For the full preparation technique, please see this surgery preparation blog post.
One of the things that has become clear to me over more than a decade of helping people recover from surgery is that very few people feel ready for their surgery going into it.
Surgery can be scary and there can be a lot of doubt in people’s minds about what will happen during and after their procedure.
My favorite way to help with this is to have one session before surgery to prepare the belly with hands-on work and to help my clients make a plan for after.
Start with your body:
- Take yourself through a full hands-on belly session with your self-care or with your favorite practitioner.
- During that session, imagine your belly being as open and easy as possible for your procedure.
- Begin imagining how you will send love and care to your belly once you are awake again after your surgery.
Work with your mind:
- The idea of surgery and recovery can be very difficult for the mind to put up with. Often, after any surgery, we get feelings of nausea or strong revulsion when we think about touching our scars or any other area of our belly. Until your scar closes completely, that is a good thing! It needs time and rest to heal. But once your scar is healed (usually around the six-week mark) this repulsive feeling starts to work against the healing process. So . . .
- Start imagining touching your scars and feeling good about it. Start imagining your scars healing very well and quickly. Imagine all of the good things that can help your body rest and recover fully after your surgery.
- MAKE A PLAN. If you are traveling before and after your surgery, have a plan for how you will ask for help, not lift anything, move gently, get in and out of the car or plane, etc. Make sure all of your support people know the plan and can help keep you on track.
These are the most basic elements of prepping for surgery. Again, for my full recommended procedure, click here.