18/11/2021
My current post leg surgery look!
Sorry for the lack of posts, just wanted to let you know I can't walk without crutches yet but I'm alive. 😊
After years and years of training through the pain of a desecrated meniscus and 2 unsuccessful keyhole surgeries, I finally found a surgeon who could offer a new option, an Osteotomy. From the initial consultation to the surgery was only 8 days, which of course led to abit of panic, running around trying to organise things.
An Osteotomy is basically a fairly large open surgery in which my femur (thigh bone) had to be sorn into 2 to have a gap in the shape of a tiny door stop put into it. Following this a metal plate which had to be screwed into the bone to reinforce the bone to allow for healing!
Sorry to any squirmish people reading!!
Anyway, the surgery was successful and now I am back at home recovering. All hail the Hong Kong Public Health Service!!! I have to say I can’t fault the service I was provided (apart from the congee for breakfast that is!!)
The recovery is super long – anywhere from 6-12 months, with at least 3 Months on crutches (brilliant that I live at the top of a lot of steps on Lamma Island hey?)
As a Results Coach it got me thinking about the effects of injury on my own mental wellness, I mean after all I am pretty much stuck at home (in a step avoidance mission), with only my dogs, occasional Dog Walker and Cleaner to keep me company during the day awaiting the return of my lovely Rinske Kuiper in the evenings!
So, I’ve put together some tips that I’m personally practicing to aid / speed my recovery.
The first step in actively managing your recovery from injury / illness is understanding what to expect.
From the time of the injury / illness to the return of normality, it is common to experience a variety of feelings. From the initial shock and anxiety to the fear of reoccurrence.
You may go through periods of depression and grief for lost goals to outright denial of any problem. Your confused and unhappy feelings are a normal response to an abnormal situation (being ill or injured is not a "normal" situation for a motivated healthy person or athlete!). So, don’t try to hide or suppress your feelings. The sooner you let them out, the sooner you can leave them behind and get on with the important work of healing and recovery.
Here are 6 Life Hacks to aid recovery from illness or injury:
1. Maintain a positive outlook
Easy to say right? But seriously list in your mind all the positives, the wisdom of the experience, all the pluses of recovering well.
2. Goal Set
Yes, you want to get well, but also you need to plan to be well. The long-term goal is obvious, but what is helpful is realistic, daily short-term goals that will help you through the recovery period.
Keep records of the goals and your achievements, just like you would if you were trying to lose weight, or give up smoking etc. It is an easy to track progress, which in turn can help to keep up your morale and fighting spirit when things are tough.
3. Positive self-talk
You cannot change the fact that you have been injured or become ill, but you can control your thoughts about the situation and your recovery. Positively self-talking about your circumstances and recovery does not mean you are denying the hard times. It means you are actively choosing to overcome them. Negative, self-pitying or self-blaming thoughts cause distress which interferes with the healing process.
4. Visualization
Positive images of healing, and visualization of being fully recovered, have been proven to help speed up recovery from injury and illness.
While you are having treatment or doing any rehabilitation exercise, visualize the ill or injured part of your body gaining strength and recovering.
Visualization is used successfully by so many to aid in recovery, performance, personal development, don’t be the person who overlooks it!
5. Support
Talk to people that you know will give you support - your family, friends, teammates, the doctor or physiotherapist, therapist or coach.
Research has shown that injured or ill people who have very supportive family and friends have less distress and recover more quickly.
6. Getting back to normal
It is natural to have some worries when you first start back at work, or training after an injury / illness. To overcome this try preparing mentally for the return to your version of normal long before you take the first step.
From the start of your recovery, regularly visualize yourself, confidently and calmly getting ready for your normal, performing well and consistently, the manager or the PT praising your efforts.
Nobody needs to go through recovery and recouperation alone, if you want some help with implementing these life hacks into the recovery process drop me a message, give me a call or text. Results coaching helps people no matter where they are right now work towards where they want to be. 😊