Awaiting Surgery!!

[Stircrazie]

I live in Green Bay, Wi
I was lucky to find a local doctor (Dr. Weinshel at Aurora Baycare) who performs ADR surgery. They convinced Pekin Ins. to approve ADR. I have not been able to work for 2-3 months and I am looking forward to recovery. My Docs have been very helpful but as a cyclist I know that diet is very important to recovery before and after any event. What I am looking for is advise as to what I should avoid and what I should have before and after surgery. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[annapurna]

Above all, stay as active as you can. You might need to look for low impact exercise like swimming and water walking but do as much as you're able. If you look over the reports here and other places it's pretty much universally true that the better shape you're in going into surgery (both physical and mental fitness), the better your recovery will be.

I'd suggest looking over the travel assistance threads as well. The suggestions there would also prompt ideas about how you might want to move things around your home to make your recovery easier. I know we reorganized the home prior to each surgery to make food and other necessities easier to grab for the recovering patient. Basically, look at everything you do at home and around your neighborhood that you do often enough or with short enough notice that you couldn't ask for help and make sure you figure out a way to modify it, if needed, to do it while recovering.

If you're a dedicated cyclist, you're likely going to be seeking a way to get daily exercise. I know Laura's recovery was unusually fast but she was looking at ways to get a little light exercise within a week of her surgeries. She wasn't doing wind sprints on the bike trainer but she did gear way down and spin lightly fairly early in her recovery.

We were just diet typed by Dr. Hauser at Caring Medical in Chicago. I can not tell you how impressed I am with the basic idea behind his approach to diets. On the other hand, I realize that a short notice trip to Chicago is probably beyond your capabilities right now. Playing on his principles, though, I'd suggest against any major changes in diet right now if you feel healthy (other than the disk pain). If it's working for you, stay with it. If there was any simple change that we'd recommend, it would be looking at organic rather than conventional produce and foods.

[Shay]

Congratulations on your impending surgery!
What I've figured out from my many surgeries though out my life is that nutrition both before an after can make a big impact on energy levels and recovery time.
If you have a month still before surgery doing a cleanse for a few days will be helpful to your liver and kidneys and digestive system.Then, Eat VERY healthy, limited fat, flour, sugar, stick to lots of fiber, veggies and fruits. If your body is not used to this it takes a few weeks to adjust if you have time before surgery. A few days before surgery cut out all milk products and fats and sugar except for good fats like nuts and olive oil. Coconut oil, flour and sugar are great alternatives. Coconut oil and milk is a wonderful, easily digestible food, great for after surgery.
Be gentle after surgery, and stick to simple food easily digested and high in fiber. This will help your bowels get back on track faster. Say NO to alfredo pasta for the first few days, alcohol, sugar and the like.
As I suggested elsewhere aloe tablets, prunes, even metamucil will help a lot after surgery. Since your body will be doing a lot of repair work after surgery, good nutrition and lots of sleep will help. Consider bulking up Vitamins now, just increasing your Vit.C will help a lot. When I don't feel good I take 10,000 mg a day. Helps with inflammation too. Arnica before surgery, orally and after will boost your immune response. You could visit a nutritionist and have them come up with a plan for you based on your preferences and concerns. Vit. B and fish oils, calcium and D are all vital for repair work. Since our produce doesn't contain the minerals they once did it is wise to supplement and go organic like Annapurna suggested.
I make up big ol' pot of soup filled with beans and greens and spices like ginger and chills and cumin and onions and garlic (all supportive of the immune system) and freeze in serving size containers that I can pull out when I don't feel good. Tons of minerals and fiber and comforting after surgery when you don't feel like cooking. They way I won't be as tempted to reach for junk food. It's hard when in the hospital to get decent food, so plan for that ahead of time and the the first week of recovery also. Your body can focus on healing from surgery better if it doesn't have to take energy to digest heavy food that clogs up the system. Support your organs during this trama with supplements and clean food and your body will spend it's energy on healing from the surgery. Good luck!
Yona

[laid up doc]

i'll echo staying as active as you can going in - especially doing transverse abdominis and multifidis work to stabilize your spine. they will need to adjust, but i find my core strength is still great even after having an incision made in my lower abs.... but i worked my butt off pre-op. i was pretty limited in my aerobic activity (even walking/swimming).... but i did what i could.

i have done rather well post-op and i think my age combined w/ those things and my type A personality probably helped (type A combined with some methods i've learned to not expect TOO much out of myself!!)

here are some off the top of my head suggestions:

- set up things in your house so you don't have to bend over much.
- learn the "golfer's lift" - google for a picture of how to pick things up w/ your spine neutral by kicking your leg out and using the opposite arm to pick things up
- plan not to be able to drive much for the first 2-3 months
- don't be afraid to ask for help - you don't have a cast or anything to make things obvious, but people will help when asked
- stock up on food that's reasonably healthy and easy to prepare
- get a cart to tote around your groceries - you can load and unload small items at one time, but then not have to lift the whole thing
- get a grabber!!!
- if you aren't super flexible at the hips - slip on shoes are a must (i am very flexible and could put my shoes on, but most can't)
- plan for massages (and pedicures if you're also a woman!!)

good luck!!!

[Stircrazie]

Thank you all for the great info. I am attempting to stay as active as possible. I get about 5-20 minutes of time I can get up and around. I do this every hour or so if I can. I have been doing my PT exercises as often as I can too. Unfortunately the pain meds don’t work as well as I would hope. I hate to take them and really just deal with the pain that remains. I am going to be working with a Mind/Body meditation teacher to see if that helps. Luckily she is my wife’s cousin so I won’t have any out of pocket cost. (Kind of low on funds being off work as long as I have been) I will see if my insurance will cover a nutritionist. If so I will see if I can get in in time. I have been working on eliminating junk food where I can. At only 165 lbs. and 6’ tall, it is hard for me to get my mind around the idea that it really is bad for me. (My wife RALLY hates that about me. Junk food really doesn’t show on me.) I am trying to get to my pre-bike tour diet. It seems to help when recovering from the long rides. Right now I spend a lot of my time in a recliner. I do this because I can rock it forward to get out of it. It hurts less than getting off the couch. Is it better to avoid the recliner for a while after surgery? I really do not want to get stuck in it because I cannot stand.

[beaner1]

Good Luck on your surgery. I was in the best shape of my life before surgery. I am 2 weeks out and am doing o.k. I walk 3 times a day about a block a time and I will slowly increase. They say being in shape will help in recovery. Get help after and don't be afraid to ask. I am from Wisconsin also, and had my surgery in Kenosha. I had no issues with insurance.

[Stircrazie]

I keep telling my wife that I am going to need a lot of help after surgery. Unfortunately I believe her sympathy nerve fell out some time over the last 4 years. She plans on helping but I feel she thinks I am nuts when I told her I need everything to be easily accessible without bending over or reaching up too high. I think the last 2 months made things worse. The fight with the insurance REALLY stressed her out. She feels the 5 weeks it took was too long. I kept telling her that what we were doing was not the same as getting approval for fusion. OH well. At least I know I can get help from her mom and aunts. For now.

[annapurna]

As the person who helped rather than had the problem over the past few years, I can understand your wife's problem with the sympathy well running dry. Laura's ongoing knee and back problems were and are trying. Things to think about:

Set your house up right ahead of surgery and you'll minimize the help you need after surgery. The past few years I was responsible for being in Florida during every Space Shuttle launch. We couldn't change my job or stop work on Laura's failing joints so it was a matter of carefully prepping the house for her to be able to be on her own for a few weeks at a time. Do as much as you can yourself now so you know where things are and can feel calm that the stuff you need is accessible to you.

Make sure your wife has time of her own. In the worst times, not when Laura needed the most help but when she became the most afraid that the surgery wasn't going to work, she needed reassurance pretty much 24/7. Those were the times that were most draining to me.

[beaner1]

I can understand your wifes frustration. My husband underwent a 3 level fusion 3 years ago. (Payback lol j/k) It was difficult for me at times, because you feel like you are doing everything, and you are for awhile. It does get better.

I agree to having as much stuff as easily accessible as possible. It will make her and your life so much easier. As for the insurance stuff. I deal with that in my home and it is crazy frustrating. They have left me in tears a few times, but never gave up. Keep your chin up surgery is right around the corner. Good luck