Help to fully Heal after surgery

[pumkin]

Hey! Could you please help me on this?

I read some old post where someone said they used your advice (from an older post) for what a person needs to do to successfully heal & heal faster from any kind of surgery.
I think this is the one?
http://www.askshelley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2504

I still can't find where that post would be, that she is mentioning. Please if you can help me find it or teach me what I would need to do in order to fully heal from a surgery that could leave scars, etc.


Also I know that no CLEANSING is advised when a body is healing from surgery. So, I guess all I can do is just eat, eat eat? (mainly healthy foods). What I am scared of is, my ACNE will probably Explode!
What can I do to prevent Acne, while also having to eat ENOUGH FOODS in order to heal my skin from a big surgery?


I would be SO happy and relieved to know this information!

Thank you Shelley,
Lots of love! xoxoxo

[shelley]

Golly, I thought I put that in the FAQ but I guess I didn't, so the message itself would have been purged by now. So here's a repeat of the info:

About a week prior to the surgery, stop all blood thinners. These include things like : garlic, ginseng, ginger, onions, cod liver oil, aspirin. If in doubt, Google the food/herb or Google "list of blood thinners" and you'll find lots of pages that mention them. This of course is to limit bleeding during the surgery. Eat a very clean diet that is mostly high-protein instead.

A few days prior and immediately afterwards, eat a VERY CLEAN high-protein, high-fat, high-iron diet. The protein shake, kefir smoothies, are highly recommended, as are liver, pate.

For quick wound healing: Supplement with most of what I call Skin Food, particularly: Vitamin C and Zinc and B vitamins (see FAQ).

Afterwards: Eat or Juice (has to be fresh for best results) pineapple OR take Bromelain supplements. Bromelain is an amazing compound with natural anti-inflammatory properties. It should reduce swelling and also aid in wound healing. If there's no risk of bleeding you can also drink ginger tea, or juice an inch of ginger along with the pineapple.

Stock up on Avocadoes - they're fantastic for Vitamin E and oils that will help the skin heal.

Cover the sutures with a compress (cloth soaked in warm water solution) of salt (preferably sea salt or kosher - dissolve in water) for about 10 minutes twice a day. This will help prevent the really hard scar tissue from forming as skin cells need sodium haluride in order to reform regular skin rather than scar tissue type skin. Once the sutures come out coat the scars with avocado mashed with an egg like a face mask.

Hope that helps!

[shelley]

okay, this is in the FAQ now under Diet Management.

[pumkin]

Wow thank you, that's wonderful Shelley.
If you don't mind, I have some more specific questions, a lot about struggling with ACNE while healing from surgery.

1. For things like garlic (and powder) and onions, does this mean I cannot cook with them or eat them at all, or I can have it sparingly? But it's only for a week I guess, so it won't be too hard to cut out.
2. For a high protein diet, how long do I keep it up for?

I am not a big MEAT eater, so I guess that will have to be increased!
I also do not have much dairy, since I get clogged up easily, and I don't want it to worsen my skin/ACNE.

3. Is it okay to stay away from dairy (for my bowels & skin's sake), except for the KEFIR, while trying to heal the skin from surgery? I think CHEESE would be the worst offender, right?

4. Since protein can be hard to digest, would it still be fine to take Dig. Enzymes, any Acid Increasers/Cleansing Drinks?

5. Lecithin (to help digest fats) is still fine to take while recovering? For HIGH FAT foods, I think of avocadoes, healthy oils, nuts, is that good enough? I can't think of other CLEAN FATS right now...!
6. If I can't eat high iron foods a lot, is supplenting with a pill just as helpful?

7. I always worry about properly eliminating what I eat, and since it's important to be on a HIGH PROTEIN diet for healing, won't it also mean LESS FIBER? because meat, eggs, dairy, etc. barely have any fiber.
Isn't enough FIBER needed to keep bowels properly eliminating everyday?

8. What is the best way to stay clean inside and ACNE FREE on outside, before and AFTER surgery if I shouldn't fast or cleanse (while healing) in case of diet cheats or something?
Can I do any Bowel or Liver Management or NO?

ooh, and Shelley what does a VERY CLEAN, Higher Protein diet usually consist of? Do you mean no excess refined Sugars basically?

I will stop now! I am so sorry to take your time. THANK YOU for being so kind, I love your sincere help!
Much love! xoxoxo

[shelley]

1. Yep! can't cook with them, just can't eat them or supplement with them. Some onions sparingly should be okay.
2. Just a week or two, and not every day - you need breaks.
3. Yes. Depends on the type of cheese. Very aged and hard (parmesan) or very holy (swiss) cheeses are easier to digest.
4. Yes, neither of those are prohibited and actually highly recommended. You don't want your digestion to have to work too hard whilst healing. You want all your energy to go towards healing, not digesting, so enzymes and acids will aid that goal.

5. Absolutely. Yes. Other clean fats: coconut oil, olive oil. Try my cleansing pasta, for instance.

6. Pills are often better when it comes to iron. I reocmmend "Now" brand's version of blood food - it has iron, B12, C and two gentle herbs to act as laxatives as iron is very constipating.

7. No, because kichadi and nuts are high in protein and fiber both. Fix kichadi, add a little chicken... very high protein and not a lot of toxic by-products. Think "rice bowl" or "burrito bowl" with basmati rice, teriyaki chicken, or salmon, or kung pao beef, or scrambled egg, and/or black beans... All high fiber and good protein. When I say high-protein I don't mean an 8 ounce steak! LOL! I mean about 4 ounces coupled with some kind of grain and/or bean. The combo of protein and grains and beans means perfect protein - all the essential amino acids.

8. Eat Kichadi or cleansing carrot salad once or twice a day.

9. You can, yes, but no herbs as most herbs are blood thinners. Just eat right, apple cider, beets, lecithin, cleansing cocktail minus the ginger, etc.

[pumkin]

Hey Shelley! Hope your day has been fun

Thank you for your assistance again, but may I ask about a sort of 'Meal Replacement' I could use that also seems to be a good source of healthy raw milk PROTEIN.
This one from Dr. Mercola http://www.mercola.com/forms/whey_healthier.htm

Because I'm worried that after a surgery I will feel too weak, to make things, and quick LIQUID MEALS would be very helpful. And something tasty (the chocolate one looks good!), as a simple PROTEIN drink and Meal Replacer.

I know you don't like protein powders and I understood why. Your wonderful protein shake is awesome, but I would also LOVE to try this one out. But only if you approve that it's SAFE to have while recovering from surgery

**Do you think this would clog me up somehow (hence ACNE!), since it does have dairy?

Love ya, Thank you so much!

[shelley]

I know people who have done really well with whey but I'm not one of them. Maybe because powders are difficult for me?

You can make a shake out of anything you can throw in the blender, and a lot of things are mighty good. My favorite is a blueberry smoothie - see Kitchen forum for recipe. But you can also blend up tomatoes and such for instance veggie soup if you have a good blender or food processor.

You need things easy to make, easy to digest, and full of nutrients. Think applesauce and other fruit sauces, hot cereals, canned soups that don't have tons of additives (Wolfgang Puck has organic versions in the regular grocery store that are mighty tasty), tapioca or rice pudding, smoothies made from fresh or frozen fruit, eggs, kefir and coconut milk, liverwurst and clean, high-quality chicken/turkey sausages, safe deli meats (turkey, roast beef without nitrates), and PIE. Fruit pies, pumpkin pie, banana cream... one slice can be the perfect meal, really!

[pumkin]

Oh cool thank you for the meal suggestions Well, oh well! I don't know if i'll have problems with the powder, but I may just go for it.


When you have time, could you please please try to answer some questions I have been worrying about, sorry!

1. Could you please tell me if it is OKAY to have a shake like this if one day my tongue is fairly coated? (While I am still in a HEALING STAGE).
***I mean if this is made from DAIRY (?), couldn't it potentially be MUCOUS FORMING/CLOGGING in some way?

2. I am also wondering, What SHOULD I DO if I happen to have a very coated tongue OR bad bloating and constipation, BOWEL ISSUES while I am healing from a SURGERY?
**It would not be wise to go on a FAST or take Laxative/Bowel Cleanser Or ENEMA, right?
What is an effective and the safe way to handle it?

3. And please, let me know, is it safe to take a DETOX BATH of any kind, when body is still surgically healing?

Thank you as always!! Hugs! xxxx

[shelley]

1. Well, it depends. Some people can get away with Kefir when coated, but for most of us Vanilla Rice Dream is a better alternative, or total avoidance of dairy apart from raw eggs and butter.

2. Pungent therapy!!! 2b. Pungent therapy plus gentle purgatives like Eater's Digest tea (peppermint/fennel), Swedish Bitters, aloe vera juice (not gel).

3. Hmmm... if the sutures are out, yes.