May 31st, 2012

It is a sad but common fact that often people with chronic diseases can experience incontinence and Diabetes is one condition that can cause or worsen incontinence problems.

The physical reason behind this is mainly due to nerve damage where the signals sent to the brain to control or empty the bladder and bowel are not working efficiently.

Obesity is a key risk factor for Type II Diabetes and it is important to manage early signs of incontinence before the symptoms and severity increase.

Here at Fico Centre, we arrange appointments for out-patient treatments of Secca Therapy. This is a minimally invasive procedure, offered as a day case with surgeons across the UK. Please call us to discuss in further detail 0844 561 6606.

 

March 13th, 2012

Following a pregnancy, if you develop faecal/bowl control disorder, there is a good chance that you can help the symptoms with pelvic floor exercises. Many new (and older) mums experience bowel control problems, here are some questions answered below on Pelvic Floor.

What is my pelvic floor?

Your pelvic floor is a broad sling of muscles, ligaments and sheet-like tissues. It stretches from your pubic bone at the front of your body to the base of your spine at the back. If it bears weight for a long time (as it does during pregnancy), the muscles or tissues can become over-stretched and weak.

Why is my pelvic floor so important?

Your pelvic floor supports your bladder, bowel and uterus (womb). So your pelvic floor gives you control over when you empty your bladder and your bowels. Having a weak pelvic floor makes it harder for you to squeeze the muscles (sphincters) at the bottom of your bladder to stop wee escaping. You may find you accidentally leak a little wee when you cough, sneeze or exercise. This is called stress incontinence. You may find this continues after you’ve had your baby. Postnatal stress incontinence affects up to a third of all new mums.

It’s not just during pregnancy and childbirth that your pelvic floor is important. You’ll need to keep it strong for the rest of your life to guard against problems later, especially after the menopause.

Later in life, if your vaginal muscles are weak, it’s possible for your uterus to sag down and push against the walls of your vagina. This is called prolapse. It’s thought that four out of 10 women over the age of 50 have some degree of prolapse.

The good news is that you can do something about it. If you do your pelvic floor exercises every day, you’ll be guarding against problems later. If you have concerns about Bowel Incontinence, then call Karen now here at Fico Centre and she will talk you through the Secca Procedure.

 

March 2nd, 2012

At Fico Centre we are pleased to help raise awareness of Bowel Cancer & Bowel Control Disorder and offer treatment for Faecal Incontinence.

Q: How many women die from bowel cancer in the UK every year?

A: 7,501 women across the UK die from bowel cancer each year.

Bowel Cancer is the 3rd most common cause of cancer death in women in the UK – after breast and lung.

Q: What are the three most common causes of cancer death in women in the UK?

A: The three most common causes of cancer death in women in the UK are:

Breast: 12,047, Lung: 15,393 and Bowel: 7,501

Q: What is a woman’s lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer?

A: A woman’s lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer is 1 in 19. A women’s lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer is 1 in 54.

Q: Does a woman’s risk of bowel cancer increase with age?

A: Bowel cancer is the 3rd most commonly diagnosed cancer in women between the ages of 50-74 – after breast and lung cancer

It is the 2nd most commonly diagnosed cancer in women after the age of 74 – after breast cancer.

About Fico Centre

Here at Fico Centre we arrange appointments for the Secca Procedure – this is an out-patient treatment for Faecal Incontinence . It is minimally invasive, non surgical with a fast recovery time. We have consultant surgeons across the UK with whom we arrange these appointments. For further information please call us on 0844 561 6606.

Picture Credit : Armigeress, thank you.

 

 

February 28th, 2012

Here at Fico Centre we arrange appointments for the Secca Procedure- this is an out-patient treatment for Faecal Incontinence . It is minimally invasive, non surgical (no incisions) with a fast recovery time. We have consultant surgeons across the UK with whom we arrange these appointments. For further information please call us on 0844 561 6606

In clinical trials evaluating the Secca procedure, up to 84% of patients experienced a positive response to treatment. Additionally, there were fewer side effects with Secca than with surgery.

Failure to improve after this treatment does not prevent patients from having surgery or an implant at a later date. Clinical studies have shown durable improvement of symptoms over 5-years as well as significant improvement in quality-of-life scores.

Call us now to discuss appointment & treatment availability.

 

 

February 24th, 2012

How Secca Works

1. Energy is delivered to the tissue of the anal canal

2. Multiple small tissue contractions are formed

3. Anal sphincter function is significantly restored

Colon & Rectal surgeons are the primary physicians who treat BCD, patients with Bowel Control Disorder are also treated by Urogynecologists and Gastroenterologists. After diagnosis and screening your doctor will be able to recommend various treatments that should be attempted first such as fiber supplements, medication or biofeedback. If you fail these conservative measures, your doctor can recommend other options, such as the Secca procedure or surgery.

Most Secca patients start to see an improvement in 4 to 6 weeks; however, for some people the improvement may take as much as 6 months to be noticeable. Secca patients may have some discomfort for up to a week, but generally return to their normal activities within 1-2 days.

BCD is a highly treatable condition and should not be accepted as a natural side-effect of aging or childbirth. Seek help, or encourage those you know are suffering from Bowel Control Disorder, to seek help from a qualified physician.

Here at Fico Centre we arrange appointments for the Secca Procedure- this is an out-patient treatment for Faecal Incontinence . It is minimally invasive, non surgical with a fast recovery time. We have consultant surgeons across the UK with whom we arrange these appointments. For further information please call us on 0844 561 6606.

 

February 21st, 2012

About Mederi

Mederi Therapeutics manufactures and markets innovative medical devices that deliver radiofrequency energy to treat disease. Mederi Therapeutics holds over 80 patents in the use of RF energy for treatment of disease states affecting the human digestive system. The first two products — Secca, for treatment of bowel incontinence or BCD (bowel control disorder) and Stretta, for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) — have demonstrated clinical effectiveness in numerous studies. All Mederi therapies are outpatient (same day), minimally invasive (no incisions or scars) and promote rapid recovery for patients. Mederi Therapeutics is located in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Follow Mederi

Follow Mederi on Twitter @MederiNews. Keep up to date with the latest information on Secca Therapy and Stretta Therapy and the disease states they treat. If you’re interested in the conditions GERD and Bowel Control Disorder, their prevalence and treatment options, follow Mederi.

Add to the conversation and search for information using these hashtags:

#seccatherapy
#strettatherapy
#GERD
#BCD

Here at Fico Centre we manage appointments for the Secca Therapy Treatments in the UK.

Call us now on 0844 561 6606 visit http://www.ficocentre.co.uk for further information on appointments, training for surgeons and LIVE courses across the UK.

 

February 14th, 2012

Bloating, change in bowel habit, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or blood in stool

Symptoms of bowel cancer may include blood in your stools (bowel motion) or abdominal pain, the blood would usually be dark but can be bright red in colour. (Fresh, bright red blood is usually a sign of piles (haemorrhoids)). You may notice a change in your normal bowel pattern (such as diarrhoea or constipation) for no obvious reason and you might have a feeling of not having emptied your bowel properly after a bowel motion.

If you come across any of the above symptoms, please go and see your GP.

Here at Fico Centre we arrange appointments for the Secca Procedure- this is an out-patient treatment for Faecal Incontinence . It is minimally invasive, non surgical with a fast recovery time. We have consultant surgeons across the UK with whom we arrange these appointments. For further information please call us on 0844 561 6606

 

 

 

February 8th, 2012

The Secca Procedure Workshop at University College London Hospital held yesterday was well attended by 30 delegates from the UK : Exeter, Bristol, Edinburgh, Southend, London, Birmingham, Peterborough, Cardiff, Sheffield, Reading, Doncaster, Canterbury and Liverpool  and from abroad Germany, Lebannon, Switzerland, Italy.

All delegates found it to be of high value scoring 4.5 out of 5 for academic output, organisation and value.

Professor Professor S Wexner (pictured) said “There is a significant unmet need for the minimally invasive treatment of mild to moderate faecal incontinence. Radiofrequency therapy may provide a safe, effective alternative”.

Fico Centre arranges out-patient appointments of the Secca Procedure for those suffering with Faecal Incontinence. Appointments are available across the UK with dedicated surgeons.

Further Workshops will be arranged during the year, for registration please contact 0844 561 6606 for further information http://www.ficocentre.com

 

February 1st, 2012

There are numerous causes of faecal incontinence, but by far the most common, is injury sustained by the anal muscle complex during the process of child birth. This is known as obstetric injury. Other causes include trauma or accidental injury during surgery to the anal area, while drugs, neurological disorders, congenital malformation, and colorectal diseases are less frequent causes.

Most people suffering from incontinence will describe either one or a combination of the following three symptoms in varying degrees:

Faecal Urgency: Patients experience the urge to expel stool but unfortunately just cannot get to the bathroom quick enough and as a consequence suffer an accident. This form of incontinence is due to weakness or injury to the external anal sphincter muscle complex.

Passive Incontinence: In this form of incontinence patients have no urge or need to use the bathroom but are alerted to the fact that they have suffered an accident by the smell of stool. This symptom arises as a result of injury or dysfunction of the internal anal sphincter muscle.

Post-defecatory Soiling: In this case patients are ordinarily continent but following stool expulsion, there is a near constant feeling that they have not fully emptied their bowels, associated with soling of their underwear and a frequent need to return to the bathroom. This type of incontinence is caused by obstruction to the normal flow of stool to the outside, either due to abnormal anatomy, that may be correctable surgically, or due to weakness or dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscle complex.

Source : Total Health

Here at Fico Centre, we manage a treatment called Secca Therapy. This is a non surgical option for the elimination of Faecal Incontinence and is delivered by  a low level electrical stimulation to the nerves & muscles of the lower bowel and sphincters. Call us now on 0844 561 6606.

 

January 23rd, 2012

Leading up to the Bowel Cancer Awareness Campaign we will be helping raise the awareness here at Fico Centre. The health of your bowels is crucial to your well being; diet, exercise and an awareness of the diseases associated with your bowel are all important.

Taken from the Bowel Cancer UK Fact Sheet: The symptoms of bowel (colorectal) cancer can be:

• Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo

• A change in bowel habit lasting for 3 weeks or more especially to looser or runny poo

• Unexplained weight loss

• Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason

• A pain or lump in your tummy

People with bowel cancer may experience one, some, all of the above or no symptoms at all. Remember, people with these symptoms will mostly not have bowel cancer, but now you are aware of the facts…

Here at Fico Centre, we know a lot about Bowels and arrange out patient appointments for the Secca Treatment for Faecal Incontinence.

The Secca procedure involves delivery of radiofrequency energy to the muscles of the anal canal, which results in a change in tissue compliance and corresponding improvement in incontinence symptoms.

This outpatient procedure takes approximately 60 minutes and is performed in an endoscopy suite or ambulatory surgery unit with the patient sedated.

Patients go home approximately 1-2 hours after the procedure and typically resume normal activities within several days.

Call us for more information on 0844 561 6606 and speak with Karen and check out our website here