Advice, Hints & Tips
In January 2019 I went through emergency bowel surgery for a rare condition called cecal volvulus, this left me with multiple abdominal scars and months of recovery ahead of me. It was by far the biggest challenge I have ever faced in my life, but one I am so grateful for. It allowed me to connect with and respect my body more than ever before, and learn an awful lot about myself. Here are five things I have learnt from my scar journey.
According to recently published data from the Health and Safety Executive, there are an increasingly high proportion of accidents at school, particularly amongst primary school children. Slips, trips and falls are the most common accidents, constituting 40% of all reported injuries, with incidents most likely to occur during breaktimes and PE lessons. To set your mind at ease, Kelo-Cote® scar treatment has compiled a practical guide to see your children safely through the school year.
I’m a mother to a beautiful 11 month old little sleep thief, who made her entrance into the world via a planned C-section. I had full confidence in my excellent obstetrician, however, I do understand that the final quality of my scar would depend on my care as much as her wonderful surgical expertise. My roles as an aesthetic doctor and plastic surgery trainee have placed me at a great advantage, in that I could practice scar prevention rather than scar treatment. This meant I had a tube of KELO-COTE ready and waiting for me at home!
It’s been two years since I had my life changing surgery; my breast reduction. I can’t quite believe it’s been that long already, it seems just recently I was leaving hospital and starting my new body confidence journey. It’s a topic I’m hugely passionate about as I know how much it changed me personally, and the amount of comments and questions I still receive just shows how important it is to others also. I’ve made a few videos on my breast reduction, including addressing why I got one, in-hospital diary style footage of the process, my scars, my two month post-op update, one year update, and just recently, my two year update and answering viewers FAQ’s which you can see on my YouTube channel.
Around one in every four pregnant women in the UK will deliver by Caesarean Section. They can be carried out for medical reasons, such as breech presentation, or sometimes they can be chosen for non-medical reasons. Even though it is a very common operation, it is still major surgery and lots of questions can arise for new parents and first-time mums. Helen Taylor Independent midwife (www.midwifecare.co.uk) tackles some of the most common questions women have before a c-section operation.
Surgery of any kind is a shock to the system, your body and its functionality can change completely in a matter of hours and it takes a seriously strong mindset to come to terms with it. I personally had emergency bowel surgery while travelling through The Maldives. It was completely out the blue and resulted in me having a 10 inch incision across my abdomen and months of recovery as a result. I am now officially 12 weeks post-op and feeling back to my previous self. My recovery came thick and fast, double the speed that my surgeon anticipated, and I want to share with you what I did that helped me come back stronger than before.