Home / What's going on? / Before surgery
Preparing for surgery · South Berkeley
The best time to call me is before anything happens.
Most people find me three days after surgery, panicking about swelling. That works, and I am glad they call. But if your procedure is still weeks away, you have an advantage most people never get: we can prepare, and we can have your recovery appointments already in the diary before you are sore and tired and trying to make phone calls.
- Ideal timing
- 2 to 6 weeks before
- Why
- Less swelling, calmer start
- Also covers
- Booking recovery in advance
- First step
- A free phone call with me
Why it matters
Your body does not know this was your idea.
Your brain has been planning this, possibly for months. Your body has not. As far as your nervous system is concerned, surgery is a significant injury, and it responds the way it responds to any injury: it clamps down, it swells, and it goes into fight-or-flight.
A body that walks into surgery already braced has further to travel afterwards. A body that goes in settled, with lymph moving well, has a head start. That is most of what preparation is.
The other half is logistics, and it matters more than people expect. Booking recovery sessions in advance means you are not trying to find a practitioner while you are groggy and uncomfortable, and it means I have actually held the time for you.
What we do beforehand
Two or three visits is usually plenty.
You do not need a long programme. For most people this is a small number of visits and one good conversation.
Open the pathways
Lymphatic work before surgery gets fluid moving well through the routes it will need afterwards, when parts of the system have been disrupted.
Settle the nervous system
An hour of parasympathetic work in the week before surgery is worth having for its own sake, quite apart from what it does for healing.
Work old scars
If a previous scar is going to be cut into again, working it beforehand is sensible. This is common with repeat abdominal or chest surgery.
Plan the timing
We map when to restart afterwards based on your procedure and what your surgeon has said, so nothing is guesswork later.
Book it now
Your recovery appointments go in the diary before your surgery date. This is the part people are most grateful for.
Answer your questions
What to expect, what is normal, what is not, and when to call your surgeon rather than me.
When to call
Two to six weeks out is the sweet spot.
Earlier than that is fine and we simply plan further ahead. Later is fine too, even the week before, though there is less room to do preparatory work.
If your surgery is tomorrow and you are reading this at midnight, that is fine as well. Call me afterwards. Nothing here is a requirement, and nobody has ever been turned away for not preparing.
Bring me whatever your surgeon has given you in writing. Post-operative instructions, compression requirements, restrictions. I would far rather read them than guess.
Worth saying plainly
What this does not do.
It does not guarantee an easy recovery
Bodies differ, surgeries differ, and surgeons differ. Preparation improves the odds. It does not remove them.
It does not replace your surgeon
Everything I do sits inside their instructions. If they say something different from what you read here, they are right.
It is not required
Plenty of people come to me only afterwards and do beautifully. This is an advantage, not a prerequisite.
It cannot be rushed the week after
Preparing well does not mean we can start deep work sooner afterwards. Healing still takes the time it takes.
Before you call
Questions I get asked.
How many sessions do I need before surgery?
For most people, two or three is plenty, plus the conversation. Some situations warrant more, particularly if you have had multiple previous surgeries or an existing lymphatic condition. We will settle it on the call.
When should I book my recovery sessions?
Before your surgery. That is the single most useful thing on this page. It means the times are actually held for you rather than hoping I have space when you need it.
Can I have lymphatic drainage the day before surgery?
Usually yes, and it is often a lovely thing to do. Check with your surgeon if you have any specific restrictions.
Do I need my surgeon to approve this?
For preparatory work, not usually. For recovery afterwards, yes, I want to know what they have told you about timing. I will tell you exactly what to ask.
Is this only for cosmetic surgery?
No. This applies equally to joint replacement, cancer surgery, hysterectomy, gender-affirming surgery, and anything else. Any surgery disrupts lymphatic pathways.
You may also want
Related to this.
The next step
Tell me what is scheduled.
Fifteen free minutes on the phone with me. Tell me the procedure and the date and I will tell you what is worth doing beforehand, when to restart afterwards, and what to ask your surgeon. Then we put the times in the diary while you still have the headspace.