It was just before the New Year that I said 2021 would be full of opportunities and challenges. And I guess, I was right! This is the story of my emergency surgery and what 

After finishing dinner with my family on January 2nd I came down with an excruciating stomach ache. At first I thought it must have been food poisoning. I’ve never had food poisoning before so I didn’t have anything to compare it to, but over the course of a few hours the pain got worse and worse to a point where it was completely unbearable. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, but this pain got to the point where I literally thought I was dying. No exaggeration. I was sweating through my clothes and I couldn’t lift my feet to put my shoes on. 

I was rushed to the hospital and after many tests and scans the doctors found that part of my intestines had twisted and I was sent straight into emergency surgery. 

My diagnosis

The doctors diagnosed me with cecal volvulus which occurs when the cecum, which is between the small bowel and colon, detaches from the abdominal wall and twists on itself. 

The doctors told me that there is no particular reason why this happened to me. One of the scary parts is that it can happen to anyone at any time. There is no food I could have eaten, exercise I could have performed or medication I could have taken to prevent it from happening.

Recovery

After my surgery I spent the next few days recovering in hospital. I am so thankful for all the amazing healthcare workers. They helped me through one of the most difficult times in my life! Due to the current pandemic I wasn’t able to have my family or friends with me in the hospital which was such a lonely experience. I owe a lot to the healthcare team who made me feel so cared for and comforted me throughout the whole process.

When I first saw the scare on my stomach I was pretty shocked as I didn’t realize how big it would be. It will definitely be a defining feature on my body for the rest of my life. At the same time, I realized that we all go through battles and we all collect scars, both physically and emotionally. It’s those battles that we go through that shape us and make us stronger. I’m going to see my scare as a reminder of how far I’ve come and the challenges I’ve faced, rather than the pain I experienced.

Starting exercise again

The good news is that I’m now firmly on the road to recovery and my doctors have given me the all clear to start some gentle exercises again. The doctors commented on how quickly I recovered from my surgery and said that it was down to how active and healthy I was before my surgery. 

It’s so important to be healthy and to make sure you exercise and take care of yourself. Beyond feeling good, staying healthy and fit gives you a much better chance of a speedy recovery if you ever get sick. When you’re fit and healthy your body has the ability to bounce back and recover much more quickly than it would otherwise.

Read: 7 clever ways to eat healthy on a tight budget

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