One day my son was doing 30kg weighted pull ups, carrying me on his back for fun and moving through life with that extraordinary physical confidence that belongs to youth. The next day he was leaning on me to walk after emergency surgery for appendicitis. Most appendix removals are relatively quick procedures, thirty to sixty minutes, with an hour or two in recovery afterwards before returning to the hospital ward.
This week, I’ve been sitting beside a hospital bed, and I’ve been reminded that health can sometimes change faster than your mind can make sense of it.
One day my son was doing 30kg weighted pull ups, carrying me on his back for fun and moving through life with that extraordinary physical confidence that belongs to youth. The next day he was leaning on me to walk after emergency surgery for appendicitis. He's now one organ lighter.
Most appendix removals are relatively quick procedures, thirty to sixty minutes, with an hour or two in recovery afterwards before returning to the hospital ward. I know the expected rhythm because when I was a junior doctor I was involved in many surgeries. My doctor brain just knows these things. So when three hours passed and my son still wasn’t back on the ward, I felt that very particular parental panic that no amount of medical training can fully alleviate. My daughter calls this my mum brain.
And when he finally came back to the ward sore and sleepy, I felt a relief so physical I could feel it in my smile.
His question to me was simple: “Why did this happen so suddenly?”
My immediate mum response was one of reassurance: "it's just one of those things, you didn't do anything to make it happen, it's not your fault."
And then I found myself thinking about four tiny letters. I-T-I-S.
Let's dive in...
Where insight becomes impact
What I’ve been looking at this week…
Appendicitis. Arthritis. Colitis. Gastritis. Sinusitis. Dermatitis. Tendonitis. Medicine adds "-itis" to the end of a word whenever inflammation is involved.
Inflammation is one of the body’s most important protective responses. It is how the immune system recognises threat, repairs damage, clears infection and starts rebuilding. You need inflammation to heal a wound, recover from exercise, fight a virus and repair after surgery.
Appendicitis is usually acute inflammation. It arrives suddenly and makes itself impossible to ignore. Often something blocks the appendix, pressure builds, bacteria multiply, blood flow becomes compromised and inflammation gathers in one small place until the body cannot ignore it. Chronic inflammation is different. It can be slower and more persistent. For one person it may settle in joints as arthritis. For another it settles in the gut as colitis or in the skin as dermatitis, For another it is the rise in fasting glucose, resting heart rate and blood pressure that suggests the system is carrying more load than it should.
The problem is not inflammation itself. The problem is whether inflammation resolves.
Acute inflammation is a response. Chronic unresolved inflammation becomes a risk.
This is where resilience steps in, the capacity your body has to handle a biological hit and recover from it. You can look strong, train hard and eat well, just like my son, and still face an acute event that stops you in your tracks.
Track it to hack it.
What I’ve been monitoring this week…
Today my son started walking after his surgery. I held him upright as we took little hospital corridor walks together.
Slow, careful and uncomfortable. Apparently too slow for the steps to be meaningful. Because my son's Garmin decided he was barely moving, his steps didn't count and so it didn't count his steps. Which was funny because I was literally walking beside him, watching the effort behind every step. We walked hundreds of steps together, yet his device only registered twenty-five.
And it reminded me of one of my favourite rules: Data from devices without context becomes misinformation.
Because if you looked only at his wearable you might conclude his recovery was poor. If you looked with your eyes you saw progress. Yesterday he needed help standing. Today he walked further. Tomorrow maybe stairs.
Some recovery journeys are measured in minute milestones, not miles.
From knowing to doing.
What this means for YOU…
For resilience and recovery, think of the 5 Rs of Repair: rest, rebuild, rhythm, respiration and return.
Rest does not mean doing nothing. It means giving the body enough sleep and stillness to allocate energy to healing.
Rebuild means protein, micronutrients, hydration and enough total food to fuel tissue repair.
Rhythm means morning light, regular meals and consistent sleep timing to restore body-clock signals.
Respiration means slow, deep, comfortable breathing because pain and fear make the body brace.
Return means progressive movement, starting with short walks and increasing gradually, rather than rushing back to old capacity.
These are the 5R's I'm using to help my son to recover. It's ordinary and deeply connecting. I’ve watched him sleep. A lot. Just watched. I've massaged his neck and feet, lifted a spoon to his mouth and felt ridiculously happy just watching him eat. I’ve stood in the sunlight with him because light is medicine for the circadian system. I’ve helped him slow his breathing because pain tightens the body, shortens the breath and keeps the nervous system on high alert. Tomorrow I’ll be back at his bedside with red light, more water, and that deep joy that comes from being able to care for your child.
If you're recovering from an -ITIS, add one practical layer: do not confuse “I feel a bit better” with “I am fully repaired.” That is where people often get caught. The first good day becomes the excuse to resume everything. This is when to watch HRV, resting heart rate, sleep and energy after exertion. If a short walk causes disproportionate fatigue, the body is still asking for recovery. If resting heart rate remains elevated, the system may still be under load. If sleep is fragmented, repair may need more support.
My son thinks he'll be back to work in a few days. I won't burst his illusion quite yet and I've still to tell him that recovery is work. Quiet, cellular, often invisible work, but work all the same.
🎯 If you'd like to make decisions with precision based on your personal data and using devices that are specific for you, then book a private consultation and let's start to decode your health.
Where you’ll find me…
Last week: I've been in hospital corridors, shifting between Doctor mode and Mum mode, with Mum mode winning every time. Being able to take care of your child, no matter how old they are, is a beautiful gift. So much of my work is about health optimisation, testing, tracking and targeting, and I believe deeply in all of that. A hospital bedside reminds you what the foundation of health is that we must never take for granted: being able to stand, walk, eat, breathe, sleep and be held by people who love you. This week: I’ll be back at my son's bedside with red light for recovery, and that deep joy that comes from being able to care for your child. Everything else...can wait.
Next week: It's June, my birthday month, which means it's the month when I dial in even deeper into my own health tests - stay tuned!
A thought to pause on…
“Strength is carrying someone you love on your back when life is easy. Love is lifting the spoon when life is not."
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead (that's 168 hours of your Million Hour life!! Dr Alka
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Take the free LQThis article is general education, not medical advice, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. If something has been going on for a while, please get it properly looked at by your own doctor.