Vikram Bhatt says he’s been fighting chronic illness Fibromyalgia for 18 years: ‘Want to reach out to Samantha Ruth Prabhu…’

Vikram said that at first no one was able to diagnose what was happening to him, as he and others tried to cure the ‘symptoms’ of the condition separately — depression, severe headaches etc. Vikram said he would visit the physiotherapist as well, but to no avail, as body pain continued to haunt him until a doctor friend finally diagnosed him correctly. The director said that he tries to avoid undue stress, get his 7-8 hours of sleep and doesn’t drink or smoke to avoid any kind of flare-up.

Bhatt said it was things like meditation which helped him deal with the disease better. Vikram also revealed the two poems which served as beacons of light for him during these hard times — Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s Agnipath, and Invictus, the poem that provided hope and relief to Nelson Mandela in prison.

Vikram lauded other celebrities as well who had opened up about their battles with various diseases. He lauded Deepika Padukone for speaking about depression but added that while it is important for successful people to speak up about these things, he also wanted others to follow suit so those suffering from illnesses can take heart in others’ courage.

What is Fibromyalgia?

According to Healthline, Fibromyalgia is a ‘long-term, or chronic, condition’ and causes symptoms such as ‘musculoskeletal pain or tenderness, general fatigue, lack of sleep and cognitive disturbances.’ There is no cure for it as of now, and it has been labelled as a difficult disease to diagnose since its symptoms often imitate other illnesses, leading to confusion. Lifestyle change and therapy are often cited as ways to manage the illness.