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IT’S TIME TO SEE A SURGEON WHEN….
BY CONOR MAGEE MD FRCS, CONSULTANT SURGEON
Let’s be honest, nobody truly wants to see a surgeon
(notwithstanding the hordes of young women from California
who consider a visit to a plastic surgeon as a rite of passage!).
Seeing a surgeon means you may need an operation; it may
mean the surgeon giving you bad news. These things can
be frightening but often the fear is completely unfounded-
remember, the job of a surgeon is to make things better, to put
right what may have gone wrong with your body. Contrary to
popular belief, the surgeon of today will only offer you surgery
if they believe it is the best option for you. The days of a surgeon
(or any doctor) treating you without discussion of the risks and
benefits and without your consent are thankfully long gone.
You will know your body better than anybody- I may know the
details, the anatomy and the physiology, but you know “You”.
Most patients will know when something isn’t right - we have
all had days when we are unwell and just not ourselves. These
usually pass without incident and we return to our normal selves
- but there are symptoms that persist and that aren’t right.
There are certain “red flag” symptoms that surgeons need to be
made aware of - these symptoms need further investigation.
Most of the time these symptoms turn out to have an innocent
cause but on occasion we find serious conditions that need
further treatment.
The greatest concern for patients and their surgeon is whether
the symptoms are from a cancer. Let me reassure you - most of
the time there is no cancer. But it is essential that symptoms are
investigated because the earlier we diagnose a cancer the better
the chances of curing it. The longer it takes to diagnose, the more
radical the treatment needed and sometimes it will be too late.
Remember how patients know their body better than anyone?
The person who knows almost as much will be their spouse
or partner. It is so important to talk to each other if you think
something is wrong- and this applies particularly to men.
As a gender, we as men are useless at discussing our health and
emotional lives - how often is it down to our partners to remind
us to go to the dentist or the optician or our GP health check?
We often keep things to ourselves until it’s too late or a crisis
point is reached - so I say to the ladies out there watch out for
these red flag symptoms, especially if he mentions it in passing,
it’s likely he has been having these symptoms for longer than
you think.
The symptoms to watch out for are as follows:
1. Food or fluids sticking in your gullet after swallowing
2. Pain on swallowing
3. New onset heartburn or indigestion in the over 50s
4. Unexplained vomiting or vomiting of blood or what looks
like coffee grounds
5. Unexplained weight loss especially with back pain or
abdominal pain
6. Changes in your bowel habit- especially if you have new
loose motions or alternating constipation and diarrhoea
7. A feeling that you haven’t opened your bowels fully despite
passing motions
8. Any bleeding from the back passage or passage of mucus
You may be reading this list thinking - I have that. You may be
hoping that it goes away - but if it hasn’t please do two things.
Firstly, talk to someone (a problem shared is truly a problem
halved) and then make an appointment to see somebody.
Everyone, of those symptoms has an innocent cause - but if
further tests are needed the sooner the better.
Far too often I am faced with patients who have known about
their symptoms and kept them hidden because they didn’t want
to burden their family with worry or were simply frightened to
seek help. It is devastating to tell them there is nothing that can
be done. It is devastating to hear the words “If only we had done
something sooner”.
Hopefully after reading this - it won’t be “If only...” but instead
“I’m so thankful I told someone early”.
Mr Magee operates at Spire Murrayfield Hospital and can be
contacted there. He can be followed on Twitter @mageefrcs.
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