Preparing for surgery - supplements and vitamins?

I went down the root of taking stuff out of my diet rather than adding supplements to it on the basis that it was better to take out cake, biscuits and the like and replace it with fruit, veg etc. So a healthy diet for my vitamin needs rather than more pills.

Now nearing 5 months post CABG and I'm still trying to keep doing that but I do add the odd bit of homemade cake these days - got to have some treats

Steve

Hi there,

A good all round multi vitamin both before and after surgery. Water, plenty of it if you are allowed. Once the wound has started to heal make sure you massage it both in the shower and post shower. Post shower introduce a moisturiser, I use rosehip oil, others use bio oil.

I saw a dietitian in hospital post op who gave me a good tip for cake and biscuits, 'go out to a coffee shop once in a while, have a piece of cake with your coffee, if you go and buy that whole cake for home, you'll eat it'

good luck with the surgery

Mark

Overall a healthy balanced diet should be enough. However, I have been told I am slightly anaemic and to try and raise my iron levels (helps transport oxygen through the bloodstream) but to avoid iron tablets. I also take Vitamin C by choice. There seems to be a link between inflamed arteries (think scurvy) and plaque deposits. Reaction has been varied from "it can't do any harm" to "interesting, I need to look into this". Do reduce sugar and salt (there was something on the news about the salt in Chinese food this morning). If you can two portions of oily fish a week would be good.

Hi Ian, if you want to see just how a good diet can transform a person's body (health wise primarily, but for weight loss too), have a watch of the documentary Forks Over Knives. It's absolutely fascinating how the food you eat can reverse illness, and improve recovery time from exercise, and presumably surgery too. I found that my training (running, mainly) improved massively and recovery time decreased in January as I spent the month focussing heavily on my diet.

I like the outsourced cake idea too - go out for a treat cuppa and cake, away from your house, so it feels like an event that you have to make the effort for, rather than an easy homebound regular occurance.

Good luck with your surgery, if that's happening soon!

Hi Ian, I am having my aortic valve replaced soon and this is the protocol I'm following drsinatra.com/maximizing-th...

Hope it helps and good luck!