alternative to zns??

[princessamber18]

I am going to have a bilateral modified condylotomy within a month and my jaw will be wired shut for 4-6 weeks then an addition 2 weeks in the bands! I have read that zns is no longer in business so what is recommended that I use to eat with? This surgery came on out of no where or I would've prepared and I had a friend refer this site to me so I could ask questions and get help. I'm almost certain they gave a jaw bra at the hospital but no "eating devices" so I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to figure out how I'm going to eat!

[keeponsmiling]

Relax - you won't starve - though it might feel like it at times!! I'm in the UK where Zip n Squeeze just doesn't exist. The hospital gave me syringes with what I can only describe as an extension tube attached to them. You have to put the tube down the side of your mouth and squirt liquidised food through the gap behind your back teeth. I won't lie, it's a total pain getting food the right consistency (much thinner than you'd imagine) and at first it's really tiring. You get the hang of it though. Buy lots of high-calorie milkshakes and juices and if you have time make your own broths and fill your freezer with them. Don't bank on smoothies - it's amazing how much pith and seeds they contain - I had to sieve them repeatedly before I could 'eat' them because even though they go up the syringe easily the gap the 'food' has to go through in your mouth is so small it kept getting clogged up. I had a real craving for savoury food when I was wired shut and was glad I saved all the gravy from the casseroles and roasts that I'd made leading up to surgery. Obviously I had to seive out all the veg, but little bits do get through and when you can't clean your teeth existing only on sweet stuff isn't great. I know of people who've use turkey basters to the same effect.

Good luck with your surgery. It sounds like it came as bit of a shock, but hopefully the recovery will be as swift as the run-up.

[princessamber18]

Thank you very much keeponsmiling! So, are you talking about a syringe with a rubber tube? I will be sure to ask them for one, even if I have to write it down! They are putting the incisions inside my mouth behind my molars so I'm not sure if I will be able to squirt anything back there, but it seems I should be able to! I've never heard of using a turkey baster to eat but it sounds possible! Also, are you able to puree foods to eat? I hope to get them down enough to fit through the tiny spaces that aren't fully touching. I am a stay at home mom so I cook a LOT and makes soups often so I was wanting to puree and freeze them because I don't care for those nasty taking "protein drinks" that come in bottles . Also, if you can eat pureed foods, would you have a certain one you would recommend?

[keeponsmiling]

To be honest I don't know much about your type of surgery or where the incisions are exactly - mine was double jaw so the incisions were around the tops of my gums and where my lower wisdom teeth used to be. The syringes had hard plastic tubes but I've seen people on-line using what looked like more flexible rubber ones. NHS doesn't give you any choice - I just got what they gave me! You can puree most things, but like I said before don't underestimate just how much liquid you need to add to get them thin enough to go in - nothing thicker than milk in my experience (I got very cross with the nurses constantly giving me custard - perhaps other people have more space in their mouths than me, but I just couldn't get it in!). I'm a mother of two small kids so like you I spend a lot of time cooking and felt very pleased with my freezer drawer full of every flavour soup I could think of. Sadly, I couldn't manage any of them when I was banded shut - they were just too thick and I spent a lot of time stirring in extra milk and water. I found it easier to make a normal casserole/stew then pour it through a sieve and syringe whatever went through. It's basically flavoured water with homeopathic scraps of meat and herbs, hence the milkshakes. The hospital gave me a brand called CalShake, which are 600 calories per 300ml glass. They take ages to mix and get the lumps out but tasted ok. Once they ran out I got Complan from the supermarket, which were 400 cals per glass. After six weeks I was really struggling to drink them without throwing up (sorry!) but I'm underweight so had to persevere. I think they're different from the protein drinks you get in health shops - they're specifically designed as a meal replacement, more like the sort of thing you'd get on a diet plan, but with extra calories.

[princessamber18]

Thank you for your help, keeponsmiling! I still have not found a comparable of something to eat with except for a feeding tube for puppies which would be too tiny of a tube. All I can do is hope the hospital will give me one or I will be in trouble. I don't even know the size of the tip on a syringe so I can't look for any kind of tubing. I have 6 days left, so I wouldn't have any time to order anything on the internet. Also, I had some people tell me that a company called shamrock farms (or shamrock something) has a new chocolate milk out that is full of protein and it tastes just like chocolate milk! So, I'm going to stock up on some of those. I also got worried that it would be too hard to get all this food in my mouth, so, i got stage one baby food as a back up and too help me keep the vitamins and weight there!