Is This… Tiger Blood?

It’s been 5 days since my shoulder surgery (in case you missed it, get the full recap here). I spent a lot of time before my surgery date reading about other people’s experiences — as an anxious person, I like to prepare myself mentally for things so they don’t overwhelm me.

Many people said they didn’t sleep through a full night for at least a month — that pain, meds, and general discomfort seriously impaired their sleep quality. They slept in a recliner for 4–6 weeks and never got solid rest.

During the day, most people said they spent the first 2–3 weeks on the couch, drowsy and a little delirious from pain meds, feeling unable to leave home.

Generally, people said they felt exhausted all the time, unable to do household chores, see visitors, or participate in their usual day-to-day life.

Many experienced severe nausea, and described eating simple, digestible foods like broth, ice cream, mashed potatoes, and crackers for several days.

I was prepared for all of this. In fact, I was prepared to be even worse off than this — my history with all medical stuff is that I always get derailed by something, making it harder than usual to recover. (For example, when I got my wisdom teeth out and then suffered from debilitating migraines for over a month which prevented me from working or being a person at all.)

What I was not prepared for

… was feeling as good as I do now, on day 5. Yes, sleeping was rough the first 3 nights. I took pain meds and melatonin right before bed, but was still waking up in near-tears every few hours needing ice or more meds to ease the pain.

But I’ve totally slept through the last 2. Like a baby. Without incident and without serious pain when I wake up. What? Last night, I didn’t even sleep in the recliner. I slept in the bed with my wedge pillow, my travel pillow around my neck, and a few extra pillows propping me up.

I was given prescriptions for Percocet (heavy duty pain meds) and hydrocodone (less heavy duty pain meds) after surgery. The discharge nurse recommended taking all the Percocets and then switching to the hydros once I was out. They gave me 40 of each — so like a 10 day supply of each.

I honestly planned on following those instructions. In the first few days, my pain was so bad that I was taking the Percs every 6 hours on the dot (the minimum amount of time allowed). But yesterday, since my pain wasn’t as intense, I decided to switch over to hydrocodone. I’ve even been able to wait 7 or 8 hours between doses. What?

My energy has also been pretty darn good. I’ve been spending a lot of time (6–8 hours) on the couch with my Ice Man each day resting, but I’ve also had enough energy to go on walks, dance around the condo, and have friends over.

Tiger Blood, Is This You?

I’ve been trying to figure out why my experience has been relatively easy compared to what I’ve read from others. I think there are two big factors that have contributed: One is that I’ve had the most incredble caretaker (Alex) who has made sure that I’m taking my meds, icing, taking care of my wounds, eating enough, sleeping comfortably, and that I’m not doing anything that could potentially hurt my shoulder. He’s helped me change, shower, wash my hair, apply deodorant, and cut my food into little pieces. He has been (is) a saint.

The second factor is this Ice Man machine, which I’ve been using 18–20 hours a day. I know that the constant, even, therapeutic cold therapy has helped reduce swelling and pain and promote healing.

Other than that, I can’t help but think this accelerated healing has something to do with the way I’ve been eating. In Whole 30, many people experience something the founders refer to as Tiger Blood. Here’s how they explain it:

Days 16–27: Tiger Blood!

You’ve hit the downhill slope of your Whole30 and life is beautiful — which means different things for different people.For some (generally people who came to the program eating well, exercising regularly, and feeling pretty good to begin with), Tiger Blood means someone flipped a switch and turned on the awesome. Energy is through the roof, cravings are under control, clothes are fitting better, workouts are stronger.

For others, this Tiger Blood stage feels more like a real sense of self-efficacy. It doesn’t mean things are perfect (or even easy), but you’re proving to yourself that you can do this, things are getting better, and you’re seeing improvements (small or large) almost daily. Your energy is steadier, you’ve got a firmer handle on the cravings, and you’re experimenting with new, delicious foods. You may notice that your ability to focus is keener, your body composition is changing, your moods are more stable, you’re stepping up your exercise, or you’re just plain happier these days.

Of course, this may not happen like magic at the halfway point. There are a huge number of factors that influence which benefits you see and when. If you’re one of those folks who has hit the halfway mark and isn’t seeing or feeling the dramatic changes others have reported*, know this: You’re not doing it wrong. If you began the Whole30 with a medical condition, a long and rooted history of unhealthy food habits, or a chronically stressful lifestyle, your “magic” may take longer to appear, and probably won’t be a “light switch” moment. Don’t stress about whether you’re feeling honest-to-goodness “Tiger Blood” — be patient, and be on the lookout for small, gradual improvements to keep you motivated. Slow and steady still wins this race.

Increased energy, better sleep, fewer cravings, more focus? Yep, seems like I’ve had Tiger Blood these past few days.

I really, truly believe that eating Whole 30 has given me an infinitely better foundation to promote healing than if I’d been eating “regular” foods. If I wasn’t doing Whole 30 right now, I’d probably be eating mostly gluten-free buttered noodles and applesauce and ice cream. And maybe the “natural” Cheetos. I’d probably be struggling with digestion (aka super constipated) because of the lack of fiber in my diet. I definitely wouldn’t have this much energy or be sleeping like a baby.

I totally didn’t plan it this way, but it seems as though my Tiger Blood kicked in at the perfect time. I’m so glad I decided to continue eating Whole 30 after surgery! Note: My surgery was on day 19 of my Whole 30, after I’d already been through the symptoms of sugar withdrawal. I definitely wouldn’t recommend starting a Whole 30 at the same time you’re having surgery — but starting it a few weeks before seems to have worked out really well! ❤