Whether you’ve been sidelined with a little injury or a life-threatening disease, take control of your health the best you can. Here are some things that should help you recover from surgery.
1. Start Drinking Lots of Water Right Away!
It’s the easiest way to begin flushing out the toxic anesthesia that made your surgery possible. If there was ever a time you needed to be drinking your 8-12 cups of water every day, this is it! I drank about 6-8 cups before I ate any solid food after my most recent surgery, and would recommend that for others. Then keep drinking several cups of water in between meals.
2. Load Up On Vitamin C.
Camu Camu Berry Powder is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
You might be craving sugary comfort food more than ever…keep your junk food and empty calorie portions small and infrequent. You got enough junk food in the hospital. Your body now needs a steady feed of fresh nutrition to help the tissue repair itself, and Vitamin C does this best. It helps build collagen, the connective tissue in skin that helps healing, scarring, and prevents blistering.
You can find it in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, & grapefruit, as well as in sweet green and red peppers, cabbage, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables, and also supplements. You may not have much, if any, of these natural foods available in the hospital. So you might arrange to have someone bring you some if you’ll be there more than a day.
We highly recommend getting your Vitamin C supplements from natural sources, rather than synthetic. Camu camu berry is probably the best source. This natural powder/supplement isn’t cheap and may take some calling around to find, but it’s worth the effort, especially post op. (I have since found some affordable Camu Camu options on Amazon and have made them available for you at the bottom of this page).
Keep in mind that with any Vita C supplement you choose, several doses of 200-500mg spread out over the course of the day is most effective as your body can’t work with higher amounts than this. Vitamin C is water soluble, as opposed to fat soluble, and therefore cannot be stored in your body. You need to obtain fresh supplies of it every single day.
3. Rebuild the Good Intestinal Bacteria.
Antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria along with the bad. The problem here is that 70% or more of your entire immune system is made up of the good bacteria in your intestines and digestive tract. So build it back up quickly with things like probiotic supplements, kefir milk, yogurt and cheese with acidophilus, and the like.
4. Green Foods & Supplements 2-3x per Day!
Dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc, are the foods you really want to make a part of every single meal. Breakfast, you ask? You can add spinach or kale to your fruit smoothie and will hardly taste it (esp. spinach). A green smoothie for breakfast (berries, banana, avocado, spinach, & water) and then a nice green salad with your lunch & dinner…and you’ve done it! Your body needs the vitamins and minerals from these green foods more during repair than any other time.
Sure, the supplements are not absolutely necessary…if you can get a high amount of raw (& steamed) green vegetables with every meal, you’ve nailed the main part of nutritional recovery. But supplements like chlorella, spirulina, wheat grass, and countless others will help speed up cell growth, give you energy, and support your immune function. Don’t feel like you have to go crazy with dozens of various supplements. But Vitamin C and a green superfood like Chlorella will definitely assist your recovery and help your body mend itself a little more quickly.
Some Additional Tips….
A. One of the best things you can do leading up to a surgery is take Zinc on a daily basis. Zinc reduces wound healing time and helps build your immune system to fight infection. Still helpful after surgery, but most effective when built up over several weeks beforehand.
B. Rest & Sunlight. Get as much deep sleep as possible…a speedy recovery is not possible without it. And a few minutes of exposure to sunlight each day will help your body produce Vitamin D which helps you absorb calcium and phosphorus.
Sometimes walking around & wiggling your fingers is all the exercise you can do. That’s okay…just be sure to do it!
C. Do the maximum amount of exercise that your doctor recommends, and no more! If you need to lay in bed all day, but can stretch your limbs, then don’t go walking around. Just lay in bed, but be sure to stretch your limbs. If he/she says you can walk around the house a couple times a day, do it, and get your rest. If you can start doing resistance exercises, jump on the opportunity. Depending on the severity of your surgery and your doctors guidelines, the amount of activity you can do will vary. But find out what you’re allowed to do, and do it so that your circulation is maximised, your tissues begin to strengthen, and mentally you get MOVING toward recovery.
D. Find things that bring you pleasure and comfort, without setting you back. Junk food brings you pleasure, but slows your progress. Finding some new peaceful songs for your iPod will bring you pleasure and help you relax. Some say music that makes you feel good even produces endorphins, the natural feel good chemicals.
Maybe you can start a journal. Write an email to a loved one. Read a book or listen to an audio book if holding the book is difficult. Admittedly, being sick and bedridden is terrible, but it may help you find some real gems through reflection, art, literature, meditation, and reflection.
So drink your water, get your vitamins and minerals at each meal, rebuild the good bacteria in your gut, don’t look to junk food for comfort, but rather find peace and solitude and ways to grow as you go through this difficult time. And before you know it, you’ll be stronger and feeling great.
I leave you with a little quote from one who knew more about suffering than most, Anne Frank. “Think of all the beauty left around you, and be happy.”
To a speedy recovery!
– Seamless D
(Always consult your doctor or health care provider before exploring these or any other recommendations.)
Here are some resources you might find will support a speedy recovery from surgery or injury.