Significant Scarring
"You have significant scarring" said the GP to me a few weeks ago as they wrestled with the tissues in my arm, a scalpel scrapping away at the tissues. I nodded sighing out as I said, "yes I expect so." At this point in my life, I have quite the collection of scars. Even when I am careful scars seem to magically find me. Most are from operations now at this point though rather than the ridiculous number of accidents I've had.
Having a chronic condition that you only get diagnosed in your early 40s is quite a thing. My mind is blown pretty much every day as I learn about my body and my condition. With hEDS, the tissues are a little weak, a little lax, not so very tough. It takes time to heal and the tissues are a little melty. At my meds diagnosis appointment the doctor's ears perked up when I mentioned my collection of scars. "Would you mind if I took a look please?"
A slow striptease of scars commenced. I have so so many of them. I also have strechmarks which appeared when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I never much gave them much notice. But add them all together and the diagnosis was becoming inevitable.
"You have significant scarring."
Lorraine's List of Scars
1. Hands - I have scars from insect bites and from a Chupa Chups indident. Yes, you read that right. Long story but the lollypop stick stabbed me skin on my finger and I bled all over the shop's supply. Nice.
2. Arm - I have a huge keloid scar on my arm from a steam burn. The amount of bio oil I have used in my life is ridiculous.
3. Abdomen - Having had quite a lot of key hole abdominal surgery I have wafer material type scarring. The doctor called it "cigerette paper" scarring.
4. Knee - the one time at an office job, the key in the under desk drawer pedestal was protruding and I swivelled my chair around and out and managed to deeply rip the skin. Another visit to first aid and another entry in the Work accident book for me.
5. Shin - Laser quest Brighton circa 1993, feel down some steps because it was dark and to this day I have a raised surface.
6. Ankles - OMG at this point am sure it is pure scar tissue holding my ankles together at this point.
7. Feet - I had a suspicious mole removed but the scarring went tough mostly because the stitches were taken out too soon and even the nurses could see the cut would split open and yes it did. It was squelchy moist for ages and healing like an internal zip.
Surgical Scars
These are simply the external scars and there are a plethora more internally. Every moment of tissue causes micro tears and scarring. Too often and too much with too much load and BAM stiffer and stiffer tissues. Reduced blood flow, less oxygen then gets to the tissues and things get tighter and hurt to even sleep. So in surgeries the medical team needs to be mindful of using different stiches, lengthen healing time and consider using a multilayer closure techniques. I had strips and plaster and bandage recently on my arm.
Sight Scarring Solutions
However the stiff scarring can be beneficial. After all that is what the laser surgery in my eye did. The tissue was scarred on purpose in my eye to make a scaffold so that the rip would be contained and seal. This procedure is called laser retinopexy.
To live spontaneously is hard because at the back of my mind, I know that I can scar far to easily.
Caring for Scars
I have, over the many decades, come up with my little short list of what I do to care for my scars.
