Hello Reader

I am so excited to bring you this email today. If you know anyone who is scheduled for a surgery, you're gonna want to share this email with them.

This is seriously the ultimate plan for accelerated healing. ​
And I can say this confidently because I come with evidence to back it up.

Tomorrow my husband, who will turn 39 this year, is going for his second surgery in 3 years.

In 2021, it was for an operation similar to a hip replacement to remove a bone tumor. After an injury that had not been characterized and treated properly, his body started growing bone in a spot where it's not supposed to.

After more than 3 years of chronic pain, he was finally able to go for this major operation.
At the time our daughter was 10 months old and I was in training to get my functional health coach certification.

It was also in the middle of the pandemic, at the coldest time of Alberta's winter, and we had to travel 6 hours away from home to the location where he was to be operated.

Everything about the surgery itself was very challenging.
With a 10-week period of immobilization and restricted movement, the recovery period was not any easier.

Tomorrow, Ryan is going for surgery to fix what they call the "Skier's thumb", an injury he sustained at work.

As far as the operation goes, this one should be less traumatizing on his body than the hip surgery.

But his left hand will be out of commission for 6 weeks and he will have to do some physio to recover mobility.

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Why am I telling you this?

Although it's uncommon for someone in their 30s to deal with much surgery, the probability that you will have a surgical operation doubles by the time you reach 60.

Most of us approach a surgery like bad news completely outside of our control. But today, I want to share with you a different way to deal with surgery.

When Ryan got scheduled for his hip operation, I approached it as I approached anything else: I did some research.

Looking at medical publications, I wanted to gather as much information as I could to support and accelerate healing.

Just like anything else when it comes to our health, there is a lot in our own hands to influence the outcome.

Today I will give you a quick summary of what we did in our home so you too can prepare for a surgery and approach it with confidence and peace of mind.

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A post-op plan to accelerate healing:

1. Diet

Our goal was to:
- limit inflammatory foods
- boost nutrients intake for bone health, wound healing and preserving muscle mass.

Before surgery, I created a meal plan with this focus and we stocked up our fridge, freezer and pantry to have everything available.

You can check here a list of said nutrients, together with best natural sources to include in your post-op meal plan.

A study found that quadriceps muscle volume was preserved by consuming 20 g of essential amino acids twice a day for 7 days before surgery and for 6 weeks after surgery. So we made sure Ryan started the day with a high protein meal.
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In our house, that meant steak and eggs for breakfast everyday for 10 weeks. Nothing like that to cheer up a man who had to be immobilized for so long!
To maintain a high protein diet for healing, we also supplemented with collagen and home-made bone broth.

A halved length of hospital stay and a significant reduced C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) was observed in patients supplemented with arginine, fish oil, and nucleotides for five days. So Ryan ramped up the cod liver oil, which is something we already take everyday at home anyways for brain health and lower inflammation.

Other studies provided evidence that high protein or supplementation with essential amino acid, together with favorable vitamin D and Iron status resulted in :
- shorter hospital stays
- improved mobility and decreased frailty in older patients
- maintenance of leg strength and preservation of muscle mass
- acceleration of wound healing.

Source: “Nutritional support for enhanced recovery programs in orthopedics: Future perspectives for implementing clinical practice” Nutrition Clinique et Métabolisme. Volume 33, Issue 3, September 2019, Pages 190-198

In our house, we get iron from beef liver. I love to eat it but Ryan is not a fan so he opted for freeze-dried beef liver in capsules. As for vitamin D... well the best is going out in the sun. But Ryan had his surgery at the end of January in Northern Alberta. So sunshine had to come in a pill.

For best advice on adequate dose, talk to your physician.

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2. Sleep, water, time outdoors and home arrangements

Sleep is essential in healing. We tried our best for sleep quality (challenging in a home with a 10-month baby) and duration. Ryan often had naps. It's important to get as much quality sleep as possible.

Staying hydrated with some good filtered or bottled water is key in maintaining good osmosis and nutrient flow.

Time outdoors was tricky when Ryan had surgery. It was -40 degrees celcius, sidewalks were icey. It was also difficult to get passed our stairs with the lack of mobility. It seriously affected his mood to be stuck indoors at home for weeks, not breathing fresh air.

Air quality in homes is very poor. Even though we use a purifier and keep plants, this doesn't come close to being outside.

Even if your mobility is severely restricted in post op, being able to spend time outside can make a huge difference in your mood and recovery.

Finally, depending on the layout of your house, you may want to make specific arrangements so that access to the bathroom is easier to limit movements and weight bearing.

Before the surgery, talk to your medical team to get an understanding of what the post-op phase will look like:
- how much moving/immobilization will you have to do
- how much weight bearing, will you need some equipment like walkers, canes, shower seat etc: make sure you have a prescription and info on how to rent the equipment
- what are some foods your medical team recommends to eat or to avoid

Additionally, call your health insurance prior to the operation to check what is covered and even if you can get some extra support (for example with a nurse to come help at home).

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3. Mindset and mind hacks

Our bodies have incredible healing powers. There are multiple biological processes that contribute to healing. It has been shown that people who are actively involved in their health journey and recovery have better outcomes than those who are more passive in the process.

Our ability to heal can be fully leveraged first in the mind. First with a firm belief that you, your body, has all it takes to heal and feel better, even stronger than before the surgery.

Going into the operating room with a positive mindset, believing that this is the best for you and with confidence can make a big difference in your physiological state. In a state of fear, your body will produce stress hormones that could increase general inflammation and will trigger your immune system.
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To go in positive and relaxed, use techniques before the operation: breathing, mindfulness meditation, visualization of the desired result like visualizing yourself pain-free, back on the green with a better swing than ever or finally able to take that hike that you like so much with your wife... And use them in the time leading to the surgery.

While looking for the things that were under our control when preparing for Ryan's surgery and recovery, I also found that gratitude has been shown to decrease inflammation.

To me it's fascinating to see that such a practice as actively engaging in gratitude could have this impact on our physiological state and influence our recovery.
For this, you can write daily in a journal 1 to 3 things that you are grateful for in your life, or even say it to yourself.
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If you're new to this, it can be difficult to think about things to be grateful for. It becomes easier with practice. If you feel stuck, something as simple as "I'm grateful that I woke up this morning", "I feel grateful for being alive" can be a powerful way to feel more positive.

Finally, even though it can feel terrifying, making space in your mind for the worst case scenario and taking time to process it, can make the time of your operation more peaceful.

If the absolute worst outcome of this operation was your death, what do you need to do to prepare for that too? Do you have to update your will? Should you change your estate plan? What conversations would you like to have with your closed ones? What can you do to meet this with acceptance and some comfort?

In most cases, your surgery is not a question life or death, but rather something that can fix a problem.

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4. Enlist support

This was the main weakness in our plan with Ryan's surgery. In the middle of the pandemic, and few relatives around, we did not have a lot of support.

He needed help to get up, move, eat, have his pillows adjusted, you name it. I was the only one around to do all that, plus take care of a 10-month child while I was in training.

My tip for you here is: first don't assume your spouse will do it all, have an open and honest conversation. I wasn't working full time and it was manageable for me to take care of everything, but it was also challenging. My self-care greatly suffered and as a result, I got overwhelmed at times. It's important to talk to your spouse and check with them what feels doable.

Then seek as much support as you can get. I recommend you let people around you know: people at work, at church or other communities, people in your business network, your friends and family.

You never know who may volunteer, offer some form of help or may have a professional like a nurse, a coach, or a cleaner to recommend.

A lot of people around you will be eager to help and support you in a testing time, but you can also hire professionals. Maybe you'll want to sign up for a meal subscription service or find an additional baby sitter for more child care.

I am the kind of person who has a hard time asking for help. I keep things private and I tend to take care of things by myself.
But ever since I became a parent, I have learned that it's the sure way to get overwhelmed. It's very inefficient.

I know it's vulnerable. We don't always want people around us seeing us in a position of suffering or when we feel diminished. But open up and let your friends and family know. Give them permission to help you. This will make your life a lot easier and it can be an opportunity to grow closer to others.

The evidence is loud and clear: people with a strong support network do better when ill, and live longer.

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There you have it, the ultimate plan to prepare for a surgery and accelerate healing.

Next time you have to schedule a surgery, make sure you pull up this email and use it as your roadmap to prepare and maximize your ability to recover.

If you have a surgery coming up soon and want to discuss this for a more personalized approach, please schedule a call here and I'd be happy to help!

If you know someone who has to schedule surgery soon, who may be hesitating or scared, or would benefit from having a plan in place, please forward to them this email.

Thank you.

I loved sharing all this with you. There is nothing I like more than give people the information and tips they need to be empowered.
When it comes to our health, there is much under our control and we fully take it, the results are tremendous.
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What remaining questions do you have?

I will talk to you soon. In fact I have a gift for you this week,

Cheers!

Jihane

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