Dealing With Injury and Surgery
Over the past few weeks I’ve been recovering from a fairly significant operation that, while although appeared optional at the start of my diagnosis, became more and more necessary as 2020 has progressed. I have a bit of experience under the knife, having my knees operated on 3 times. I figured this time it would be similar and I’d have a smooth recovery path.
This one was different for me. As it’s been nearly 10 years since my previous operation, I’ve quickly realized that I’m unable to bounce-back as easily as I could for my previous operations. My recovery has slowed and the healing processes has been more challenging.
A few days after my operation, I realized this was going to be an uphill battle. I was naive to think that I’d be back on the exercise bike after a few days. I’m making progress, doing a “good enough” job of healing and realize that this will only be temporary. I have tried some light stretching each morning to give me a jolt of energy that helps kickstart my day.
If you’re facing an upcoming surgery or operation, or have recently had one and are “in the pit” as you go through your recovery, I’d like to offer the following advice:
Be kind to yourself and practice self-compassion. Recovery can be a long road, and while you will be at a better place at some point, that road there can be tough. Understand that others go through similar experiences, and practice self-awareness on how you and your body are feeling.
Get as much sleep as you possibly can. Studies have shown that sleep is the best way for your body to recover and heal.
Try to keep your routine but also make sure that you give some space for your body to heal. Something that I’ve found works well is to keep my regular sleep pattern. I’m an early riser and I usually spend the first hour exercising, when I can’t do that I replace it with reading and meditation (and soon hopefully light stretching!).
Be productive. I took the opportunity to for me to be on the couch & computer for many hours a day to clean up a a bunch of old documents from my computer, Dropbox and Google Drive. I find clearing “digital clutter” therapeutic and it gave me a sense of accomplishment.
Keep a positive attitude and you’ll find that your recovery process will be a bit more enjoyable, and likely will pass much more quickly!