Last week I had an operation, and for the first time in 6 seasons I was unavailable for my cricket team.

Although it was relatively minor as surgery goes, I have been laid up for 3 days with more to come. It got me to thinking that I should share my experiences for other cricketers who have to deal with an operation, and how to get back to the game as quickly as possible.

Dealing with stress

Any operation is stressful because of the worry of complications. That's a legitimate thing to worry about, but not to let it take control.

Of course I was nervous going in to the hospital, but I also knew that there was nothing I could do to control things, so I did my bes to let it go. In many ways it's like when you play and miss as a batsman. The good batters put the worry behind them and clear their mind for the next ball.

My operation was under a local anaesthetic and the surgeon told me the worst reaction he ever saw was someone jumping off the table in fear when the area was being cleaned!

That's too nervous to be good for you.

So, when you feel the stress before you go in, recognise it and press the pause button. It will help you come to terms with the worry.

Make the most of your laid up time

One everything is done and dusted you will have plenty of time on your hands and not much to do. So why not make the most of it?

You can't hit the gym or practice your high catching, but you can do lots to improve your recovery and get ready for when you are well:

• Sleep: Getting plenty of shut eye will get your recovery off and running. Plus, if you have struggled with sleep patterns you can get yourself into a new 8-10 hour night routine that will stand you in good stead for when you return to cricket.
• Read: Use an iPad, smart phone or good old-fashioned print out and catch up on all the PitchVision Academy articles in the archive. Take notes as you go and you can start to build an action plan for when you are back on your feet.
• Meditate: It may sound a bit new-age nonsense, but there is evidence that meditation is good for stress-control, which is always handy for high pressure cricket games. Besides, what else are you going to do?

It's easy to sit around, watch TV and play Candy Crush Saga while you wait for your body to catch up with your desire to play again. I freely admit I've watched a lot of movies and played my share of computer games since I was laid up, but don't forget there are things you can do that are more productive.

Most importantly, whatever you do, enjoy it!

Food: Your secret weapon in recovery

Speaking of enjoying things, food is often overlooked as a way to speed up recovery. If you are not on hospital rations consider the following:

• Lean protein, especially oily fish: Protein is essential for health, so make sure you are getting plenty from lean sources like chicken, eggs and low-fat beef. Oily fish is high in omega 3 which will also help you.
• Cruciferous vegetables: Cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy and broccoli. If you don't like that kind of veg my advice is to learn about spices as they make a huge taste difference.
• Fruit: Pineapple contains bromelain which aids in healing, but any fresh fruit will help.
• Supplements: Pills won't replace real food, but they can help while you are delicate. Consider taking Vitamin C (500g a day), Zinc (30g a day), fish oil and Vitamin D (1000iu a day) for your recovery period.

The real secret to this though is how you prepare that food. Healthy food can be dull. You can avoid that by having a few good, yet easy recipes with spices and other flavour adding aspects (garlic and chilli are my favourites).

How to get on your feet safely

Before long you will be healing, but that doesn't mean you have to sit around doing nothing. Studies have show that the more quickly you can be active (safely) the better you recover.

So, as soon as you are able, start to walk around and get some blood flowing around your veins again. Start slow, don't push it. You can gently build up the distance you are walking as you feel ready.

Eventually you can progress to light resistance training too. Mainly this is to increase the flow of blood and oxygen to damaged areas. But it also helps you work on your posture.

It's also important to get back involved with cricket as soon as you can. Playing or even coaching may be out of the question, but how about a bit of light scoring or carrying out the drinks to your team-mates?

Just going to a match gives you an excuse to sit in the sun and build up some vitamin D.

Personally, I'm still in the middle of this process, but so far it's going about as well as can be expected (thanks to a great doctor and excellent care from the nurses). It's another few months until my next game. When it arrives I'll be strong, fit and ready to take on another year of success as a player.

I know you can do the same.

How have you recovered from surgery and got back to cricket? I'd love to hear your personal experiences in the comments section.