Daily Health Center

Successful Surgery Preparation in 5 Steps 

About six months before my scheduled surgery, I started to “train” for it, much as I trained for wrestling matches during my athletic heyday. Here’s the 5-step plan I followed:

Step 1: Think Positive

Recovery from surgery starts in the mind. Rather than getting down, I reframed everything for myself, the same way I encourage my patients to do. I internalized the fact that the surgery would improve my quality of life, and just like my golf hero Jack Nicklaus envisioning a putt and then sinking it, I visualized a scenario of total success. I thought about coming out of surgery and walking the very first day. And that’s just what happened.

Step 2: Get Fit

Surgery recovery will go much more smoothly if you’re in good physical condition. I exercised every day, incorporating Pilates, stretching, and strength training so I would be well conditioned going into surgery and have the greatest possible chance for a successful outcome.

Step 3: Eat Right

My pre-surgery diet looked very much like my normal healthy diet of lean protein, whole grains, and lots of vegetables and fruit. I also added steamed artichokes to the menu a number of times before surgery. Surgical anesthesia can really take a toll on the liver, and artichokes are wonderful liver protectors and detoxifiers.

Step 4: Supplement Smart

My regular supplement routine consists of my daily multivitamin and mineral formula; the Awesome Foursome of CoQ10 (200 mg), broad spectrum carnitine (1 g), magnesium (200 mg), and ribose (5 g); and my anti-inflammatory supplement program that includes fish oil (2 g), bromelain (100 mg twice a day), 3 tablets of Wobenzym digestive enzymes, and nattokinase (100 mg). A couple of months before the surgery, I doubled my vitamin D intake to 10,000 IU daily to strengthen my immune system and bones.

One Week Before Surgery:

A week before the operation, I added to my regimen a whey protein shake rich by MRM (I prefer Dutch Chocolate flavor) that is rich in branched chain amino acids (leucine, valine, and isoleucine) and a medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) nutrient shake product called UltraClear MACRO by Metagenics. (Note: Metagenics products can only be obtained through a licensed practitioner. Either ask your doctor to order it for you or follow the instructions on Metagenics website to locate a practitioner in your area.) I combined MRM whey’s branched chain amino acids and UltraClear’s MCTs with 50 mg zinc a day to form a powerful therapeutic trifecta to aid in surgery recovery by boosting cellular energy production and building up my body’s levels of structural protein to speed healing.

I also stopped taking my fish oil, multivitamin/mineral complex, and nutritional anti-inflammatories a week before surgery due to the possibility of thinning my blood too much during recovery from surgery. But, my surgeon, anesthesiologist, and I agreed that I should continue with my CoQ10 right up until the surgery, and I kept taking the zinc and the shakes, too. I also continued to sleep grounded, as I do every night.

Step 5: Balance Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

Before my surgery, I also listened to The Surgery Companion, a CD program by Dr. Olga Stevko and her husband Mitchell Stevko that employs mind-body techniques used by the Mayo Clinic and other top hospitals to promote successful surgery by making patients feel more positive about surgery, reduce pain, and speed healing.

Another experience instrumental to my pre-op spiritual well-being was a surprise visit from Father Bradley Pierce, a Catholic priest who also happens to be my good friend and longtime patient. Father Brad’s simple act of praying over me gave me a sense of peace like nothing else.

The day before surgery, on June 9, I had an acupuncture session to balance my kidney, urine, and bladder chi; this technique helps counteract post-op pain. I also had a Reiki session. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. Reiki practitioners project positive energy into your body through their hands without actually touching you, the purpose being to strengthen and balance the unseen “life force energy” that flows through each of us. Many hospitals employ this technique, which aids in surgery recovery.

The Bottom Line

If you have surgery ahead, prepare yourself mentally, physically, nutritionally, and emotionally. Be a surgical warrior. The first requisite is to stay positive. Visualize a first-class, nurturing surgical team and the operation coming out perfectly. Get yourself in shape for surgery. In addition to a consistent exercise schedule, follow a healthy diet and a solid supplement program.

These steps will make your doctor’s work that much easier and dramatically speed your recovery to get you back up to optimal functioning.

>>back to Daily Health Center

-------

The whole story of my journey through hip replacement surgery appeared in the September 2010 issue of my print newsletter, Heart, Health & Nutrition.

Find me on Facebook to see pictures of my recovery from hip replacement surgery and to share what worked for you.