how soon to get back to a normal diet ?

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#1 Post by **freerideuk** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:25 am

well am one month post opp now and am pretty much eating what i like eg pizza chips chicken crisps carrots pasta veg everything really

but my surgeon said to stick to soft / no chew diet for 6 weeks i found this impossible as i just wanna eat normal but could i be doing any damage eating normally

i mean i find some things hard like raw veg soo am still not eating that but apart from that anything goes really

ohh and sandwhichs i can't bite through them yet or breadsticks lol

but i guess really am asking is it ok am practically bk to normal at 4 weeks ?

#2 Post by **Brandyleigh35** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:34 pm

Uhhh...No its not normal, and Yeah you are putting yourself at risk.! My doctor said it takes 3 months for the bones to reconnect and start to fill in but closer to 6 months to fully heal. You could be putting yourself at risk for shifting or even relapse by eating anything other then soft foods right now. My restrictions were 6 weeks of liquid or fork smash only, then 6 more weeks of soft foods. My doctor said, unequivically no chewing PERIOD for that 12 weeks. He said that he was very serious about this and I would be putting my jaws at risk. One month is still very early to be putting bones that were literally sawed in half in jeopardy by chewing foods that are very chewy or hard like pizza.

You say

i found this impossible as i just wanna eat normally

So what you are saying basically is that you would rather risk potential damage, or further surgeries because you lack self control when it comes to food? Personally that is a pretty big risk to take for a very expensive surgery. Also too, not so sure insurance would be willing to pick up the tab next time if you had to have surgery again due to not following the doctors orders. If you ask me, you are taking a big chance. When I had my SARPE my doctor said it takes three months for the bones to fully fuse and in a SARPE they only fracture the bones not actually break them. Yours were sawed, cut, and broken, then put back together again with plates and screws. I had a pano xray done on my jaws at 3 months (and mind you I had not chewed for 12 weeks when this was done) and there were still very visible spots that were not not healed. Holes between the bones where they had not filled in yet etc.

Trust me it was not easy drinking smoothies, and eating only fork smashed foods for 12 weeks, but everytime I thought about what had been done to my bones, it made things a lot easier. As far as surgeries go, this is considered major surgery. Taking things slow and being careful is very important. All doctors have differing post op requirements but you are blatantly saying that you are going against your doctors orders here. I think that in and of itself is a bad idea.

Just my humble opinion.

Brandy

#3 Post by **dubnobass** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 2:05 pm

I dunno, after Phil's tale of woe, I did as I was told! I didn't chew for 6 weeks and when I did start chewing, stuck to soft stuff. 6 weeks isn't that long and I'm sure you wouldn't want to have to have it re-done if it doesn't heal properly.

I'm at 12 weeks and am really not chewing things fully yet - chunks of chicken are about the 'hardest' things I ever eat.

#4 Post by **pokergirl** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:06 pm

I was 3 weeks of thin liquid and then 3 weeks of soft, fork-mashed food. I'm about 10 weeks post-op now and I still haven't tried anything real hard like raw veggies, bagels, etc. even though my OS has said it's ok. I try to cut most everything into tiny bite sizes so that my jaws don't have to work too hard with a mouthful of food. The inside of my mouth is still pretty sensitive to certains types of food that have sharp edges like cereal or iceberg lettuce, etc. I just don't remember food poking me pre-surgery or maybe I just wasn't as attentive about food as I am now. Anyway, be good to your jaws. They've been through quite an ordeal in the last month.

#5 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:12 pm

I agree, it's probably best to follow your surgeon's instructions, but I find it really interesting how different all the surgeons are. I was allowed to basically eat whatever I wanted after two weeks. They just said "don't eat anything that causes you pain." So, for me, that meant I was basically eating stuff like mashed potatoes and bananas at first, but I was back to a pretty normal diet after a month or so. Kind of like you are now. That being said, if your doctor wants you to stick to soft foods, I would probably do that. It's only two more weeks, right?

#6 Post by **hippyhippo** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:39 pm

ohmyjaw wrote:I agree, it's probably best to follow your surgeon's instructions, but I find it really interesting how different all the surgeons are. I was allowed to basically eat whatever I wanted after two weeks. They just said "don't eat anything that causes you pain." So, for me, that meant I was basically eating stuff like mashed potatoes and bananas at first, but I was back to a pretty normal diet after a month or so. Kind of like you are now. That being said, if your doctor wants you to stick to soft foods, I would probably do that. It's only two more weeks, right?

My surgeon gave me pretty much the same instructions, which was eat what you are comfortable with as long as there is no pain. He told me that he has yet to have a patient cause any damage by overdoing chewing.

I was on solid food, albeit very soft solid food, after 48 hours. Pancakes, KD Spirals, mashed potatoes, eggs, etc. I moved on to fish, pasta, ground meat, etc a couple of days later. At almost 3 weeks post-op I'm back to eating pretty much anything that I want provided it isn't overly hard, crunchy, or chewy. My surgeon said I should be able to eat everything, including those raw veggies that I've been craving, at about 6-8 weeks.

But yes, your surgeon probably knows what is best for your case.

#7 Post by **pokergirl** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:07 pm

I should also add that a lot of my being overly cautious is due to my post-op ortho adjustments where my teeth feel very loose and sensitive.

#8 Post by **Supermax** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:02 pm

My OS wanted me to start chewing soft foods (fish, mince, pasta) as soon as 3 weeks and to try to work the jaw as much as i felt comfortable with food. He said to just listen to my body and to eat what felt comfortable and push it a little but not to the point where I hurt myself. Following this advice, i am now 15 weeks post op and I had my first pizza 13 weeks post op. It's taken at least 12 weeks before I could manage most harder foods comfortably.

Yesterday I ate a oat biscuit for the first time, that's about the hardest thing I have had, managed it fine. I hated the soft diet thing as well, but it eventually passes and you get back to eating normally so why risk it. If that's your OS's instructions then stick to them, you'll be back to eating normally before you know it.

#9 Post by **HighandLo** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:12 am

After BSSO, I was basically instructed, like a few others here, to start soft foods "as tolerated." Of course, I had to start with broth and smoothies for several days. But after, I smashed a lot of foods into tiny pieces and basically mashed them with my tongue and swallowed them. I did this because I have a sensitive stomache and trying to "drink" so much food was making me nauseated and I was still losing weight, something which I could not afford.

It is amazing that I could feel when my jaws were stable enough to try something more chewy. When my jaws got tired I would take it easy. My OS said I had really good range of range of motion early on and now I am back to normal (4 months post-op).

Just make sure what you are doing is OK with your OS.

Lo

#10 Post by **NCRN** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:13 am

Today I am 2 weeks post-op BSSO and Lefort 1. I have been wondering the same thing. (am I progressing my diet to fast?) At 1 week I started eating Rice, fish, meatballs, eggs, corn, grilled cheese. I have great mobility I can already get 2 fingers stacked on top of one another in my mouth but I do find that by evening my lower jaws ache.

I have my first post-op appointment today, so I plan on asking my
OS if I need to back off or can I go full steam ahead toward that grilled Chix Salad I am CRAVING!!

Glad to hear you are doing so well with your recovery. Just be carefull.