FAQs

Disclaimer

Important Notice

Guy Nash excludes and hereby expressly disclaims all express and implied warranties or conditions unless they are clearly stated on this site as being contractually binding on Guy Nash and so far as such exclusion is or disclaimer is permitted by law.

Access to and use of this website is provided by Guy Nash subject to the following terms and conditions:

Guy Nash reserves the right to add to or change these terms and conditions at any time by posting changes on-line and it is your responsibility to refer to and comply with these terms on accessing and using the site. Your continued use of this site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions as modified.
You acknowledge that all intellectual property rights including without limitation copyright, trademarks, design and database rights in the Guy Nash website and its contents belong to Guy Nash or are otherwise used by Guy Nash as permitted by applicable law.
Guy Nash disclaims all liability for any legal or other consequences (including infringement of third party rights) of links made to Guy Nash's website. The same applies to access to Guy Nash website material accessed through third party websites.
Guy Nash provides the material published on its website or on third party websites on the basis that it disclaims all warranties in respect of such material, whether express or implied. Guy Nash accepts no liability for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss of business, revenues or profits or damages of whatever nature arising from the publication of the material on the Guy Nash website or published on any other website.
Guy Nash endeavours to ensure that information and material on the website is correct and accurate but does not accept any liability for errors or omissions, neither does Guy Nash warrant that use of this site will be uninterrupted.
This site may be used only for lawful purposes and in a manner which does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of the website by, any third party. Guy Nash has the right to edit, refuse to post or remove any material submitted to or posted on the site. Guy Nash is not responsible for, neither does Guy Nash accept any liability for, any material posted on the website otherwise than by Guy Nash. Any opinions, advice, statements, offers or other information expressed or made available by third parties on the Guy Nash website or any third party website which uses material from the Guy Nash website are those of the third party concerned. Guy Nash neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any such third party material.
The various provisions of these terms and conditions are severable and if any provision is held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction then such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the remaining provisions.
If these terms and conditions are not accepted in full, use of this site shall be terminated immediately.
Cookies are a standard method of registering user preferences when people use websites, to ensure a better and more personalised experience. They are pieces of information stored on your computer's hard disc drive. This ensures that Guy Nash has information about you when you next visit the Guy Nash website. The cookies Guy Nash passes to you are anonymous and do not hold information on you or reveal your personal identity.
All intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyright, trademarks and database rights, in the Guy Nash website and its contents (including but not limited to text, photographs, graphics and software) are owned by Guy Nash or are otherwise used by Guy Nash as permitted by applicable law.
These terms and conditions are governed by and will be interpreted in accordance with English law and any disputes relating to these terms and conditions will be exclusively subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England.

General Wound Advice

Skin wounds are a side effect of most operations still and cause many of the symptoms and complications a surgeon will see. Surprisingly little is written about the care of wounds following surgery but early intervention or an infected wound can avoid problems later. If your wound becomes redder and more painful in the days following surgery then please contact your consultant’s secretary who may be able to arrange an early appointment in clinic. If the wound is not improving, by painlessly opening part of the wound any infection can escape and allow the wound to heal. Antibiotics can be useful if the redness is spreading and getting more tender.

Bathing and Showering

It is safe to get your wound wet with a shower a few days after your operation. However, long soaking baths should be avoided for at least three weeks as the wound will become soft and the scab may become infected. Adding salt to the bath will not help heal the wound and may make your skin dry and tight. After washing, pat the wound dry with a clean towel.

Dressings and Stitches

You should try and keep the dressings on the wound dry for two or three days. If they become dirty or start to fall off they can be removed and it is not normally necessary to cover the wound. All the original dressings should be removed on the third day. A light dressing to protect clothes from the wound may be worn. Usually the skin stitches will be under the skin and do not have to be removed. The wounds will be uncomfortable for four or five days, but after seven days most patients find they have minimal discomfort. The general wound thickening under the skin may take up to three months to resolve and the red line of the scar will usually become pale after 9 months.

Glue

For some wounds a dressing can be avoided all together by using glue which stays on the site of the cut preventing bacteria from getting under the skin edges.

See Through (Opsite) Dressings

If the dressing around the outside of your would is see-through it means it is waterproof and you can have short baths or showers from the day after
surgery.

Anaemia

Anaemia and Blood Transfusion in Cancer

Anaemia is a common complication of bowel disorders, including bowel cancers, but blood transfusions used to correct bleeding have many risks. There are many methods to reduce the need for blood transfusions including using a diathermy or harmonic scalpel (bloodless cutting instruments) and a cell saver to recycle blood.

I demonstrated during my MD thesis that stored blood stimulates cancer growth thus reduction in transfusion requirements may give long term benefits to the patient in addition to avoiding the transmission of blood borne organisms.

Patients that Should Seek Urgent Colorectal Referral

If you or your GP find the following then we would ideally see you within 2 weeks:

DEFINITE PALPABLE Rt. SIDED ABDOMINAL MASS
(consistent with involvement of the large bowel)

DEFINITE PALPABLE RECTAL MASS

UNEXPLAINED iron deficiency ANAEMIA
(Hb ≤11g/dl in men and ≤ 10g/dl in non menstruating women)

PERSISTENT (>6 wks) RECTAL BLEEDING or CHANGE IN BOWEL HABIT
(to looser stools and/or frequency)

Either 40 – 60 yrs old with rectal bleeding and change of bowel habit persisting for 6 weeks or more

Or
60 yrs or older with rectal bleeding persisting for 6 weeks or more without a change in bowel habit and without anal symptoms
Or
60 yrs or over with change in bowel habit independent of rectal bleeding, persisting for 6 weeks or more

Antibacterial Watch

Antibacterial watch

Infection is one of the biggest preventable causes of morbidity and mortality for patients and anything that comes into contact with healthcare workers may act as a vehicle to transmit this infection. The wrist watch, though useful to take patients pulse rate, may act to transmit infection or restrict thorough hand washing.

In 2007 I suggested a watch that harbours minimal bacteria as it can be washed in alcohol, has limited crevices for bacteria to hide and is made from a bacteria inhibiting material (sliver, copper and some plastics have impregnated antibacterial properties).

Example of my prototype antibacterial watch (“anti-I watch”) pat pend