Preparing the body for surgery

[Junegoddess]

I am wanting to brainstorm ideas for how to get ready for major surgery. I want to the best I can to prevent infection and complications, and to heal quickly... so naturally I think nutrition is key. It should be a no-brainer, I guess... but every day choices don't quite measure up to optimum, even though they should.

I'm going to have a c-section. Haven't had one before, not really wanting to discuss WHY here. My doctors believe it's the best choice for me, and while I don't like it, I see their reasoning. So... now I need to get ready for it.

I already had stuff on hand to start taking in a few weeks, to prime my body for labor, or for possible induction. Something called 6 Week Formula (herbal), and I'm drinking raspberry leaf tea and nettles, and was going to take/use Evening Primrose Oil toward the end. Would any of that help? Well, probably not the EPO, but the other two... they theoretically work by tonifying the uterus. A strong uterus would heal more quickly, wouldn't it? Or would that stuff be kinda pointless?

I was also planning to start blitzing with probiotics. I could only afford so much of the good stuff, so I've saved it for the end, hoping to pass on really good flora to the baby. Not gonna be able to do that now. Any ideas on how to make up for that? I've never figured out a good way to get probiotics in a little baby before. Dip a nipple in powder?

Would really high doses of CLO right before (and after) the surgery help with healing? Any other stuff that would help? I know zinc is important for wound healing... and vitamin C...

I'll be on just liquids for the first 24 hours or so, which just kills me. I've always been SO hungry after birth before, but apparently that part is really important. The bowels have to restart before anything real can be digested. I was already planning on arranging food from home while I'm in the hospital... so I'm thinking homemade broth in large quantity. That counts as a clear liquid, right? Apparently so does Jell-o, but... ick. What else might I include?

I've got a little over 2 months to stock the freezer.

[Cristiaz]

Most people take the homeopathic arnica right before and after surgeries, no matter what kind of surgery. Surgeries cause lots of inflammation in the body and the arnica is GREAT for inflammation. Also homeopathics are safe to take while pregnant, nursing, etc. CLO, and proper nutrition always help the body heal faster!

[mum4boys]

Originally Posted by Junegoddess

I'll be on just liquids for the first 24 hours or so, which just kills me. I've always been SO hungry after birth before, but apparently that part is really important.

I have had 5 c-sections. You really will not be on just liquids for the first 24 hours it ends up being less time then that. Normally the next morning you will be allowed the liquid tray which includes such yummy things like broth and jello (before that you are allowed anything you want to drink like water or juice) if you hold that down then you can have solids. So if you have your c-section at 1 pm it will be less then 24 hours before you eat again. Do not worry about being hungry. You will not be. It is not like giving birth...it is like having abdominal surgery (which it is) so it is closer to having your appendix out except you get a great door prize a baby!

Besides eating healthy exercise is really important in your recovery time. Good luck.

[Panserbjorne]

I have a homeopathic trauma remedy that is excellent for surgery. I'd be happy to share if you are interested.

Beyond that I would make sure that I had plenty of healthy fats (and fat soluble vitamins!), an adequate zinc store (for cellular repair) and plenty of minerals (ie: bone broth)

I usually have mamas make a probiotic paste for their nipples, but you can also dip a finger in it if it's a powder.

*I* would add alfalfa to your herbal infusions.

Gelatin would be a great idea IMO. You can certainly make jello!

Dont' know if that was helpful, you seem to have a great handle on this already. Best of luck and have a great birth!

[Junegoddess]

I would love to know more about your homeopathic trauma remedy. I am fairly sure I took arnica after my last son's birth, and I still felt like I'd been hit by a truck, so I wasn't too impressed. There was a lot going on, though, including a smallish hemorrhage.

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

Beyond that I would make sure that I had plenty of healthy fats (and fat soluble vitamins!), an adequate zinc store (for cellular repair) and plenty of minerals (ie: bone broth)

Ok... I'm generally pretty awesome on fats, and take a decent dose of CLO, not huge though. Maybe I should go huge. Zinc... I'm still low-ish on. My guts are mostly healed after two years gluten-free, but I seem to still have absorption issues with magnesium and zinc. I've been taking a zinc supplement... perhaps it's time to retest with the zinc liquid to see how I'm doing? If I'm still low... what's a truly fabulous supplement? Aren't raw oysters a really good food source? Like, one of the best? If so... does it matter if they come from the Gulf of Mexico? I live in South Texas, so our fresh oysters are from the Gulf, which I've read mixed reports about. Some say they are high in mercury. Others say all that's been cleaned up now. I have no idea. I loooooooooove raw oysters and ate quite a lot early in my pregnancy, before I found out about the possible mercury issue.

I usually have mamas make a probiotic paste for their nipples, but you can also dip a finger in it if it's a powder.

Like just probiotic powder and water? That's easy... sheesh. Once a day? Twice? I have fought the yeastie beastie with tiny babies... and I have spent months wondering about food allergies amid colicky screaming... I so don't want to go there again. I want a happy baby with a happy gut!

*I* would add alfalfa to your herbal infusions.

Why? What's it got that's special? I know it's a common ingredient, but so is oat straw, which I can't have due to possible gluten contamination (never would have believed it until I started having weird explainable reactions while drinking tea with oat straw in it)

If I seem like I have a great handle on it, it's all an act. I just like to distract myself from stressful things by making lists and plans.

[Panserbjorne]

Alfalfa is high in vitamin K and iron. Good things to have in your body prior to and post delivery IMO. Granted it's K1 not K2, but still very worth it.

I have NEVER heard of or seen gluten cross contamination issues with oatstraw! I'm shocked. Good to know though. Wow. That's always written off an being totally safe and that's been my experience too. I'm filing this in my brain.

Probiotic paste is super easy. You can use water or breastmilk and just mix it up. Easy peasy. A couple of times a day is usually a good bet I think.

Sorry about your last experience with arnica. I prefer bellis post delivery (or for any female organ related trauma) but arnica should still have brought relief. Unfortunately you have to dose it properly to really see a shift (and I'm so not blaming you!) It needs to be used often after something like that and that's hard for ANY new mama to keep up with. I have had people up walking after a c section within a few hours with no pain meds with it though. Two mamas who never took pain meds after the procedure....just needs to be in the right potency and dosing schedule. If it were me I would actually have a 1M on hand to take right after surgery and then follow with the trauma remedy.

Trauma:
calendula 3X
echinacea 3X
arnica 2C
hypericum 2C
symphytum 2C
belladonna 3C
ruta 3C

This is generally taken often. If you dont' want to mix it you can have someone do it for you or just go single remedies. If you do that I would have arnica in low and high potencies as well as hypericum.

Oh, and don't forget magnesium! NaturalCalm is something I give right after c sections. Don't know if that feels like a good option for you.

I would test for zinc for sure. Oysters are high in zinc. So are certain bodily fluids. That information in the wrong hands in dangerous. Just sayin'.

[Junegoddess]

I'm really encouraged that it might be possible for me to avoid most pain medication after the surgery. I do NOT want a sleepy baby that doesn't nurse well while we're in the hospital. If his blood sugar dips, and boy will they be checking, they'll declare him in need of sugar water or an IV or something else stupid. But I also don't want to be in pain. The chemicals in the bod from pain can suppress milk, too, I think.

I take high vitamin butter oil daily... do you think the alfalfa would still be worth it? And I've never tested anemic a day in my life. Even after my small hemorrhage after my son was born. I left the hospital with an iron level of either 11.8 or 12.8.

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

I have NEVER heard of or seen gluten cross contamination issues with oatstraw! I'm shocked. Good to know though. Wow. That's always written off an being totally safe and that's been my experience too. I'm filing this in my brain.

It may have been something else. But I don't think it was. I started drinking a tea mix with oatstraw in it and got diarrhea. Stopped drinking the tea, diarrhea went away. That's usually a food reaction for me, and I doubt there was any dairy or soy in the tea.
The reason I have to get certified GF oats for breakfast is because wheat plants sometimes infiltrate oat fields... and also because the equipment for processing the oats has often previously processed wheat. I don't see how it'd be much different with the straw part of the oats.

I am going to see if I can find a homeopath in my area who will come to the hospital to treat me. I really want someone who is NOT exhausted and in pain making the decisions and reminding me when to take what. If I leave it up to myself, it won't work.

Magnesium is a great idea. I'll make a friggin' pitcher of the stuff and have my mom and dh bring me some every time they come. It'll theoretically help me poop, too. I've yet to ever achieve that threshold... I suppose that's proof that I have a hard time absorbing it. I need to start using the magnesium oil I bought, since it bypasses the gut.

I would test for zinc for sure. Oysters are high in zinc. So are certain bodily fluids. That information in the wrong hands in dangerous. Just sayin'.

Teehee! Your secret is safe with me! I'll, erm, perhaps claim it's the prostaglandins I need? Dh already knows about that, even if he's forgotten over the years.

[Panserbjorne]

nah, you are probably good on iron and K then.

Why do you think you don't absorb mag? I think I missed that and sorry if you already said. Maybe you just have high calcium stores so you don't hit the threshold? You could also try mag phos cell salts which bypass digestion too if that's not the case.

I'm going to do some more investigating on the oatstraw issue. I'm well aware of the issues with gluten and cross-contamination (I have three dx cases of celiac in my house and many more in my extended family ) Oats are an issue because of how they are processed and where they are grown, but herbs are generally harvested and processed differently-though it would depend on who was doing it for sure. I only ever use loose herbs so that could be a difference-dunno. Of course if the tea caused a clear issue then it's best not to tempt fate! I have the exact same food reactions (yay for strong constitutions!) and that would make me think twice regardless of the claims that it's safe.

If you can get a homeopath to the hospital more the better! If you can't then you can have the remedies on hand and take them as needed. That trauma formula is low potency and can be taken often. I have personally taken it every 15 minutes or so. I just wouldn't skip the single high dose of arnica. Even a 200C would be good.

[Junegoddess]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

Why do you think you don't absorb mag? I think I missed that and sorry if you already said. Maybe you just have high calcium stores so you don't hit the threshold? You could also try mag phos cell salts which bypass digestion too if that's not the case.

Well, I'm only two years into recovery from gluten-intolerance that has probably been the root of all evil my whole life. I think my gut is fairly well-healed, but... I've not had any tests done to know for certain. And I'm still allergic to several secondary things that I'd hoped would be back on the menu by now. So... there's just the damaged gut issue that can mess with magnesium absorption. And then there's the fact that I take magnesium citrate fairly regularly, and have yet to EVER experience the bowel-loosening effect it's supposed to give. I've taken over 1500 mg in a day and still had nothing happen. I seriously doubt I have super calcium stores... after so many years of gluten-intolerance and also having not consumed "enough" calcium for most of my life, due to milk sensitivity. I am currently on Caltrate, though, as a precaution due to being on heparin during this pregnancy for a possible clotting disorder. I could back off of it, if it's interfering with my mag. If there's any chance that is the cause of my on-again, off-again horrendous constipation, I'll try anything! I've never dealt with this end of the stick before... I was always dealing with the other extreme, until I went GF.

I'm pretty sure I have 200C arnica, but I'll make sure. I really want to find a homeopath, though. It's worth pulling money out of savings. This is my last birth, ever... I need to come through healthy and sane.

[Laniemama]

I wanted to say good luck, you have some great advice! I would also recommend maybe some homemade popsicles with kefir and gelatin. Def. lots of bone broth, I would do lots of soups too for after just liquids, you know you aren't going to get anything healing from the hosp. cafeteria! Good luck!

[Junegoddess]

Originally Posted by Laniemama

I wanted to say good luck, you have some great advice! I would also recommend maybe some homemade popsicles with kefir and gelatin. Def. lots of bone broth, I would do lots of soups too for after just liquids, you know you aren't going to get anything healing from the hosp. cafeteria! Good luck!

Yup, I'm not going to get ANYTHING from the hospital cafeteria. Two reasons... one... I've had their food, down in the cafeteria, and it's HORRIBLE. Two... I am allergic to way too many things and I don't trust them to be able to figure it out. I do not care what they think of me getting my food from home. It's not negotiable.

[henny penny]

Thank you for posting this thread! My options for a vbac are sadly limited since I live in an area with a very hostile birth environment. So I may be facing a second cesarean in May. Taking notes!
eta: My first c/s was after a very long and difficult labor and I still felt very well afterwards (babies are magical that way!) and healed quickly and easily. Good Luck!

[Junegoddess]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

Sorry about your last experience with arnica. I prefer bellis post delivery (or for any female organ related trauma) but arnica should still have brought relief. Unfortunately you have to dose it properly to really see a shift (and I'm so not blaming you!) It needs to be used often after something like that and that's hard for ANY new mama to keep up with. I have had people up walking after a c section within a few hours with no pain meds with it though. Two mamas who never took pain meds after the procedure....just needs to be in the right potency and dosing schedule. If it were me I would actually have a 1M on hand to take right after surgery and then follow with the trauma remedy.

Trauma:
calendula 3X
echinacea 3X
arnica 2C
hypericum 2C
symphytum 2C
belladonna 3C
ruta 3C

This is generally taken often. If you dont' want to mix it you can have someone do it for you or just go single remedies. If you do that I would have arnica in low and high potencies as well as hypericum.

Just reviewing this as I start to feather my nest... a friend heard I was wanting homeopathic help and bought me the kit here:
http://www.homeopathykits.com/Produc...ProductCode=CK
which doesn't really have much of the stuff I needed. Lovely gesture, but... now I'm drowning in remedies, and not the right ones.
I do have belladonna 200, arnica 200, and calendula 200 from that kit. So, just the wrong potencies. What can I do about that?
And how is this mix mixed? Crushed and added to water?
How would you administer the bellis?
By "generally taken often" do you mean every 15 minutes? Hour? I'm scandalously clueless.

So far I haven't found any recommended homeopaths locally... so I may have to strike out on my own and hope to find a good one. Soooo many people think "naturopath" when I ask about a homeopath.

[Zenzero]

I know this is an old thread but hope noone minds me resurrecting it as I am due to have surgery to remove a large ovarian cyst in a couple of weeks and am looking for info on preparing for it and facilitating the best recovery possible.

I have cut out gluten (as I feel I have some problems with it), caffeine, alcohol and am trying to eat loads of good fats, bone broth, fresh veggies and red meat including liver.

I am going to the HFS today to try and get hold of the homeopathics recommended above but would be interested in anything anyone can add or indeed an update from Junegoddess on how it went.

Thanks very much!

[tanyalynn]

I'd think extra vitamin C would help healing and reduce the likelihood of infection. I buy sodium ascorbate, it's easy to dose high the way my kids and I tend to need, and it's gentle on the stomach.

[Zenzero]

Thanks Tanya! Have stocked up on C as well as the homeopathics.