GOING UNDER THE KNIFE
“We’re going to have to operate.”
They’re 6 words that no-one ever wants to hear. No accountant, no musician, no dancer, no athlete, no teacher, no stay at home Mum… No-one. Because instantly, when we’re confronted with those words, our state of mind alters. A thousand questions power through our brains.
Will I live? Die? Be better? Worse? Will it affect my way of life?
No matter the nature of the surgery – it’s never an easy moment.
One question that the surgeons always focus on, but we, remarkably, tend to avoid, is, ‘is your body capable of sustaining the trauma of this operation?’ Our answer? ‘Of course!’ Right?! ‘I’m healthy! I go to the gym, eat well… I can handle anything!’ Indubitably, the power of positivity is a marvellous thing and I’m a big believer that what you put out to the Universe, comes back to you – but sometimes, we need to, not just trust our bodies, but support them.
I guess you can think of it a little like a big old eucalyptus tree. They’re strong, sturdy, resilient… But pull them out of the ground and put them in an environment that is different to what they’re used to and they wither… They may always not die – but they’re never quite the same. They’re not as vibrant… As full of life. We… our bodies, are so similar to that of an old eucalyptus tree. We operate just fine – amazingly even, until one day something needs to be changed. An organ, a limb, a tumour… Something needs to be altered, and if we’re not ready for it, recovering from that sort of trauma is so much harder.
ALL OF A SUDDEN
A friend of mine recently had a baby. The happiest moment in her life – but as it turns out, it was also the scariest. Her very long labour ended in an emergency C section. An operation that she wasn’t expecting and one that her body wasn’t prepared for. The antibiotics, high block epidural, fluids administered… Her body wasn’t prepared for any of it. Obviously, she’d taken all the right vitamins, drank lots of water through pregnancy and ate relatively well, but surgery is something that the body isn’t necessarily built to endure at a moment’s notice.
Her recovery was tough. The standard 6 weeks of tough, yes – but she also had complications with her wound and overall wellness in the midst of that recovery. When I asked her if she’d do anything differently, she said, ‘ABSOLUTELY! I would prepare myself for the possibility of surgery as well as preparing myself for giving birth. I would give my body the very best chance at recovery, for my own sake and my baby’s.’
It was then, that she asked about bone broth.
A MORE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME
Although my friend didn’t see the surgery coming – and wasn’t prepared, she was able to jump straight on to bone broth once her beautiful baby had arrived and all the trauma had passed. She now swears by it. What she learnt was that while preparation for surgery is imperative, so too is nutritional richness during recovery.
Our bodies naturally require more nutrients to be able to recover from surgery. If you are well nourished, your healing time – and the quality of that healing will improve.
As a result of the right nourishment, our bodies respond by producing new bone, blood and tissue cells after surgery. To do this, we require protein, iron, and minerals. It’s also highly recommended that we consume nutrients which reduce inflammation and avoid foods which can cause it.
‘So why bone broth? I hear you ask. ‘Can’t I just eat right and have that be it? Won’t that be enough?’ Sometimes, sure. If you eat ALL the right foods and consume enough of them, then you shouldn’t need much else – but let’s face it, that’s pretty hard to do. At the end of the day, I don’t claim to know everything about surgery – but what I DO know is that bone broth is rich in gelatines, minerals and vitamins. It’s nutrient dense, great for gut heath, works as an ant-inflammatory and is loaded with healing properties – and for me? That’s enough! I’ll take guaranteed extra nutrients over winging it any day of the week! I’ll happily load my body up with goodness in preparation for surgery and after surgery if it means I’m likely to make a faster, more successful recovery.
DAY TO DAY
So, essentially, if you’re going into surgery – or think you might do in the near future… If you’re coming out of surgery and want to be sure your body is getting all the goodness it needs – do yourself a favour and give it a go. Pour yourself a tasty, warm brothee and see what it really can do. After my own successes with illnesses and operations, I not only have it before and after surgeries, I have it every day. Why? Because, you genuinely never know what’s waiting around that proverbial corner – but also? If something offers the prospect of improving our heath and offering a better quality of life – and it offers that assistance NATURALLY and ORGANICALY, then why not? We’re only here once, after all! We might as well live our healthiest life while we’re here.
* Broth Of Life recommend the use of Bone Broth before and after surgery, but also recommend consulting your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment of any condition.
by Alison Bell