How to get the food in

[stunner]

Not too long ago, and not for the first time I'm sure, but there was a short discussion about how to drink post-surgery. Someone here shared a story about his(?) square tumblers with rims. For the life of me, I could not understand what he was saying nor why people would use this kind of solution.

Of course that was BEFORE. I wish I had square tumblers with rims. I can improvise with disposable cups which I use for just about everything but what would qualify for main course (tonight, pizza smoothie).

So I have a good sense of what to eat, I think, but HOW do others get the food in, past the splint and still taste it? And is it just me, but does anyone find eating a terribly messy affair? Many towels and a change of clothes. Is that normal? I'm I missing something?

[sirwired]

Heh. Yeah, that was me with the square tumblers.

I think a lot depends on how tightly wired shut you are. If you can open up enough to get a spoon in, your food choices open up a lot, as your food doesn't have to be liquified, just minced up enough so you can eat it without chewing.

As far as messiness goes... I think a lot of people w/ double-jaw eat and drink in front of a mirror; that should help some.

[boodles8]

I heard of one person who found disposable cake decorating bags very useful. She would put them in a tall glass sort of like a liner to fill them. To use them, she folded the top edge down plenty so the food wouldn't come out, and she cut the tip off with a pair of scissors. Then she squeezed it right into her mouth. Maybe you could try that. I think a ziplock bag with the corner cut off is a similar idea.

Pretty much, I just opted for the mess. Unless I was in public. Then I used a syringe and stuck with liquid. That way it was really obvious something was abnormal. Sure, I had to explain, but at least I wasn't covered in my meal in front of everyone.

[boodles8]

Oh, I should add I was only lower jaw, and I was still a mess eating.

[BabyJaws]

My Bi-max surgery is on Friday and i'm really fretting about eating. I've made a lot of soup already.

When i asked my surgeon how I will eat he just said 'creatively' He said a nutritionist would come to seem on the Monday to talk about it.

[lattiee]

It depends on how tight your wires/elastics are . sometimes they are not so tight that you can be able to open the mouth a tad bit to put a straw through that area it has to be a thick straw. I remember sucking thru milkshakes, a lot of blended food . Also, sometimes the oral surgeon will give you your own type of cup with your type of straw . When you do cook hot foods make sure you mix it with a little milk to cool it down because since tongues can't taste the food before it gets in so be careful while hot food otherwise if it's too hot will burn your tongue and throat with such shock that it will make your eyes water . Along with trying to cough but u can't Make up some blended ice cream milkshakes as that will help the jaw feel better with pain along with a irritated dry throat from the tube in your throat . Choose protein drinks like Boost, Instant carnation as some people say Ensure but not a lot of people like that brand .

[treichow]

I did not have a splint so I may not have had the same experience as you will have but I found that drinking soups out of a cup worked really well (they had some thin plastic disposable cups that they gave me at the hospital)... but the bands caught any small chunks and would create a blockage so that made drinking difficult. If you are going to drink, be sure to have the food really, really smooth. I found it easier to not worry about tasting and just using a syringe. It was far easier for me to just shoot the food at the back of my molars and to get it in that way. They gave me two large syringes with rubber extensions at the hospital. I had no appetite for a week or two post-op so I really didn't care. Good luck!

[BabyJaws]

I've been using syringes for water and liquid food, couldn't have managed the first two weeks post-op without them!

[BabyJaws]

...and in front of a mirror too since i have no feeling in my mouth. I made a sort of bib using a tea towel and a clothes peg which stopped me from having to change my top 3 times a day!

[purpleandteal]

rubber tipped baby spoons are my lifesaver now! for the first week it was syringes but iv upgraded now and depending on my pain, i can either get the tip of a rubber spoon in, or if i cant open enough to navigate that, i carefully scoop a very small amount into my lower lip then close my lips and suck it through my teeth, its messy but it gets food in and my bands are so damned tight that i dont care how messy it gets, im starving!! mirrors really help as i cant feel my mouth. and toddler sippy cups are really helpful for drinking. as has been mentioned bfore, take extra care of temperature of food and drink, especially if you are super numb.
i worried so much about how i was going to eat, but you will figure out your technique soon enough. when you get hungry enough, you will find the least painful way to get the food in!