Post-Op Recovery

Postop Recovery Starts in the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) and ends when you have successfully recovered from surgery and are again living your regular life.  The time that it takes for this to happen is variable.  Fortunately there are many things that you can do as a patient to prepare for the best recovery possible from surgery.  Some of this planning obviously starts before your surgery ever happens.  By taking control of this process you can make it easier to recover from surgery and improve your overall health and wellness.  A number of complimentary healing modalities that can be used to aid postoperative recovery are summarized below: 

Diet and Nutrition are building blocks for overall health and of particular importance when facing surgery.  Improving diet and nutrition before and around the time of surgery will increase the nutrients available for healing.

Supplements and Surgery is a complicated topic.  Many patients take supplements on a regular basis.  It is important to understand that supplements may have adverse effects on anesthesia and may cause bleeding.  We have created a list of some common supplements and the effects, both positive and negative in regard to surgery.  You may want to look at this list and discuss supplementation with your physician.

While you are in the hospital, Hospital Yoga and Hospital Qi Gong are great ways to begin to move and heal after surgery.  Ideally, you can learn the yoga sequences and poses in the weeks and months before your surgery.  Then when you arrive at the hospital you will have the confidence of knowing that you have a good healing program that can be used after the surgery.  However, even if you have just recently purchased the Hospital Yoga program, you can watch the videos on your TV or computer and gently follow along.

In addition to Yoga and Qi Gong, Meditation and Visualization are powerful techniques which can be used to help recover from surgery.  In addition to bringing peace of mind they are valuable tools which can help relieve the pain and anxiety that can be experienced after an operation.

There is a new science of Sound Therapy which uses sounds and music to have a balancing effect on the nervous system.  We have developed music that specifically influences the brain and the brainwaves to promote relaxation surrounding anesthesia, and then to promote relaxation and sleep in the hospital.  

Breathing is one of the most common therapies that is taught in the hospital.  Nearly every patient is given an incentive spirometer and taught breathing exercises after surgery.  In yoga, breathing exercises are called Pranayama.  We have developed Medical Pranayama, a series of breathing exercises which can be used by patients in the hospital.  These exercises help expand the lungs and so can help prevent areas of lung collapse after surgery.  Small areas of collapsed lung or atelectasis, a medical condition in which the lungs are not fully inflated, are conditions that can cause pneumonia after surgery.  Incentive spirometeres are designed to prevent these complications.  We teach you how to use yoga breathing techniques with the incentive spirometer to aid in your recovery.

Finally it is worth spending some time investigating the different options regarding pain control after surgery.  There are many excellent choices including regional anesthetic techniques, Intravenous pain control techniques, and oral pain medication techniques.  Often these options are combined with each other depending on the patient and the surgery.  Having some education about these topics may be helpful when you and your healthcare team create your plan for post op pain control.