. "He told me nothing was wrong with me, ignoring the fact that I was only cycling through sheer willpower to maintain some semblance of normality. It was devastating. A subsequent MRI revealed my condition had worsened, with L3, L4, L5, and S1 all heavily prolapsed." She also shared how a particular physical therapy treatment involving heavy manual instruments left her back covered in painful blood clots and deep purple bruises without providing any relief.

A dangerous turn
Her search for a cure took a dangerous turn in September 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she sought help from a local traditional healer. "This healer claimed he could diagnose me without any scans. During one home session, he forcefully pulled and manipulated the nerves in my gluteal muscles. The pain was so agonising that I screamed and cried in terror. My mother sat beside me, weeping at my torment. Even today, I cannot run properly because of the damage that session caused to my glutes."

Living with fibromyalgia
Eventually, Aishwarya was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain. "I describe fibromyalgia as a literal sea of pain. Even my scalp, neck, and fingers hurt to the touch. In college, if a friend playfully tapped my shoulder, I would cry out in pain, and they would accuse me of overreacting because my suffering was invisible to them," she says.

Due to the trauma of her teenage appendectomy and warnings that a major spinal surgery carried a risk of leaving her in a wheelchair, she declined surgical options for both her back and her chronic nasal allergies, choosing instead to manage her body through careful lifestyle changes.

Reclaiming her narrative
The severe physical limitations forced Aishwarya to give up classical dancing, a passion that had defined much of her school and college years, causing her immense heartbreak. However, she emphasised that her decision to speak out is not about seeking pity. "I am not sharing this for sympathy. No amount of sympathy or painkillers can take my pain away. For years, my identity in many spaces was reduced to 'the girl with the back pain'. I wanted to break free from that label, share my reality, and let anyone else suffering silently know that they are not alone," she reveals.

What causes fibromyalgia?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, experts aren't sure about the causes of fibromyalgia. At times, it can be inherited as well. However, the following triggers can flare it up:
a) Changes in routine
b) Injuries
c) Illnesses
d) Stress
e) Lack of enough sleep
f) Temperature fluctuations
g) New medicines and treatments

What are the risk factors for fibromyalgia
a) Female gender
b) Adult
c) Suffering from other pain disorders
d) Family history of the disease
e) Stress

Symptoms of fibromyalgia
a) Fatigue
b) Migraines
c) Muscle aches
d) Face pain
e) Urinary urgency
f) Digestive issues
g) Mental health issues
h) Sleep disruptions