The time you spend recovering from surgery is stressful. You feel helpless and frustrated with your circumstances. That’s why you want to reduce your recovery period as much as possible. By healing faster from surgery, you spend less time feeling down. Here’s a guide on how to recover faster from a procedure.
Take Vitamins
Vitamins are a source of nutrition and great health. You should take them as a part of your daily health routine already. When you’re two weeks away from surgery, you should take specific ones to prepare your body. Take more Vitamin C than normal as well as Vitamin E via wheat germ. Zinc and bioflavonoids are also good for building up your strength. Zinc may upset your stomach, though. Pay attention to the Mayo Clinic’s usage guidelines.
When you’re recovering from surgery, they’re even more important. You’ll treat your body to the nutrients and supplements that it needs. Post-surgery vitamins that you should take as recommended include Vitamin K for its blood clotting benefits, arnica for its anti-inflammatory properties, and fish oil for Omega-3. Also take more Vitamin C. Research suggests that as little as 200 milligrams of consumption allowed gallbladder surgery patients to leave the hospital two days earlier.
Prevent Infection
You may not think about it this way, but your body interacts with countless harmful bacteria each day. Your surgical site is the most vulnerable part of your body during recovery. Get in the habit of washing your hands constantly. Also, you should use hand sanitizer to make sure that you don’t accidentally spread bacteria to your wound. Be sure to change the dressing on your surgical site regularly, sanitizing your hands first. Finally, cover the wound as much as you can to prevent anything from slipping through the bandages.
Stay Warm
Studies show that positivity is one of the keys to a fast recovery. The way you feel directly impacts the speed that your body heals itself. That means that you have some control over the process. Take great care of yourself to get better faster.
One of the best ways to protect your body and thereby speed up your recovery is by staying warm. You’ll sleep a lot in the days that follow your surgery. You should keep blankets nearby when you sit down. That way, you’re always ready for a power nap. You need to rest in the best conditions, which is why you should buy a warming device like the Bair Hugger. It’s one of the most therapeutic ways to keep surgical patients healthy during the recovery phase.
Move Around
You can’t sleep in a sea of blankets all the time. You’ll spend part of your recovery moving around. That’s because you must keep your blood flowing to avoid potential clotting. It’s one of the most dangerous aspects of rehabilitation. Get in the habit of walking at least once an hour to prevent clotting. Consider buying a wearable exercise device. Many of them provide automatic exercise reminders.
You want to recover as quickly as possible. Follow these steps to reduce your downtime. You’ll feel better the instant you’ve got a clean bill of health.