Beautiful Scars

In 2004, after my mom’s retirement, she began feeling pain in her abdomen. At first, she thought it was just gas pain so she drank hot water and tea to relieve the tummy ache. Suddenly, the pain became more intense and it attacked every night. L She was brought to the Emergency Ward and underwent ultrasound, X-ray and other examinations. Guess what that doctors found out? Mom had a problem with her gallbladder. They initially thought that the organ was just inflamed but further analysis made them conclude that there was actually gallbladder stone.

“I had no hesitation to undergo surgery because the pain was unbearable already. Kung ano yung sabihin ng mga doctor na gawin ay OK na sa akin,” mom says. And so the operation pushed through and to the doctors’ and nurses’ shock and amazement, mom’s gallbladder stone turned out to be almost as big as a chicken’s egg!!!! Hahaha. Can you imagine that?? They said mom’s stone broke the record in the hospital for being the BIGGEST STONE ever removed from a patient (during that year, of course)! Wow.

Mom's Black Diamond is as big as a chicken's egg!! Whoa!!

The operation left an almost six-inch scar on my mom’s tummy. It was something physically “ugly” but mom said she had to accept it. Having that scar was the only way to remove the gallstone which was perilous to her health. Mom says, “Why do you deal with your scar throughout your life? You have to accept it. It’s a part of life.”  Mom believes that there are more beautiful things in life that we can celebrate. Sickness, ailments, diseases are part of life’s imperfection that make us stronger people.

Indeed, the scar made mom stronger through the eight months the fresh wound healed.

“During cold periods, kumikirot,” mom recalls.

The "ugly" scar on mom's tummy.. 

Part of MOVING ON are the learnings gleaned by mom from the experience. LEARNINGS make life richer and worth living. “Bawal na talaga ang sobrang alat at taba. Healthy food na lang talaga ang dapat kainin.” She regrets having eaten lots of oily, salty and meaty food during her childhood. When she was younger, my lola would always cook adobo for her baon. ALL KINDS OF ADOBO! Chicken adobo, pork adobo, palaka/frog adobo, adobong kangkong, adobong sitaw, etc! My lola cooked that because it does not easily spoil given that it was just the two of them (mom and lola) living together at that time. Little did they know about the bad effects of eating oily food most of the time. L

But PAST IS PAST and mom has suffered the consequences of such lifestyle. What’s important is that my mom already learned from her mistakes and that she stepped forward as a wiser, stronger and more “beautiful” woman, despite the “ugly” scar.

BUT I WILL NOT END THERE. Mom need not settle for that six-inch incision on her tummy. Thank goodness, there’s Contractubex Gel. Friends say it is a good product. I will recommend it to mom. J  And if you also have a physical scar, why don’t you try it out as well! True enough, there is HOPE for "ugly" scars to be beautiful. J

My strong and lovely mom.. Boldly moving on... 

Photo Credit: www.contractubex.com