What I learned from my spinal cord injury – notes from a surgeon

SCI Care: What Really Matters

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In this inspirational episode, we have the privilege of hearing the unique patient perspective of a surgeon who operated on SCI patients prior to his own spinal injury. Mr Mohammed Belal is a consultant urologist who has treated many SCI patients during his medical career. In 2021 he had a cycling accident and sustained a spinal cord injury which saw him undergo many months of rehabilitation and treatment. He has recently returned to work as a surgeon. Here, he speaks with Dr Jane Duff, a consultant clinical psychologist at the National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and ISCoS President-Elect, Dr Ali Jamous about his journey.
A positive mental outlook has been fundamental to Mr Belal’s ongoing recovery and rehabilitation, which he categorises into three key strands: the physical, mental and spiritual. Goal setting and managing expectations have also been important, recognising that rehabilitation is an ongoing process and that new challenges will arise along the way. His experience as a surgeon has clearly helped with this in terms of his in-depth knowledge of SCI care, but also in his disciplined and driven approach to recovery. He explains that one can maintain a positive mindset by seeing challenges as problems to be solved rather than insurmountable obstacles.
“That's the beauty of about life. It's the challenges that really keep you going.”
Mr Belal also shares his honest views on the challenges of accessing community care and rehabilitation services after discharge, and the frustrations around this. He explains how clinicians can help by giving patients a sense of purpose with clear goals for rehabilitation. His own approach as a surgeon has certainly changed when it comes to understanding the profound changes and uncertainty his patients are dealing with.
“It's certainly made me a better doctor”.
This episode is a must for both SCI clinicians and patients as Mr Belal shares his vital insights and take-away messages from both sides of the experience. In particular, he highlights the importance of communication and empathy; managing acceptance and uncertainty with a positive outlook; and, crucially, holding on to gratitude and hope.

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The SCI Care: What really Matters podcast aims to provide valuable insights and the most up-to-date information for those providing care to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. The vision of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) is to "facilitate healthy and inclusive lives for people with spinal cord injury or dysfunction globally".
Partnership and collaboration are key to achieving this vision. Our episodes include expert guests, persons with lived experience and representatives from the industry supporting SCI care.
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ISCoS 2024 will take place in Antwerp, Belgium 22 - 25 September 2024
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Chapters

1. What I learned from my spinal cord injury – notes from a surgeon (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to the topic and guests (00:00:33)

3. Has your experience of having an injury changed your perspective from that you held before injury and your long career of talking with and operating on people with spinal cord? (00:01:54)

4. You have now returned to work, and so that's been a lot of learning as to how to integrate and what those changes have meant for your clinical practice. (00:03:31)

5. Can you take us through your journey? You had several landmarks along the way. Can share some of that with us? (00:04:15)

6. Within those three aspects (physical, mental and spiritual) what do you think helped you cope and adjust most to your injury? (00:07:57)

7. Were you helped by your background as a medical professional to rationalise and implement your approach to recovery? (00:13:01)

8. You also spoke about your history in terms of growing up and having to develop resilience through your early experiences, and whether that also helped shape your determination and focus. (00:13:56)

9. Thinking about the challenges since leaving hospital, how have you navigated those? What have been the greatest challenges and what has helped? (00:15:04)

10. We would like to hear your views regarding your rehab journey and your experience of the NHS rehab services versus the private sector. What message can you share about your experience of that rehabilitation journey? (00:17:07)

11. When did you decide that you wanted to go back to work and practice as a urological surgeon? (00:20:27)

12. How have you found returning to work? (00:22:23)

13. Can you tell us a bit more about the interface of how becoming a patient has influenced your clinical practice and what you would want as a take home for other clinicians from your experience? (00:25:01)

14. Overcoming the challenges of day-to-day life now. (00:33:00)

15. How do you as a urologist deal with a spinal cord injured patient now in comparison with before your injury? (00:37:09)

16. Any final take home messages that you would want the audience to appreciate, both people with lived experience and clinicians? (00:39:32)