Some would say Jason and I have not had the best start to 2021. Two abdominal surgeries for me and then three weeks later Jason got his hip resurfaced. I agree that this does not sound like fun. Having to go under the knife is never great, however for us the timing has worked out perfectly. When we found out that I had to get surgery as soon as possible, I was able to get it done with enough post op recovery time to be able to pick up and look after kids by the time Jason had to go in.

During these strange CoVid times, we are both very happy to have been able to get Jason’s surgery done here in Oregon. In 2016 Jason got his first hip resurfaced in India because we could not find anyone here in the states who would do it. While we did miss the chai, the food and his amazing Indian surgeon – Dr Vijay Bose – we were greeted with an equally amazing crew of doctors (thanks Dr Huff!), nurses and physical therapists.

Now, at four weeks post op for me, and 7.5 days post op for Jason, we are cruising right along. It’s been hard, challenging, fun, rewarding and everything in between. Having a four year old and a 18 month old definitely adds some spice to the mix, but for the most part they have adapted to the changes super well. I was able to coach them about being “gentle around Mommy” before Jasons surgery which, was very helpful and cute. As soon as Jason walked in the door they were blowing his leg kisses and climbing gently around him whenever he permitted it. We have been having lots of fun with it, and finding humor and inspiration from them at any chance we get.

Many people have been writing to both of us and asking about our recovery protocol. Instead of writing to each person, I decided to write up our tips along with a few products we have been loving and using on the daily.

1. First and foremost, find a crew of people who can help out. While it can be hard to have physical contact during these times, anyone can bring you food and leave it on your doorstep. For us, setting up a meal train has been a life saver. Not having to worry about dinner, but still able to eat super well has helped our whole family and ourselves stay nourished and happy. In addition to this, we also recruited our extended family and pod to double up on childcare for the first few days post surgery. For those with kids, you know how amazing this is (thank you Opa, Nanny, Papa and Kindy Crew!)

2. For our nutrition, we are doubling up on our protein, we make sure we drink a superfood protein smoothie in the morning, and another in the afternoon. On top of this, we drink broth first thing in the morning and through out the day. Drinking and eating warm cooked foods and soups with lots of veggies and good meats help to give your body all the nutrients it needs to heal. We try to stay away from cold foods, diary, raw veggies, alcohol and sugar, as these things take energy and do not help much with the healing process. Our favorite protein is the new plant protein from Lairds Superfood, but really any kind where you can get 15-20 grams per serving is awesome. Oh, and for beer lovers like ourselves, we have been drinking Athletic Brewing Non Alcoholic Beers almost every night and have been LOVING them.

3. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Need I say more? By 8 pm, our house is quiet and we are working our way towards bed. Work is done by 930 on work nights, and we are usually both soundly asleep by 10 pm. This was hard for us at first, because as soon as the boys went to bed, we would take that time to catch up on some last minute work (which would inevidably extend into super late nights). However, ever since our surgeries, we could no longer keep our eyes open or focus. Our bodies were telling us to rest. That work could wait. On nights where I am still wound up and can not calm down, I take some Mission Farms CBD, and with in 20 minutes I am falling asleep. In the past I was not much of a believer in CBD, but after finding Mission Farms, I have had the best consistent sleep ever and feel so much more energized in the morning.

4. Do your physical therapy as much as they say you can do it. If you are injured, or have just gotten surgery, have your doctor refer you to a physical therapist. We have been working with ours for years through our adventure racing team and we do not know where we would be with out them. Their guidance and knowledge through out all of our injuries and surgeries have been amazing and has saved us so much time and money from trying random things on our own. If you are in Bend or Redmond, head to Rebound for the best PT’s out there!

5. Take time every day or night for self care. What is self care you ask? For us it changes. But when we are in recovery mode, we switch to self massage (we love our HyperVolt, but there are many like it out there) , the Marc Pro and the Air Relax leg compression sleeves. In fact, as I am writing this, I am hooked up to my Marc Pro! Anything that helps blood and lymph move through the body is going to help heal your injuries and or help you feel better for your next work out. After our massage/ Marc Pro/Leg compression sessions we follow it up with some Mission Farms CBD Muscle rub, which is also amazing and feels so good. For more on any of this, send us a message and we can geek out on any of these devices/rubs with you. For a Marc Pro discount use code “BendRacing”, and for Mission farms CDB products, head here and use code “BendRacing15”!

6. Pick up a non physical, stress relieving, and perhaps brain stimulating hobby/activity. I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. So, for a late Christmas present to both Max and I, I got us a three string Loog Guitar. They are great for beginners and kids alike because they only have three strings and are perfect for little hands. Ever since I got it, I have been playing it for at least one- two hours a day. It is so fun to read music again on a whole new instrument. I am still working on singing AND playing at the same time… but that will come. Max is also starting to get more and more into it. So far he can strum the C chord and the G chord all on his own! Jason has thrown himself into books on tape. He loves to wind down every night with a good fantasy/ sci fi story in his ear before drifting off to some awesome dreams.

7. Be kind to yourself and celebrate the successes. During time of injury and post surgery, it is very easy to get down on yourself. However this is the most important time to be your own cheerleader. Before my surgery I did a lot of work to prepare by turning to my mediation practice. I focused on turning my self negative talk into positive affirmations. When I would feel or hear a negative comment come to the surface, I would try to turn it around as soon as it came up. First thing in the morning, I still lay in bed and go through all the things that are awesome about me. It may sound corny, but it works. Giving myself more love, helps me heal and gives me more love to those around me.

7. Everything changes. With injuries and big surgeries it sometimes seems like it takes forever to feel like yourself again. Try not to stress (this is also one of the worst things for healing), trust in the process and trust that you are going to come back stronger, and with a ton more knowledge about yourself. You will have good days and bad days, just like you do when you are not injured. Take them in stride, be consistent with your recovery routine, celebrate your successes and give yourself some time and space when things aren’t going your way.

Happy Healing!!!