Surgery for Cerbral Arteriovenous Malformation Treatment in India

Pooja Nair, a 28-year-old software engineer...

Pooja Nair, a 28-year-old software engineer from Bangalore, had always been healthy and active. Her life revolved around her career and her passion for classical dance. The first sign was a sudden, excruciating headache during a team meeting, unlike any migraine she'd ever had. It was followed by a terrifying episode where her right arm went weak and her speech became slurred for a few minutes. An MRI revealed the culprit: a small but high-risk arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in her left frontal lobe. Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Kapoor, explained that while the AVM hadn't ruptured, its location and angioarchitecture made it a 'ticking time bomb.' He recommended surgical resection, detailing the risks of paralysis or speech issues versus the catastrophic risk of a major bleed. Pooja was terrified, the thought of brain surgery and potentially losing her ability to code or dance was paralyzing. The surgery was a grueling 8-hour procedure. Waking up in the ICU, her first conscious act was to wiggle the fingers of her right hand and whisper her own name, tears of relief streaming down her face. Recovery was challenging, with fatigue and headaches, but intensive physiotherapy and speech therapy helped. Six months later, with a clear follow-up angiogram, Pooja is back at work part-time and has even begun teaching dance to children. Her journey was from fearing the loss of her identity to a profound gratitude for a second chance, her anxiety replaced by a cautious but deep-seated optimism.