Going Herbal

Hello Everyone,

Well, I hadn't heard from my surgeon's office about when my pre-op appointments are supposed to be scheduled for, so I called them.  Looks like I won't be scheduled for my first pre-op until 3 days before my surgery.  Seriously.  Something about the calendar being really full.  

I said fine, but I'm really not thrilled about this.  I have a growing list of questions I was looking forward to being able to ask my doctor way ahead of time--- starting with, what the hell exactly are you going to do to my face??  

The scheduler reminded me that I could email my doctor the questions.  My particular insurance carrier provides for email access between doctors and patients.  I've used it in the past and it's pretty great, but I was hoping to be able to sit down, face-to-face with the doc to go over everything. 

Anyway, aside from wanting to know exactly what the surgery plan is, which she probably wouldn't be able to tell me until the molds were taken anyway (this is also why I asked the scheduler if doing all of that only 3 days before my surgery was enough time for her to put together her game plan),  I wanted to ask my doctor about taking some supplements before surgery in order to better prep my body for the massive trauma.  I think my diet is one thing to help it prep, but I also feel that some extra vitamins/supplements couldn't hurt.  I wanted to find the best homeopathic remedies I could for inflammation, pain, and recovery.  I've read a lot about the pain meds and other medicines given for recovery, and the side effects just seem so extreme.  Hair falling out? Nausea? Weakness? Dizziness? Perpetually habit-forming?  Um ... I find it all kind've scary.  But, let me just add that I'm not crazy!  I will obviously be doped up at the hospital, and if I am in pain I will take the drugs, for sure.  But, in the meantime, I wanted to find more natural stuff to take instead of the pain/inflammation meds once I'm out of the hospital.  

A side note on me here:  I really believe in finding cures for the body's ailments in nature.  We come from dirt, and so I think we should trust the medicines that grow from dirt too.  Lots of new cancer drugs, in fact, are now coming from plants that we're only now beginning to study for medicinal properties.  Lots of Eastern and Latin-American cultures derive medicines from the environment and have been for thousands of years.  My own parents have always believed in herbal remedies.  As a kid, when I got a nasty cough, I got honey mixed with cinnamon by the spoonfuls for 3-4 days, after which I'd be all better while other kids were stuffing down cough medicine for weeks.  

Okay, back to the point!  Here's what I've found after some exhaustive personal (online) research.  Please also talk to your doctors before you go out and buy or take all this stuff.  I'm also checking with my doctor to make sure she's okay with all this.  I did this for me, but I wanted to share it with everyone just in case some of you might want to try a more "natural" approach to recovery.  Again, don't get me wrong, the drugs the doc gives me won't be far.  

Bromelain: It's a compound found in pineapple and papaya.  It apparently helps with swelling and inflammation, and is particularly beneficial to the sinuses and avoiding sinus infections.  Many people take it before a facial surgery, and/or during recovery.  I've read mixed things about how doctors feel about it.  Most say it's okay to take a few days before your surgery, a few say to only take it after.  This is why you should ask your doctor.  However, I get piece of mind from the fact that Germany recently approved bromelain as an effective supplement for the treatment of swelling/inflammation particularly of the sinuses and nose after surgery or injury.

Turmeric:  Turmeric is a plant found in Chinese medicine and other Eastern cultures (Indians use it in curry).  Among lots of other uses it's properties have been shown to help with joint pain, and swelling.

Quercetin: Comes from plants, and has shown to help with swelling, and excess congestion.  

Arnica:  I got a lotion/creme version. Apparently it helps with bruising.  

B12:  I bought B12 sublingual drops.  B12 is apparently good for nerves and nerve regeneration.  I'll be taking lots of this immediately after surgery to help make sure I get as much feeling back as possible.

Again, I'm double checking with my surgeon to get her okay before I take any of this stuff.  If I get the green-light, my plan is to start the bromelain 2 weeks before surgery, then start the turmeric 3 days before, and finally taking the bromelain, turmeric, and quercetin regularly after surgery.  I'll apply the arnica as needed for any bruising.  

Hope the info helps!  If you need more details the info is just a google search away.  :)