1 Month double jaw surgery post-op EATING

[xjoe28]

Hi all,
I hope you are all well.
I seen my surgeon a couple days ago and he gave me the green light to get off the liquid diet and start eating soft/mashable foods like mashed potatoes etc. He said I must take my rubberbands off, eat, brush, then put my rubber bands back on. He gave me a bag full of rubber bands.
Is this normal to you guys? Is anyone or has anyone been to that stage before? You have to remove rubber bands and put them back on? I have yet to take them off or eat anything mashable. It sounds like a huge hassle this whole ordeal. I want to eat solid foods but I want to see if anyone has done this yet?
Any advice helps me during this stage! I need to build my confidence to eat and work my jaw muscles.
Thank you so much.
Joe

EDIT: I have 3 rubber bands in. 1 on the left, 2 on the right.

[EmilyTravels]

Sounds normal to me. I haven't gotten elastics with my braces yet, but prior to braces, I had jaw surgery, and when I had arch bars and elastics for several weeks, that was the routine. Remove to eat, eat, brush, replace elastics. A hassle, but you do get faster at taking them out and putting new ones in over time.

[xjoe28]

At 4 weeks post op, moving jaws up and down doesn’t loosen screws?
How many times per day should I be removing elastics to eat?
What types of foods can I eat at this point? Mashed potatoes? Scrambled eggs? Mac and cheese?

What if I put the elastics on the wrong hooks by 1? Do you think that’s a big deal? If they’re wrong they’re only off by 1 hook

[EmilyTravels]

At 4 weeks post op, moving jaws up and down doesn’t loosen screws?
How many times per day should I be removing elastics to eat?
What types of foods can I eat at this point? Mashed potatoes? Scrambled eggs? Mac and cheese?

What if I put the elastics on the wrong hooks by 1? Do you think that’s a big deal? If they’re wrong they’re only off by 1 hook

You'll need to ask your surgeon about the first question. I didn't have the same kind of surgery as you (I had a fractured jaw and was wired shut for two weeks, then in arch bars and elastics for three more weeks, so was moving my jaw to eat only 3 weeks after surgery).

I removed my elastics 3x a day to eat meals, and yes, the types of foods you list are fine. Make sure you also eat some healthy green veggies -- the frozen ones are nice and soft. I enjoyed creamed spinach, frozen sauced brussels sprouts, broccoli & cauliflower in cheese sauce, sweet potatoes, as well as various veggie and bean soups.

If I wanted a snack, I just had something liquid, like a smoothie or soup, so I wouldn't have to remove the elastics.

My oral surgeon was pretty flexible about which hooks I used, so long as I was in the ballpark. Being off by one hook would not be a big deal, but again, that's a question for your surgeon.

Good luck!

[oslume]

Hi! I think it's totally normal.
I'm almost 1 month post op and I was on a liquid diet and banded shut for the first 2 weeks. Since then i've been eating soft foods... And it's a whole different thing, i'm much better in that aspect.
Also, being able to brush my teeth correctly for the first time was AWESOME.
About the rubber bands... I have 4 of them (2 on the sides and 2 on the centre) but i wear them during my sleep mostly, and maybe a few hours during the day sometimes. My surgeon says everything is great with my bite, so it's not really necessary to use them all day.

I hope you are ok !

[xjoe28]

Thank you guys for your replies!
I had mashed potatoes for the first time yesterday. But it was really messy and uncomfortable and took very long to finish the plate. If it was up to me I would actually stick to the liquid diet but my surgeon and my ortho both said I need to start moving my jaw so the muscles can re-learn etc. I don’t know if I can’t or if I’m simply just scared, but I can barely open enough to even fit a spoon in between my teeth. I still cannot open enough to fit a toothbrush in to clean the insides of my teeth/mouth and it feels really dirty in there. But when I’m at my surgeon he has me open pretty wide and all seems fine there. I just can’t seem to open wide on my own yet.
Should I just continue each day and maybe I’ll get used to opening wider and wider? Is it really bad that I haven brushed the inside of my mouth in a month? What do you guys think?

[oslume]

[quote="xjoe28"]Thank you guys for your replies!
I had mashed potatoes for the first time yesterday. But it was really messy and uncomfortable and took very long to finish the plate. If it was up to me I would actually stick to the liquid diet but my surgeon and my ortho both said I need to start moving my jaw so the muscles can re-learn etc. I don’t know if I can’t or if I’m simply just scared, but I can barely open enough to even fit a spoon in between my teeth. I still cannot open enough to fit a toothbrush in to clean the insides of my teeth/mouth and it feels really dirty in there. But when I’m at my surgeon he has me open pretty wide and all seems fine there. I just can’t seem to open wide on my own yet.
Should I just continue each day and maybe I’ll get used to opening wider and wider? Is it really bad that I haven brushed the inside of my mouth in a month? What do you guys think?[/quote]
It's totally normal in my opinion. I also ate mashed potatoes as my first soft food meal and it was messy like you said. I kind of missed the liquid diet too because it's easier, but you'll get used to it really soon, believe me. I don't know if it helps, but for me it's easier to fit a fork in my mouth, instead of a spoon. Depends on what youre eating actually, but give it a try if hoy have difficulties with the spoon.
About the brushing, it's difficult specially atte the beginning(maybe because youre scared of opening too much too). You should buy a baby toothbrush for the interior of your teeth and your mollars, it's REALLY helpful, at least the first few days. You should be able yo clean your mouth correctly with that

[oslume]

Now that I read your message again... you're already using a baby toothbrush and still you can't fit it inside your mouth? :O
Then i think you should slowly try to open your mouth wider if your surgeon allowed you to do it. It's uncomfortsble but it's gonna make things much easier

[EmilyTravels]

When my jaw wires were removed and my oral surgeon wanted me to open my mouth wide, I told him I was scared. I was terrified, so I do understand what you are going through! However, he gave me "homework", which involved opening my mouth as wide as I could five times, several times a day. I hated it, but I did it.

I continued this through my recovery, and when he released me, he was thrilled that I could open my mouth 3.5 cm, which is considered normal (three fingers width). Now, a few more months out, I can open closer to four fingers worth, so am essentially back to normal in that respect.

Obviously follow your surgeon's recommendations, but don't be scared. You do need to exercise your jaw, and eating is part of that. If you don't, you could end up having to use splints and going to PT to regain normal jaw opening. Eating is truly to your benefit, even if it is messy and scary at first. Keep at it and hang in there!

[xjoe28]

Thanks for all your wonderful input guys. You are so helpful. Tomorrow will officially be 1 month post op for me.
I just finished eating dinner. Mashed potatoes and lentil soup. The fork idea was helpful. It is easier then a spoon. It is very tiring and messy and time consuming eating without the blender. It was a little easier then yesterday, which tells me it should get better everyday. I could open wide enough to fit my little toothbrush but i have some kind of mental block at the moment. Im going to give myself a couple days and see how it goes.
What im doing is im eating 3 or so meals a day, mostly with the blender, but removing my rubber bands once a day and having 1 meal with a fork. I would just use the blender but like my surgeon, ortho, and all you guys said, i have to start opening and closing little by little.
I've noticed that when i eat with opening my jaws, my nose starts running as if im eating something spicy. But its with whatever I am eating. It is not a big deal whatsoever for me. I will even live with this for the rest of my life i don't mind, as long as my recovery goes well. Thank you all for your replies. Best wishes!
Thank you

[EmilyTravels]

So glad the tips were helpful. It WILL get easier, week by week. I promise!

[Elucidation]

Please Do follow the elastics instructions religiously. It was really hard for me to stick to it as well, I tended to do the lesser of two evils and just keep the bands in and eat. This is still somewhat bad as the elastics get looser over time, but it's better than not putting the elastics back in at all.