The decision to have surgery after a breast cancer diagnosis is a very personal decision. Some women choose to postpone surgery as long as possible with the the goal of shrinking the tumor and healing the breast. Others choose surgery because they feel they just want the cancer “out of their body”. And for some, surgery brings a welcome relief from a tumor burden that may be impacting their health.
Since surgery can be a very traumatic event, physically and emotionally, it is important to take the time to reflect on how best to prepare your body, heart and mind.
So, you are counting down the days until you are having surgery. Aside from all the usual preparatory details that you need to attend to, there is one other thing that you would be wise to spend some time doing.
We can call on our intuitive knowing when faced with a health crisis. We can tap into the power of our mind to help our body heal and recover. Take the best of modern medicine and add a dose of the patient’s inner power to prepare for surgery; this creates much better outcomes. The mind and body can work together to produce amazing outcomes!
Some Simple First Steps
Surgery is a vulnerable time for people due to the looming prospect of failure or even death. Your body is designed to adapt and heal, even with something as traumatic as surgery. But it is very important to create the proper healing mindset in order to have the best outcome possible.
This is actually a very important component to successful and quick outcomes. Peggy Huddleston has written a book, “Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster” that outlines 5 specific simple steps to do prior to your surgery.
Steps to preparing for a mind-body technique that will help you on your healing journey.
- Get familiar with relaxation techniques
- Visualize yourself healed and living a full life again
- Organize a support group that will stay in touch with you
- Meet with your anesthesiologist before surgery to establish trust
- Arrange to have the anesthesiologist read healing statements before and just after the surgery
Huddleston recommends getting ahold of CDs or MP3 recordings that can help you to focus on relaxing and healing. She offers both on her website, but you can also find your own. Figure out what works for you and stick to it.
Commit to focusing on love and peace weeks before surgery.
These are the basic things that will definitely help you reduce anxiety and heal faster. Surgeons have also noticed that patients who commit to a mind and body recovery have been known to use less pain medication and be able to discharge from the hospital sooner.
The mind-body connection is credited for helping patients relax. Twenty minutes of deep relaxation can increase a person’s T-cells, which are critical for immune system function. 
Make using relaxation, suggestions, and guided meditation a routine to improve the body’s response to surgery. When you meet with your surgeon and anesthesiologist, ask them to be mindful of their conversation around you when you are under anesthesia.
Ask them to make the following statements when you are on the surgical table, during the surgery and when it is complete. “The surgery went very well. You will heal quickly. When you wake up you will be hungry for something light.”
Statements like these have been shown to improve the healing process.
Take the necessary inner steps to urge your body to heal faster! If you need additional help, reach out to a support group or enroll with a coach.
Laurie Boucino, one of our 7 Essentials Certified Coaches is also certified in these Heal Faster techniques. She can support you pre and post surgery if you feel you need some guidance.
Reduce pre-surgery stress
Perhaps you have developed your own method for reducing stress. If not, here is a shortlist that might help you discover what you need.
Bach Original Flower Essence Rescue Remedy – Surgery is a very traumatic event physically and emotionally. Rescue Remedy is a combination of flower essences that help to balance emotions and decrease tension and anxiety. In a double-blind study, Bach’s Original Flower Essence Rescue Remedy showed effectiveness in reducing situational anxiety. For more on Bach remedies, you can read HERE.
Emotional Freedom Technique – EFT, also known as “tapping,” is based on the stimulation of acupuncture meridians. In Chinese medicine, the energetic pathways in the body through which energy flows (and also where blockages can occur) are called meridians. EFT uses the Chinese medicine system in order to determine which points to “tap.”
If you want to learn more about and even practice a little EFT, be sure to tune in to my Facebook Page or YouTube channel and try my 30 day tapping challenge. We will also be doing EFT tapping at my upcoming Healing Diva Retreat that will take place September 26th – September 30th, 2021 in Sarasota, Florida.
Guided Meditation – Guided meditation is using verbal guidance from someone else or with music (usually through an audio recording) to gently guide you away from stessful thinking and into a calmer state. This website has guided meditations specifically for a successful surgery.
Nutritional Support When Considering Surgery
I have written about preparing for surgery before. I included some steps to take following your surgery, as well. Some of my steps are below, and I would encourage you to dig deep into all of these avenues to prepare for your surgery.
Although removal of tumors has proven to improve the healing capacity of the body, it does not come without serious side effects. If you are planning on having surgery, here are 5 simple ways I recommend to help you overcome the effects of surgery:
Before the Surgery
1. Boost your Natural Killer Cell activity with medicinal mushrooms like Chaga, garlic, Sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts, or a supplement like our Immune Complete.
2. Increase your anti-inflammatory supplements such as curcumin, EGCG from Matcha green tea, clean fish oils, and milk thistle extracts.
3. Decrease Inflammation and formation of scar tissue with Bromelain. Bromelain is found in many foods, but it is an enzyme derived mostly from Pineapples. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties and helps to decrease the formation of scar tissue.
4. Make cancer cells less “sticky” – with Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP). This is the pulp found in citrus fruits that have been modified to be more easily absorbed through the intestines. MCP helps to prevent the spread of cancer cells after surgery by decreasing the “stickiness” of the cancer cells. It can also cause cancer cells to self-destruct. You should use it 1 week before surgery and at least 6 months after surgery.
5. Relieve Pain Naturally – If you are looking for a less toxic approach to pain relief after the surgery, the Homeopathic Arnica has proven to be very helpful. It reduces inflammation, swelling and decreases pain.
By supplying your body with the right nutrients you will be covering all your bases and setting yourself up for success in your health journey.