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Home » Health & Wellness

February 10, 2021 Leave a Comment

What to Know About the Postoperative Healing Process - Pearl Recovery Retreat & Wellness

A lot of thought and preparation often goes into a planned surgery. You might spend a lot of time arranging for childcare, making sure that you have someone to drive you, and following your doctor’s instructions for preparing yourself to have surgery safely. For example, you might need to start or stop taking a particular medication, not eat after a specific time, and avoid certain foods in the days or weeks leading up to the procedure. You might think that the day of your surgery is the end of your journey, but of course, you must still go through the postoperative healing process. Here are five things to know about healing up after surgery.

Your Body’s Immediate Postoperative Healing Effects

Even before you are awake in your recovery room after your surgery, your body will be doing the work of beginning to heal. Your blood will begin to clot around your incision, and your immune system will send out white blood cells to help protect against infection. On average, it takes about six days for the incision to get through the postoperative healing process, but it begins right away, as soon as you are stitched or stapled up.

Looking at your incision site each day will help you identify any troubling signs before turning into a real problem. For example, if you notice problematic drainage, calling your doctor right away can prevent it from turning into an infection. If you are staying at a surgical recovery center, the staff can help you monitor your wound. They will know what types of drainage and appearances are standard and which could indicate a problem, so you will get the reassurance or the treatment you need faster than if you were alone at home.

Appetite Stimulation After Surgery

You probably had to fast for some time before your surgery, and you might expect to wake up ravenous. However, most of the time, people who have had surgery have a hard time with their digestion for some period. There are a few reasons for this.

  1. First, you might feel nauseous or not hungry. The medications you had during your procedure can do this to you. So can the procedure itself, depending on what part of your body was worked on.
  2. Secondly, the anesthesia can cause your digestive system to slow down substantially, leading to bloating, gas, and constipation. Getting up and moving around (more about that in a minute) can help.
  3. Finally, when you are sore from your surgery, it can be hard to get the food you want and need. To heal properly, you need to eat healthy foods. You might crave easy-to-eat foods like yogurt, soups, and small portions of chicken, eggs, fish, or roasted vegetables. Unless you have someone cooking for you, you might need to get up and prepare these foods yourself, which is problematic. If you stay at a surgery recovery center, this part of the equation will be taken care of for you. At Pearl Recovery Retreat, we have dedicated chefs who will be preparing your meals to help you heal.

Early Postoperative Physical Activity Is a Must

Even if you’ve had a knee or hip replacement surgery, you might be surprised at how quickly your nurses will be asking you to get up and move around. Yes, this can be painful, and no, they are not trying to torture you! Moving around is vital to help with blood circulation and to ward off potentially deadly complications, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Movement is a must yet challenging because it is painful, and someone else’s help is usually needed. After certain surgeries, it is tough to recuperate at home, mainly if you will be alone or have young children who do not understand that your mobility is limited. At Pearl Recovery Retreat, we have the staff available to help you to get around and to encourage you back on your feet as soon as it is safely possible for you.

Postoperative Relaxation Is Vital

Doing too much too soon is a common mistake after surgery. It is natural to feel like you need to get back to your everyday routines, but the fact is, not relaxing can extend your postoperative healing process. Your body needs to rest and get extra sleep to renew tissues that were damaged during your surgery and heal from the physical trauma.

Even if you are physically able to do your job (for example, if you work at a desk), having pain, taking medications, and feeling like you are not on your “A-game” can decrease productivity. It will be better for you and your employer, clients, and customers if you take some time to relax without working if possible.

If you are taking medications, they might have side effects that make it dangerous for you to drive, take care of young children on your own, or take on other responsibilities that generally are not a problem for you. Take your medication as prescribed, and do not try to do anything potentially dangerous while taking them. This is particularly important if you are taking muscle relaxants or narcotic pain medications.

Mental and Physical Health Are Fundamentally Linked, Equally Important

Did you know that stress, anxiety, depression, and isolation can prolong the postoperative healing process of your body and physical health overall? The mind-body connection is strong, and it is essential to take care of your mental health while recuperating from your surgery.

At Pearl Recovery Retreat, we have various treatments and therapies that are excellent for restoring mental health. For example, massage can be both relaxing and rejuvenating. Just having someone to talk to can also go a long way toward alleviating fears or helping you to feel better. Contact us to determine whether Pearl is the right place for you to be during your recovery after your surgical procedure.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Recovery

January 4, 2021 Leave a Comment

Understanding the Mind Body Connection in Healing - Pearl Recovery

Did you know that your mind has the power to influence some of your body’s physical responses? You have some voluntary or partially voluntary (such as breathing or blinking), but other responses (like beating your heart and blood pressure) are considered involuntary. The mind-body connection, however, can influence some of those processes. What does it mean for you? You might be able to achieve quicker healing after surgeries and treatments, and you might also be able to boost your overall health! Keep reading to learn more about the mind-body connection and why it is so important.

Benefits of Mind-Body Connection Exercises

Think about how you feel when you are under a lot of stress. Your heart might beat faster. You might feel a bit out of breath. You might hyperventilate, leading you to feel like you are not getting enough air. You might feel dizzy or sick to your stomach. Your blood pressure rises, and you might get a headache or hear your heart beating in your ears. When these symptoms of stress are short-term, you might feel yucky, but it is not harmful. When they are long-term, they can lead to health issues, including (but not limited to):

  • Chronic pain
  • Depression
  • Chronic headaches
  • Dental problems (from clenching your jaw)
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Heart attack

However, understanding the mind-body connection and taking advantage of it can help reduce your anxiety and stress levels. People who have harnessed the power of the mind-body connection often need less medication for pain after surgery. They might have shorter hospital stays, and they can even heal more quickly. Because this connection can boost your immune system, you might also be less likely to get sick after surgery or hospitalization. These can lead to a longer life and a higher quality life where you feel good most days.

Relaxation & Guided Imagery

Being able to relax your body through meditation, guided imagery, and other relaxation techniques can go a long way toward relieving pain, lowering your blood pressure, and making you feel better. There are many ways you can do this. If you are a newcomer just starting, listening to a recording of someone walking you through these exercises can help. If your anxiety is sky-high and you don’t have a way to listen to a guided imagery recording, you can try grounding. Rather than focusing on your pain or stress, instead:

  • Focus on identifying five things you can see around you. Look at those five things and think of adjectives to describe them.
  • Next, close your eyes and identify four sounds you can hear. Focus on those four sounds, one at a time.
  • The next step is to find three things that you can physically feel. You might feel the chair under you and the air from a fan blowing on you, for example.
  • The next sense to focus on is the smell. Can you pick out two scents?
  • Finally, look for something you can taste. Taste the cold air or your warm mug of tea.

Working through this process with the above steps can be done anywhere and can relieve stress symptoms quickly. Meditation is a way that many people use to center themselves and relax. You can meditate by merely focusing on a word or sound. When other thoughts come into your mind, they will acknowledge them and gently redirect your thoughts back to your chosen term. You can also use online recordings to help you keep your thoughts focused if you have trouble on your own. Aim for one or two minutes at a time in the beginning.

Spiritual Practices & Techniques

Many people find comfort in various types of prayer or spiritual practices. Those who believe in the power of prayer might discover that they have less pain and quicker healing after surgeries. If you are a religious member, talking to your spiritual leader about your concerns before and after your procedure can help. Having a congregation praying or lighting candles for you can also help. In many hospitals, chaplains and other religious representatives from different belief systems visit with patients and pray. Ask about this when you schedule your procedure.

Different Types of Therapy

When planning for an upcoming surgical procedure, counseling can help you manage stress and anxiety. Therapy can include meeting with a counselor one-on-one, but it can also have group therapy, music therapy, art therapy, and even animal therapy. There are many options available, and all of them can reduce your pain and speed your healing by lowering your anxiety and promoting relaxation. Physical therapies, such as massage or reiki, can also help.

Depending on your health condition and the type of procedure you are having done, massage might or might not be safe for you. Be sure to discuss this with your doctor and let your massage therapist know about any restrictions. Even having a facial or getting your hair done can help you relax and tap into the mind-body connection if you are anxious or tense. The mind-body connection is strong and can differentiate between a long, drawn-out recovery process and a shorter and less painful one.

Even though you will still have pain after your surgery, knowing how to manage your stress surrounding the pain can help you cope with it better. It can also help you to remain optimistic and to push on despite any obstacles that come up with your healing or with the process of regaining your physical strength. Talk to your healthcare providers about managing your stress and anxiety and using various mind-based therapies to control your pain.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness

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