If you are prone to colds, that would be something to be proactive about in the weeks or months before surgery, since a bad cold can cause you to lose your surgery date or at least add stress and depletion to your surgery experience. In the months following surgery, falling ill will delay your recovery and provide you with a prime opportunity to kvetch: “Now THIS?”
So what would being proactive look like?
First of all, eliminate unforced errors.
That would be catching bugs from hands, feet, food and friends.
1. Hands: Wash your hands first thing when you arrive home, before touching nearly anything else. Bonus points for cleaning your devices and earbuds regularly as well.
2. Feet: Get yourself some indoor footwear. dopt a practice of removing your outdoor shoes and wearing slippers or flip-flops or even indoor sneakers (or going barefoot indoors, if your floors are clean enough).
3. Food: Wash your food and reduce your meat to a minimum. It’s contaminated more often than you want to know, in a way that is not reliably cooked away.
4. Friends: During the weeks before and after surgery, if making plans with friends, mention that you are preparing for surgery and keeping your distance from folks who aren’t feeling 100% well.
Then, put a finger on the scale
Boost your immune system with sleep, hydration and antioxidants (fresh, colorful fruits & veggies).
If this is a weak area for you, get support
If you get colds frequently, consider meeting with a Chinese or western herbalist for a custom or patent (common) formula to boost your immune system and address imbalances in your system.