How to Prepare for the Best Possible Recovery From Surgery

Dr. Kristina Tansavatdi | How To Prepare For the Best Recovery Before and After Surgery

Hi there, Dr. Kristina Tansavatdi here. I'm a double-board certified facial plastic surgeon. In this video, I'm going to be discussing how to prepare for your upcoming surgery in a way that you can do the appropriate things before and after surgery so you have the best result from your surgery and recover quickly. So, the first thing I want to do is divide it into two categories. One is how to focus on your mindset and your emotional well-being before surgery because let's face it- mind and body, there's a connection there, and what you can do to prepare your mindset for the surgery will really help on the backside on the recovery. Second thing is what you can do on the physical aspect for your body, so you can prepare your body for the upcoming surgery. So from an emotional standpoint, I like to send a meditation app to my patients and you can find your own way to do this, but practicing relaxation exercises through meditation whether it would be through spiritual exercises or getting in a place of deep silence. Those are all different ways to address how to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety you're going through before and after the surgery. And we know that when we can decrease the amount of stress and anxiety on the body from a mental standpoint, you are going to heal faster. The body is in an appropriate receptive mood to be able to heal fast. Visualization is another way to get through the surgery. Visualizing yourself getting to that positive goal that you're looking for at the end of the surgery will help you get through the pain, get through some of the immediate acute things that you're going to go through with the surgery. So there you have it from the emotional standpoint. Now when we go to the physical standpoint, how do you get your body in its best health before the surgery, the first thing is to eat well. Make sure you eat lots of healthy foods: a balanced diet of protein, high fiber, good amount of fats and little to no carbohydrates. That will decrease inflammation and allow you to heal faster. Second thing is to hydrate well. That means not just water but a good amount of electrolytes in the water. So if you just drink water to hydrate, you're going to be diluting your blood with lots of water that can cause more swelling actually, and that's a counterintuitive effect because people think that by adding salt in their diet, they're going to have more swelling. Actually, It's a good balance of electrolytes with a good amount of sodium potassium, magnesium, and you can add that through either vitamins or multivitamins, but make sure that it doesn't have any supplements that we worry about that could cause extra bleeding. Last thing is to get moving! So make sure you're practicing a good daily habit of exercise whether it be strength and cardio exercises, to make sure your cardiac function is at its best and your muscles are primed for the surgery itself, last but not least two things to avoid before and after surgery, and that would be drinking alcohol, that could cause dehydration. And the second is avoiding smoking at least three weeks before your surgery to optimize your vascular function before and after your surgery. Thank you so much for tuning in. For more information, please tune into our YouTube channel @facesbydrt1 where we have more videos for you to watch and at our Instagram channel @facesbydrt. Thank you for tuning in.