Marisa 'eM' Louw

  Soos gepubliseer in die Parys Gazette op 12 November 2020 Novembermaand staan ook bekend as Movember omdat mans aangemoedig word om ‘n snor te groei ter bewusmaking van gesondheidsprobleme wat mans beïnvloed, soos byvoorbeeld prostaatkanker. Dr Rudolph van Wyk, ‘n gesondheidspraktisyn in Parys beskryf die prostaat as “'n klier wat net onder die blaas sit en waarvaan die funksie is om voedingstowwe aan sperms te verskaf wat deel uitmaak van die semen.” Volgens Dr Van Wyk is prostaatkanker ‘n stadig-groeiende kanker en daarom is dit belangrik om jaarliks te toets daarvoor as jy oor 40 is. Die toets vir prostaatkanker is ‘n bloedtoets wat die vlakke van prostaat spesifieke antigeen (PSA) toets. Die prostaat is die enigste klier in die liggaam wat PSA afskei en daarom het vrouens geen PSA nie. Alhoewel ‘n rektale ondesoek dikwels saam met die bloedtoets gedoen word, is dit slegs ‘n absolute noodskaaklikheid waar daar ‘n probleem is met die urienvloei. Wat is die simptome van pro...

  When a loved one has a terminal illness, saying goodbye and letting go is never easy. During my 47 summers in this life on earth, I have had to say goodbye to so many of my furry, feathered, and scaled children that I lost count. Some got their angel wings due to fatal accidents, others because of illness, and some of old-age. One would think that it becomes easier with time, but it never does. It is a blessing that I have not yet experienced the heartache of watching a human soul mate or family member close to me fading away with a terminal illness. But I have endured it with my animal children, and the pain and sadness are just as real because the love I have for them is no different than the love I have for my human significant other, family, and friends. Lady Jane was a Toypom puppy who slipped off the basin when I washed her bum, and her tiny body was limp and lifeless. My boyfriend at the time worked as a volunteer firefighter, and my first reaction was to call the first re...

  First published in Parys Gazette on 29 October 2020 October is breast cancer awareness month, and in today's article, I will be writing about the different surgical options that are available to breast cancer patients to remove a tumour. Being diagnosed with breast cancer does not automatically mean you will require a mastectomy. A mastectomy is the total removal of the breast organ on one side, and a bilateral mastectomy is when the surgeon removes both the breast organs. "There are certain times when one has to perform a mastectomy," explains Dr Charles Serrurier, a specialist cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon in Rosebank, Johannesburg. "If it is a large tumour or when cancer appears over large areas of the breast, a mastectomy is the best option." Figure 1 When the cancer is severe, like my own diagnoses, specialist surgeons almost always perform a mastectomy followed by immediate reconstruction. The oncology surgeon then removes the breast ...