Testimonials for scars

In 2002, Faye’s swift recovery changed the course of my massage career. She was my first scar patient.

At the time, I was the massage therapist and homeopath for the Oncology (cancer) department at London Bridge Hospital. A lady named Faye resigned to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair as she could not breathe properly. Her doctor thought cancer had gone to her lungs, but her tests and scans were clear. He was puzzled by her problem. She came to me for a general relaxation massage, but when she told me her story, I asked to see her mastectomy scars from surgery ten years prior. Sure enough, they had tightened and clamped down her rib cage. That’s why she could breathe.

I worked on her twice in one week. After those two sessions, Faye was out of the wheelchair, and referrals from the doctors started pouring in.

Faye’s words: “I started chemotherapy in September 2009, having been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. A month into chemo I began to have problems with my breathing. I couldn’t walk more than twenty yards without becoming breathless, almost to the point of collapse. My breathing pattern was totally erratic. I was sent for a heart and lung scan, but the scan came back normal. I then saw Andie who, after listening to my troubles, asked if she could work on my scars. She commenced deep-tissue massage, and I noticed an improvement after the first half-hour. After the second treatment, the improvement in my breathing was dramatic, and I could now inhale and exhale fully.”

Gina’s Scar in pictures

When Gina first sent me the picture of her scar, my heart dropped. It looked so painful, and she was understandably worried. But the pictures speak for themselves. I did not touch her scar. She did this herself.

“Andie Holman provided excellent care and support to me following a parathyroidectomy. The incision in my throat swelled due to an irritation and potential allergy to the sutures used. The incision opened a bit in the middle creating a more swollen and open line and I was afraid would be a large scar in a noticeable place. Andie provided calming advice and expertise and informed me about scar healing— far more than my surgeon. She told me to wait on massaging the scar until it was further along, provided expertise on the right remedies to put on the scar, and then has supported the process and helped me identify when and how to massage the scar. Thankfully the scar is now flat, smooth, and not noticeable, and continues to heal. Andie’s approach is wonderful with soothing words while being an expert with firm answers. She has a special balance of expertise with understanding the emotional toll of health challenges. Andie Holman is an extraordinary practitioner and has a great deal to offer anyone post-surgery!”

From Nicole Adams, Senior Nurse at London Bridge Hospital

“I was the Sister for the Chemotherapy Day Unit at London Bridge Hospital. Andie Holman managed our Complementary Therapies Team which provided services to our oncology patients. Andie’s success with several patients who were experiencing pain and mobility problems from their surgical scars promptly got the attention of the consultants (surgeons). They recommended that patients see her prior to their surgery in order to prepare, as that meant they would typically heal faster and suffer from fewer side effects afterward. If they did have problems, Andie could sort that out too. Andie was a valued and respected practitioner and we in the medical team were so grateful for her experience and knowledge, as were our patients!”

Sue is a vibrant, athletic woman who didn’t let her scars slow her down.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2009. As is always the case with this diagnosis, the doctors move fast, and patients are required to make some really big decisions. Given the size of my cancer, I elected to have a mastectomy together with reconstructive surgery using my own tissue. The SGAP flap operation had a 98% success rate and seemed like a really good option. But there’s a danger in statistics. I happened to be in the other 2% and had a really fraught time, including four days in intensive care, four operations, and six blood transfusions.

To think it was the chemotherapy I was most worried about!

So, I was left with no reconstructed breast and massive scarring to my breast area, a huge scar on my buttock where the donor tissue had been taken, and a graft site on my thigh to repair the skin that was taken. It was going to take a lot of work to heal from the operation and get back full mobility in my arm, shoulder, and buttock. Being a sport and fitness person, this was really important to me.

Fortunately, I met Andie, and she has taken “holistic” to a whole new level. She has given me homeopathic advice, massage, deep-scar massage, and has been a great listener. I feel very fortunate to have met her, and I question where I would be in my rehabilitation without her skill. It is a highly personal thing showing your surgical scars and allowing someone to touch them. Andie’s skill in scar healing and the benefits I gained from her understanding of this area were phenomenal.”

When I first met Eve, her scars were exquisitely painful. The lightest touch sent off electric shocks through her body. It took us some time to reduce the sensitivity, but we did.

“I was first introduced to Adrianna (Andie) Holman about eighteen months after my mastectomy. I’d also had a lumpectomy just three weeks earlier. After the mastectomy, I developed an infection that was treated by antibiotics, but it left the whole area around and below my scar tissue very tender. My surgeon recommended I try to massage the area, but I had obviously not found the right technique and was trying to avoid the very area I should have been massaging.

It was at this low point - when I found it uncomfortable to wear a bra for any length of time and still had a lot of numbness - that I met Andie. We discussed the problems I was encountering, and she advised scar massage to help the healing process and reduce tenderness. At first, I had weekly massage sessions, and she showed me how to continue the massage at home.

I saw a slow but continued improvement. I think the massage took longer to have an effect because it had been so long after the operation before I started treatment. Now, I am virtually pain-free. I have almost no numbness or hard-tissue areas, and most of the scar tissue has dissipated. Without the help and encouragement of Andie, I do not think I could have achieved so much.”

Laural was the copyeditor for my book Love Your Scar. As she was reading my work, she realized I could help her.

“In the last two-and-a-half years, I’ve had three hip surgeries, all done at the same incision site, to remove benign, recurrent tumors from the joint. After the first surgery, my scar faded to a smooth, white line. After the second surgery, however, it became puckered. In the following months, I neglected it, partly because it was a visible symbol of a recurrent disease (PVNS) that has hijacked my life. When the pain and tumors returned a third time, requiring yet another surgery, I went into denial. I focused on my rehab and ignored my increasingly ugly scar.

A month after the third surgery, Andie Holman hired me as a copyeditor for this book (Love Your Scar), and the first chapter she sent was about infections. I started editing the list of infection symptoms and suddenly realized I was experiencing a number of them! I called my doctor, who started me on antibiotics; luckily, I had Andie’s advice for taking probiotics to minimize the side effects.

Andie’s encouragement about how even my three-times-opened scar could be healed changed my perspective. I started with the visualizations; the Ray of Starlight practice was truly uplifting. I also wrote a letter to my scar in which I apologized to it for projecting all my anger and frustration over my disease upon it.

After Andie massaged my scar and pointed out spots - some of them two inches away from my incision site - where I could lavish my hip with loving self-massage daily. Thanks to her, I now have hope that if I do dry brushing, soak in bath salts, and gently work on the disturbed tissue, my scar will improve in appearance and feel - and I will no longer harbor negative emotions about it.”

Dana is a dear friend who has had more than her share of surgeries. She tells me she still uses my book regularly to keep herself flexible and healthy.

“I met Andie through a network of friends and came to know of her experience and the book she was writing about healing scars. Having been through a bilateral mastectomy and three reconstructive surgeries, I was bound up in a web of scar tissue and lymphedema. I did physical therapy and stretching, and I followed the doctor’s orders, yet I was still very tight and uncomfortable. I was excited to learn about Andie’s book so that I had techniques to loosen the scar tissue and address my discomfort.

Her book Love Your Scar was helpful for the older scars, and it prepared me for the ones to come from a laparoscopic hysterectomy. This book is a manual for preparing for surgery through nutrition, self-care, yoga, and breathing techniques. I was so grateful to have this information and the specific actions to improve mobility, range of motion, circulation, and to promote healing and overall health.

This book empowered me to take care of myself because the doctors and surgeons can only get you so far. Andie explains the physiology of the healing process in practical and understandable terms. She provides a step-by-step process to prepare and heal by coupling all of her experience in both traditional and alternative methods. Green drinks are drinks to live by! Thank you for this gift. We are our own healers.”