Supporting Your Body After Endometriosis Surgery
This is part 2 building off of our last post speaking into how to support your body prior to endometriosis excision surgery. In this post we’ll get into how to support your body post surgery.
Excision surgery can be an important part of endometriosis care, but the work doesn't necessarily stop when you leave the operating room.
Now we want to focus on healing, managing inflammation, rebuilding strength, getting digestion moving, and overall recovery.
Nutrition and lifestyle can be incredibly helpful to give your body the building blocks it needs during recovery and beyond.
Here are some of the areas we prioritize:
1. Ease back into nutrition
Immediately post-op you will likely be on a liquid diet and gradually progress back to regular food. Here are some nutrient dense options for each phase to prioritize for healing:
Clear liquids:
Coconut water for electrolytes
Bone broth for added protein
Powdered electrolytes mixed with water
Full liquids:
Smoothies with protein powder
Smoothie pouches: Noka, Once Upon a Farm
Yogurt: Chobani drinkables, Siggis drinkables, greek yogurt
Dairy-free yogurt: Tezza, Culina, Harmless Harvest
Blended soups
Applesauce
Soft foods
Scrambled eggs
Salmon
Cooked zucchini
Cottage cheese
Mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash
Mush overnight oats or Oats Overnight
Mamma chia chia pudding
Once you are back to eating normally, prioritize protein and colorful fruits and veggies for fiber. See the pre-op guide for the top nutrients we recommend focusing on!
2. Support Gas Elimination
This may sound silly, but gas and distention post abdominal surgery is no joke! During surgery they intentionally put air into the abdominal cavity to help with the actual surgery. This can result in a lot of gas, pressure, and bloating post surgery that can be quite uncomfortable.
Here are some tools to help with clearing up the gas post surgery:
Carminative herbs can help to soothe indigestion, support motility, and break up gas trapped in the gut. Anise, fennel, caraway, and peppermint are good options. These can be found in tea that you can drink and also in products like Hilma Gas + Bloat Relief.
Wonderbelly Gas & Bloat Relief (natural verson of gas-x)
Going for short walks
3. Support Your Bowels
Constipation after surgery is so common. Anesthesia, pain medications, reduced movement, changes in food intake, and simply being in a different routine can all slow things down.
Some ways to support motility post surgery include:
Ease back into fiber
Hydration + daily minerals (Trace Mineral Drops, LMNT etc.)
Walking daily
Stool softeners as needed
Magnesium supplementation (citrate or oxide)
And if you are taking medications that can cause constipation, ask your surgical team about a bowel regimen rather than waiting until you're already uncomfortable.
4. Hydration + Minerals
Hydration becomes especially important when you're recovering from surgery. Especially if you're not eating or drinking normally, you're potentially getting fewer electrolytes and minerals through food as well.
Prioritize:
Water
Electrolytes as appropriate
Mineral-rich foods
Broths/soups
Fruits and vegetables
5. Move When You're Cleared
In the beginning post op focus on gentle movement. Walking can support circulation, digestion, mood, and gradually get your body moving again.
As your energy and capacity improve, shift to incorporate rebuilding strength once you are cleared by your surgeon.
Pelvic floor physical therapy can also be a valuable part of recovery after endometriosis excision surgery. It can help to address muscle tension, scar tissue, and changes in pelvic mobility that can persist after surgery. It can also help reduce ongoing pelvic pain and other symptoms by retraining the pelvic floor to properly relax and function, which may help prevent the cycle of pain and muscle tension from continuing in the future.
6. Give Your Nervous System Some Attention
Surgery isn't only a physical experience, it can also be emotionally and mentally draining.
You may feel anxious about symptoms returning, frustrated by how long recovery is taking, or disconnected from your body.
This is a great time to practice the nervous system tools that help you feel safe and supported:
Deep breathing
Time outside
Gentle stretching
Meditation
EFT/tapping
Rest
Time with people who make you feel safe
We have an entire program designed to help you heal your nervous system and understand how to decode when your body is signaling it needs support. You can access the exact framework we use with our clients in Manifest Your Health™
If you're preparing for or recovering from endometriosis surgery and want individualized nutrition, lab, gut, hormone, and whole-body support, our 1:1 Functional C.A.R.E Method™ is designed to help you connect those dots. And P.S. you get access to Manifest Your Health included when you work with our team 1:1!
