How getting healthier before surgery can transform your recovery

A while ago, a friend of mine was wrestling over whether to have a liver transplant. The sticking point was age. Being in his mid-50s, was he too old to justify taking the scarce organ?

My stance was that no-one could answer this but him. He was unfit, overweight and didn’t have the best diet.

I pointed out that if he did go forward with the transplant, then getting as healthy as possible pre-surgery was the most respectful approach to the organ and the best chance of it lasting.

This counsel was met with silence. I shifted uneasily, realising that my expertise in conversational lead balloons had reared its head again.

Fear not – fast forward and he improved his diet, upped the exercise, lost weight, and the transplant is a lasting success. Obviously, it wasn’t just a matter of him getting healthier, but it all helps.

The concept of getting healthier before surgery isn’t just confined to major treatments like transplants.

It can be applied to any surgery you may face, including dental implants. This is called ‘prehabilitation’, where patients tip the scales towards better outcomes way before the actual surgery happens.

Studies show that adopting a healthier lifestyle before surgery reduces inflammation, improves bone regeneration, and accelerates wound healing. Prehabilitation is all about boosting the immune system, changing it from a stuttering Ford into a purring Ferrari.

Prehabilitation explores diet and weighs up if any sugar or processed foods can be ejected whilst parachuting in immune-stimulating natural whole foods.

These include eating a wide range of multi-coloured vegetables and fruits, high-quality proteins, plain water, more fibre, and all topped off with a healthy sprinkling of good fats, nuts and seeds.

Healthy eating nourishes your microbiome; our oral and gut bacteria are a vast army of 100 trillion little fellows dedicated to keeping us healthy. Most of us are bacteria deficient, which leads to weight gain and disease.

Fortunately, our microbiome can be repopulated with probiotics, such as yogurts, kefir and fermented foods. These changes can kick-start even the most faltering of body engines.

Dietary changes, alongside adopting strategies that reduce stress, improve sleep, reduce smoking and increase exercise, go a long way toward treatment success — the ultimate prize for both the surgical team and the patient.