Hi Alex & Katrina, I am forty now and looking at those facebook images that Alex did are very similar to my scars too. I have a scar across the one side of my neck where I was sham fed as a baby (before the transplant).
I then have the same scar across my stomach just above your belly button and the long scar which starts just below your arm pit on the left hand side and travel down under your breast and finishes just before my belly button.
I did have a lot of pulling pains as a child/teenager but when I stopped growing the pains lessened. On the odd occasion now if I moved suddenly in one area I feel a twinge but that hardly happens I guess just a reminder to me that they are still there!
I used to have a lot of problems swallowing and I used to have those horrid spasms not sure if they were from anxiety or what but a few years ago now a Cardio thoracic surgeon Mr Rajesh from the Heartlands Hospital (although I saw him at clinic in Hereford) said could I have a thyroid problem. So I had just had my last child and I was feeling tired etc so I went to my GP’s and had a blood test which revealed that I was indeed experiencing Hypothyroidism and I think I had been borderline with this for years! Anyway he said that an underactive thyroid can cause swallowing problems and boy since I have been taking thyroxine the swallowing difficulty has totally gone. I can eat anything now and I can eat anywhere even if I am in a hurry and eating fast I don’t have any issues. The only issue I have is the scar which is on my stomach which lies horizontal just above my belly button. When I was as thin as a rake as a child it didn’t look so bad but when you get older and it becomes a bit bumpy it looks the worst scar I have but at least it is covered up. I have to remind myself though that it was first done when I was only a few hours old and I have asked for surgery as a teenager but they said no it was more dangerous than it was worth doing ie had to learn to accept it.
Just one more point which only affects us Tofs/OA or I guess women who have had breast cancer (scars) is that I can’t wear fancy lacy underwear becomes it makes my scars itch (I asked the consultant once and he suggested special lanolin cream to put against my skin but the best idea is to not wear clothes which irritate. I bet others have had this problem too!
