If I’m being honest… 2025 made me a little emotional.
Not because it was easy — but because it was meaningful. This year stretched me, strengthened me, and reminded me why I chose colorectal surgery in the first place: to take care of the problems people live with quietly.
Pelvic floor symptoms. Anorectal pain. Bowel control changes. Postpartum scarring. Hemorrhoids. Skin tags. Fissures. Fistulas. The “I’m fine”, that actually isn’t fine. Even if you can’t explain clearly what the symptoms are – just a ‘something’s not right back there’ says a lot.
And yes — Tushy Touch Up™ conversations that start as a whisper and end with relief.
This blog is a quick look back at the year — the big milestones, the behind-the-scenes moments, and the “quiet wins” that matter most.
2025 Year in Review – Dr Erin King-Mullins (YouTube)
The Real Highlight of 2025: The Quiet Wins
The awards and titles are an honor — but what stays with me are the sentences patients say when something finally changes:
- “I can finally sit without pain.”
- “I’m not scared to travel anymore.”
- “I didn’t realize how much this was affecting my life.”
- “I feel like myself again.”
That’s what colorectal care is. It’s not always flashy. It’s often private. And it’s life-changing.
The Big Milestones (and Why They Matter)
I’m grateful for the professional highlights this year — not as “bragging rights,” but because they reflect responsibility, leadership, and a deeper commitment to patients.
In 2025, I was honored to:
- Accept installation in national leadership as the new President of the Society of Black Colon and Rectal Surgeons (SBCRS)
- Selected to work as a six-year term Councilor / Board Examiner with the American Board of Surgery
- Be recognized as an Atlanta Magazine Top Doctor 2025 (2 years reigning now)
- Celebrate Colorectal Wellness Center voted as a Best of Georgia 2025 winner for Surgery Practices
These recognitions aren’t paid placements or purchased awards—they’re votes of confidence from my patients and my physician peers. These moments matter because they all point back to one thing: patients deserve excellence and compassion — at the same time.
Colorectal Education Got Louder This Year (On Purpose)
One thing I’m proud of in 2025: we kept showing up with education — not fear, not shame, not “just deal with it.”
Fast Fridays (and why we do them)
Fast Fridays became our way of making tough topics feel normal.
We talked about:
- Colon cancer screening and when to schedule a colonoscopy
- Anal fissures vs. irritation that feels like fissures
- Abscesses (yes, they happen — and no, they’re not always “just hemorrhoids”)
- Fistulas and why early evaluation matters
- Pelvic floor symptoms after childbirth and over time
- Rectal pain that’s not a visible lump
- Diverticulitis and digestive flare patterns
If you’ve ever learned something from a Fast Friday and thought, “Wait… that’s me,” — that’s exactly why we keep doing it. You can find me on Tiktok at @drtushytouchup
Fecal Incontinence Is More Common Than People Think — And We’re Talking About It
One of the biggest education moments this year was my fecal incontinence patient webinar — created for people who want answers privately, without embarrassment.
Fecal incontinence (or difficulty controlling stool or gas) affects more adults than most people realize — and many suffer silently for years. The good news: there are real options.
In the webinar, we break down:
- Symptoms to watch for
- Why it happens (including postpartum changes, nerve injury, pelvic floor weakness, and more)
- Treatment pathways (conservative → advanced options)
- How therapies like Medtronic InterStimTM can help certain patients regain control
If you’ve been dealing with bowel control changes, I want you to hear this clearly:
You’re not alone. And you’re not “broken.” You just need the right evaluation and plan.
Watch the Webinar on YouTube Here
City Of Hope Cancer Center: The Work Behind The Work
For the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of serving at City of Hope Cancer Center in Atlanta, helping them build and strengthen a dedicated colorectal service line while they searched for a permanent colorectal surgeon. Even though that season of work has wrapped, the mission behind it remains deeply personal to me.
Colon cancer and rectal cancer don’t care how busy your life is. They don’t care if you’re “too young.” And they don’t wait until it’s convenient.
That’s why I’ll keep saying it (lovingly, but firmly):
Screening saves lives.
And prevention is power — especially when we can remove precancerous polyps before they become cancer.
Tushy Touch Up™: Not Vanity — Real Restorative Care
Let’s say this plainly, because it’s still misunderstood:
Tushy Touch Up™ isn’t about being “extra.” It’s about being comfortable.
For many patients, it’s restorative care after:
- Childbirth injuries (tears, episiotomies, scarring)
- Prior anorectal surgeries
- Hemorrhoids, skin tags, excess tissue
- Hygiene struggles
- Irritation, discomfort, and “I don’t feel like myself anymore”
- Confidence concerns that affect intimacy and everyday life
Every plan is individualized — because “back there” is not one-size-fits-all. My goal is always the same: comfort, confidence, and care — with medical precision.
Teaching Matters To Me (Yes, Even When The Med Students Are Dancing)
One of the best parts of 2025 was teaching — and the moments weren’t always serious.
Some days that looked like:
- medical students in clinic learning how to talk to patients with dignity and clarity
- OR lessons about technique and precision
- and yes… med students dancing in the office because we’re human and joy is allowed here too
Training the next generation matters because colorectal care needs providers who are skilled and compassionate. We can be excellent without being cold. We can be professional without being judgmental.
If 2026 Has A Theme, It’s This: Stop Carrying It Alone
If you’ve been living with symptoms quietly — pain, itching, bleeding, leakage, prolapse concerns, hygiene struggles, discomfort after childbirth, or anxiety about screenings — I hope this is the year you stop white-knuckling it.
You don’t have to “just deal with it.”
You don’t have to Google yourself into panic.
And you definitely don’t have to be embarrassed.
We evaluate. We explain. We treat.
And we do it with discretion, respect, and a real plan.
Ready to talk?
- Schedule a private consultation
- Get answers from a double board-certified colorectal surgeon in Metro Atlanta
- Leave with clarity — not confusion
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To Call and Schedule an Appointment: 770-325-2275
Colorectal Wellness Center
1275 Hwy 54 West
Suite 205
Fayetteville, GA 30214