THE SWELLING :O

Message

#1 Post by **shutup&kissme** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 11:39 am

Hello All,

I'm 2 days post op now and very, very swollen. Did anyone else find their swelling kind of scary afterward? I'm just trying to get used to being wired shut. I have a splint in my mouth and I'm wired shut. I'm having trouble with coughing as it is nearly impossible.

I think the 2 hardest things to get used to, even more than the pain, is the discomfort and not being able to eat. I'm already craving cheetos and tacos. This is going to be a very long 6 weeks.

So my questions are, how did you adjust to the discomfort? Did it come naturally? And how fast (or slow) did the swelling go down? Also, do you have any really good pureed food recipes? I'm starving!

Thanks for reading,
Esther.

#2 Post by **HighandLo** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:04 pm

Esther,

Congratulations! I had BSSO 4 weeks ago. Some things that helped me:

The swelling peaked at Day 2 and was pretty much unnoticeable (to anyone but me) by Day 5.

Keeping my head elevated at night reduced discomfort. I used ice packs through Day 3 and then warm packs thereafter. I also went for short walks.

I too felt deprived of salt foods! I ate soup and it helped. I went to soft pasta really quickly, but I'm not sure if you can do this with wiring. I put protein powder in my drinks to help with healing.

Best wishes!

Lo

#3 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:33 pm

Pureed soups are good - if you have trouble getting it through the wires, try diluting or straining it. Lentil soup was my favourite, and it has protein. Also try milkshakes, pureed fruit, couscous with milk, pudding (diluted with milk). And soft tofu mixed with fruit or something and blended is also good for protein.

It's great that you're hungry - I didn't have much of an appetite after surgery. I didn't eat very much for those ten days I was wired. How long are you going to be wired?

The better part of my swelling was gone after two weeks, and then the last little bit took about two months to go away.

#4 Post by **Shae** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:44 am

I'm 10 days post-op (BSSO) now and the swelling has gone down a lot. It's noticeable to me, but other people reckon I look ok. For me, it peaked on the 4th day.

I think the hardest part with the swelling was trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in at night, while still trying to remain somewhat upright.

The whole swelling thing never really freaked me out though, I thought it was quite funny actually. I was joking with my friend that I could probably rob a bank and get away with it, because no one would be able to ID me once the swelling had gone down lol.

#5 Post by **SandraJones** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:30 pm

shutup&kissme, I too had had a lot of swelling. There's a photo of me 2 or 3 days post op and my face looks like a big bowling ball, or like I've got about 100 walnuts in my cheeks ready to store for the winter.

I should find that pic and post it ...

I found a blender to be my best friend while my jaws were wired. I blended everything. If you are craving cheetos or tacos, hey, just blend them ! I know it seems kind of gross to blend something that is normally solid, but honestly once it's inside of your mouth it all tastes the same.

#6 Post by **shutup&kissme** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 2:11 pm

You all never fail to cheer me up whenever I'm feeling down.

HighandLo: lucky you your swelling went down so quickly! Today is day 5 for me and the swelling is much better but I still have my chipmunk cheeks, haha. Thank you for the advice, I have been following it and it has helped tremendously.

Meryaten: That website is great! They blend stuff that I wouldn't of ever thought to blend. And you're right, the swelling is pretty funny. It's an experience in itself!

ohmyjaw: I'm going to be wired shut for about 6 weeks. 4 weeks with the splint, 6 weeks wired shut. Couscous, I had never thought of that before! And I'm always hungry, I have a bottomless stomach haha.

Shae: I agree with you, it is so hard to find a comfortable positition to sleep in at night! I know I'm supposed to remain at an angle, but I'm a sleep-on-my-side-curled-up-in-a-ball sort of girl. I'll slip from time to time and find myself sleeping on my cheek and then I wake up and curse myself and grab some painkillers.

SandraJones: blended cheetos, that thought did cross my mind but then I wondered how I was going to get it through the zip n squeze straw, and then thought soggy cheetos don't sound too appealing so I think I'm going to wait for that satisfying crunch.

I agree about the blender though, I'm starting to get really creative with what goes in there, haha.

#7 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 3:26 pm

Yup, it was my favourite meal while wired. Cook the couscous, then put in in your blender with plenty of milk and some canned fruit if you like.

#8 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:06 pm

How about some baby food? Like those desserts since you like sweets. They're all mushy so they're ready to go into the zip n sqeeze! I know you'd like me to pour some warmed chocolate, blended with strawberries and brownies blended and in your zip n sqeeze huh! You could also get some tofu soup and puree it with some rice! YUMM! Or curry and some rice porridge! Ok, feel better!