Surgeons consistently find patients' recovery from surgery to be superior when they take extra care of their lymphatics.
As a Lymphatic therapist and Myotherapist these are the things I would do if I was having liposuction or orthopedic surgery.
Getting your ducks in a row before your surgery is key, here are some things to do before you head off to hospital.
Diet
Try and get my diet sorted at least a few weeks out from surgery.
Getting your cravings for unhealthy food under control before surgery will help you resist comfort foods that can hinder your healing and end result.
What not to eat
Sugary and salt rich food are the worse things to be consuming when your body is working hard to repair body tissues. Salty food will increase your swelling and can slow your healing process.
Those with Lipoedema undergoing de -bulking surgeries or lymph sparing liposuction should be extra careful a few weeks before and several months post-surgery to avoid those foods that flair their condition.
Eat more
Proteins, vitamins, minerals, and good essential fatty acid rich foods will ensure you have the building blocks your body needs to heal. Even things like bone broth have been shown to aid in wound healing.
People to support you
Besides friends and family to help cook and care for you I would enlist the help and knowledge of :
Naturopath
They can prescribe nutritional support before and after your surgery and go through your diet with a fine-tooth comb to see where you can improve for optimal healing.
Lymphatic Therapist
They can find areas where the lymph is blocked and get things moving again. They can also recommend and help get you sorted for a medical grade compression pump to use at home as well as measure you up for appropriate compression garments to work constantly at removing swelling and preventing it from coming back.
Medical grade compression pumps OR S.I.P.C are a great way to prepare and before and enhance the healing process post-surgery. Compression pumps squeeze the area applied sequentially in a specific order to clear away swelling and increase circulation.
After your surgery lots of protein rich fluid comes into the wound site and if not manage those proteins actually attract water molecules which then increase the swelling even more. So, although lymph is the" liquid of life" leaving it sitting there because your unable to move normally isn't great. We want it to come in brings its precious healing gifts and leave, taking with it any garbage. Using a compression pump after surgery can really make a huge difference in how quickly you heal and increase comfort.
Once you're up and mobile its a good idea to keep using your pump for a bit longer than you think you need just to avoid any rebound swelling. Using your compression pump before you do your post-surgical rehab can vastly increase range of motion because the area will be less swollen.
Nerve pain appears to be worse when people are trying to rest. Clients tell me their pain reduced after lymphatic drainage massage or at home using a pump this is because tissues swelling is reduced and therefore the nerves are not being compressed.
**Important note. Depending on the type of device you and your therapist choose will determine when you start to use your device and at what intensity post-surgery. For example, using a full leg compression device over a knee surgery on day 2 may is likely to increase pain and irritation over the wound, but using the stomach component of a leg and stomach garment might be perfect for clearing the path for swelling to exit the leg without putting any local pressure on the area.
Other considerations such as other injuries or physical limitations will also be factored into the choice of compression device.
Who can't use a Medical Compression pump? Compression pumps are not suitable for everyone. Your hire company or your Lymphatic therapist will help determine if you're a good candidate and exactly when and how to use one. Top of the list of those who typically should not use one or definitely need Drs permission are: Anyone with an active dvt, heart lung or kidney issue, infection or PAD.
Anyone with a medical condition should always ask their Dr if a medical grade compression device is right for them.
Exercise Physiologist or Physiotherapist
Especially for orthopedic surgeries it's important to know what you can and can't do. You would think your Dr would always refer you to one, but this isn't always the case.
Compression garments
If you already wear these it is wise to check if any changes need to be made to your existing prescription. If you're having a leg surgery, you're not likely to wear your compression stockings so you may need to get measured for something more comfortable to wear in bed like a night garment or something that can adapt to your size changes like a Velcro wrap that can be easily adjusted.
Surgeon's preforming lymph sparing lipo are great at referring you to lymph therapists to get you fitted for the right garments and educate you on when to change them over.
For stomach Liposuction or BBLs the in-house nurse will typically measure you up and once your home it is recommended to use foams to pad out your corset of faja as your swelling goes down. Eventually you will need to get a new smaller garment, or some people do manage to find places to take in their existing garments.
For an orthopedic surgery your compression may be entirely different, often looking more like a brace than a compression garment. Although a compression garment as well would enhance your healing outcome in most circumstances.
Start clearing your lymphatic "drains"
In lymphatic therapy we are all about making space for the lymph fluid to go. It also encourages the body to move fluid away from the limbs to the heart without actually having to manually move it. Your body is intelligent, it knows it can't let fluid move if there's no space where the fluid needs to go to.
Providing you're not contra indicated to do so you can jump on you tube and do any of the great videos on how to do initial clearing sequence for self-lymphatic drainage.
Skincare
Keeping the skin clean, hydrated and protected is crucial. Obviously, the area that has undergone surgery may not be able to be cared for right away, but you can take care of the skin everywhere else. Things to consider are sun protection, as getting any sunburn is never good for swelling and insect bites area also not helpful so maybe choose the times your outside. If you do manage to get into the garden during your recovery protect your skin from scraps, scratching and any prickles. These tend to increase swelling and can cause infection.
Last thoughts
If you're having work on your abdomen, whether or not you can walk around the other areas of the body will generally be affected and can swell. Too many times, I have had calls from people who have had bbls or stomach surgery freaking out because now their legs are swollen like sausages. It's better to prepared for that and taking care of swelling before it became painful or hard to manage.
All the information in this blog is general. Please speak to your Dr to see if these are right for you and your unique health situation.
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