In March 2023 I got surgery for the first time. I felt pretty prepared, considering I was a post op specialist who had been working with people after their surgeries. I'd seen people from the day after their surgery through their entire recovery, and talked with them in detail about their experience.
I knew pain would get worse around week 3, and it could take 6 months for the swelling to go away, and that the compression wear would be really annoying. I thought I knew it all.
But the reality of your own body going through something like that is, of course, different and overwhelming.
A few unexpected items became my lifesavers, so here's a list of things you might want to grab before your next surgery!
Why is surgery recovery so hard?
My surgery recovery really wasn't that bad - pretty painless and easy. I would describe it as a few weeks of fatigue despite the fact that I was just hanging around the house and napping.
The challenge is that it's 24/7, day after day.
Not being able to lift your arms, day after day.
Not being able to sleep on your side, night after night.
Even when you go in with the most preparation and best intentions, it's exhausting. Sometimes even more so when we've done our research and have an ambitious post op routine and diet planned.
Plus, if you got plastic surgery, it's hard to not look in the mirror and judge your results immediately, despite the fact that you'll carry swelling for months after your procedure and it will take a long time to see your final result. As a client of mine once said, "My post op brain likes to lie to me."
So, give yourself some grace during this time. Do the best you can, and don't worry about doing everything every day. Your body knows how to heal. Your job is just to rest and support it.
That said, here were my 4 favorite, unexpected items for post op recovery:
1. Peppermint-soaked cotton balls
The nurse in the recovery suite introduced me to these when the world was spinning as I came out of the anesthesia. It was also a lifesaver for the long, bumpy, curvy car ride home as I battled levels of car sickness I'd never known.
Take a tissue or a cotton ball and dip it in peppermint essential oil to create a natural anti-nausea tool.
Smelling peppermint helped to instantly ground me and relieve the nausea.
I kept some on hand for the next few days as post op painkillers can also have nausea as a side effect.
Simple, cheap, natural, and effective. Highly recommend!
2. Bidet
Depending on your procedure, it's likely that you'll have limited mobility after surgery.
I prepared for this by moving items out of high cabinets onto the counters where I could easily access them, and having a friend on hand to help with laundry as I couldn't move things from my top-loading washer into the dryer. I got shower wipes since I knew I wouldn't be cleared to shower for a week or two.
I didn't plan for the toilet.
Big mistake.
Turns out our ability to clean ourselves after the toilet relies on a lot of mobility, and it can be a difficult task after surgery. I'm so grateful for my bidet, I think I would have popped some stitches without it.
Another toilet pro tip - if you typically sit down to pee and you're getting a surgery where you won't be able to sit down for a while (like a Brazilian Butt Lift), or are just worried about the strain of sitting down and standing up, you can get a "female urinal device" (basically a funnel) that lets you pee standing up. Another life saver.
3. Vibration tools
As a post op massage therapist, I had the training and techniques to massage my swelling and scars. But, man, I was tired. I didn't have a lot of strength in my arms or the stamina to do a full treatment massage. What did I do instead?
Vibration massage.
Vibration can be incredibly therapeutic - research shows it helps with pain, swelling, and wound healing. Basically, the sensation of vibration distracts our nerves and overrides pain signals. It helps "shake up" the swelling to make it easier to drain away. And it stimulates local cells to speed up the healing process, helping our incisions close more quickly and repair tissue.
There's lots of vibration devices on the market. I like the Korean "facial massage" vibration tools for small areas. You just want to make sure it's clean.
I don't use it with oil or lotion. You can use the device on top of your clothes to make it easier to glide around.
The important thing to remember is that you're just trying to stimulate the surface. Don't use pressure. Don't push down. We aren't trying to dig in and break stuff up with vibration, it's just saying "hi" to the skin and waking up your cells to do what they do best.
As long as you're gentle, you can start vibration very early after surgery. I found it really relieved my soreness and helped me recover more quickly. It was a great tool to use in between my professional massages.
4. Protein shakes
You can spend a lot of time researching the ideal post op diet, and honestly, that's time well spent. Specific nutrition will give your body the building blocks it needs to repair itself and recover more quickly. Your body is doing a lot of work inside - give it the fuel it needs!
That said, I see diet as a place that people often burn themselves out. They plan so meticulously and then get exhausted with restricted eating and elaborate meal plans that they end up crashing and eating Top Ramen a week after surgery. This does more harm than if they ate sustainability in the first place. So, keep it simple and realistic.
I'm not an expert and nutrition is not in my realm of expertise, but here are the rules I followed after my surgery:
No alcohol and low sodium. We might normally get away with a little bit of these inflammatory foods, but after surgery, our bodies are very vulnerable to swelling. You'll see yourself puff up the next day if you indulge.
Take surgery supplements. I bought a bottle of pre-op and post-op supplements. It ended up being like 5 big pills a day!
Lots of protein. Your body is building scar tissue, and for that, it needs protein. I found protein shakes were really easy to prepare and drink when I didn't have much of an appetite.
The one thing I don't recommend - "lymphatic supplements." I've had a lot of clients who are concerned with swelling and end up being "lymph drops" or other supplements marketed as helping with lymphatic drainage. I don't see any research that supports these supplements, and I think it's a bit of a snake oil. Use vibration, compression, and get lymphatic massage instead.
With these tools, you can have an easier, quicker, and more comfortable recovery.
Surgery can be scary and the recovery process can be tiring. But once you're through it, it's done, and you don't have to do it again. So take some time to prepare and be patient with yourself as you heal. It will all be worth it in the end. One day, the surgery itself will just be a distant memory...
Did I forget your favorite post op tool? Let me know and I'll add it to the list!
Comments