3days post-op... in good spirits

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#1 Post by **Spooky** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 1:54 pm

Hi everyone,
Just checking in! I had an upper and lower jaw surgery this past Friday, Dec 1. I'm at home right now recovering. My face and cheeks are still swollen, numbness throughout the mouth area. I still can not talk. I'm wired shut. There is some pain at the incisions inside my mouth -- trying to control it with Liquid Tylenol. I get hungry every 2 hours, and have upgraded clear broths to slightly thicker soups. I had Ensure once and as much as I don't like it, I need to drink it for the protein and minerals.

Ice packs are a wonder! They help reduce the swelling and actually make the pain less painful. I have them on almost 24/7. I have been able to breathe through my nose for the most part, but sometimes I get panicky when there is shortness in breath. I use a nasal spray regardless if I need it or not. I have been sooo lucky that so far, I have not had any vomitting!! Even when I was in the hospital, I was able to escape that.

Even though I still need a while to recover, I am in good spirits. This is a lot better than I imagined. I just can't wait until everything is over!! I'll be wired shut for 3 weeks, which is about 18 days away!! Can't wait until I get to eat again.

#2 Post by **thefuture** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:42 pm

I'm glad to hear you aren't feeling too bad and you will be feeling worlds better in 3 weeks when you get the wires taken off. That is about the point which I am at (not quite 3 weeks). I just wanted to let you know that I felt the exact same way with my shortness of breath cuz my nose was so stuffed and I actually had my mother call the doctors answering service to ask them what I should do. The doctor then called my house and reassured me I would be fine and not to panic because that would only make things worse. He also told me that if I was truly uncomfortable with the amount of air that I was getting that I should stick my index fingers in my cheeks and pull out slightly to allow more air through. I was also told that nasal sprays can have a negative affect on breathing if you use them to often because they will increase swelling in the nasal cavities but that it was okay to use a saline (salt water) spray as much as I needed. Good luck!

#3 Post by **Delag** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:17 pm

Congratulations on making through the rough spots so far - I wish I were in recovery and not in the anxiety full waiting stage! I have never tried Ensure, but an idea poped into my head as I was reading your post and I thought I would pass it along. What is you warm up vanilla flavor and add something like Quick to turn it in to hot coco? It might disguise the flavor a bit and help you get the calories you need. Sending lots of speedy recovery vibes your way!

#4 Post by **science teacher** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 7:54 pm

It sounds like you're on the road to normalacy!

Kim

#5 Post by **Spooky** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:55 pm

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. I'm happy to see the improvements day by day. Slow, but at least there IS improvement!

I've now progressed to taking Tylenol at night only but I still need to use the medicated nasal sprays. One thing I found out -- there is a saline nasal spray out there called Ocean, which can be used as frequently as you need it. The prescribed ones work better, but they can be only used 2x day. The Ocean spray can be used anytime. It's basically the same as a home-made solution with salt, but I'd rather buy it instead of trying to make my own. It was about $5, definitely worth all the trouble.

I've described a more detailed version of my day of surgery on my weblog.

http://janniesjourney.blogspot.com

#6 Post by **nvcarissa** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:43 pm

Spooky, congratulations on getting through the surgery. Every day gets better.

With regards to Ensure... I looked at the nutritional label on Ensure and compared it to Carnation Instant Breakfast and they were the same!! Yet Ensure cost so much more. And Instant Breakfast tastes soooo much better!

#7 Post by **mfconrad** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:45 am

The thing I don't like about pre-mixed meal replacements like Ensure is their corn syrup content. Its like the second or third ingredient, and after eating so many of those things, it feels gross drinking it. And corn syrup is not particularly nutritious either. It is just a cheap liquid filler to add cheap calories.

I prefer powdered supplements with water or skim milk or water. (I avoid milk with fat because the fat content makes the liquid bubble up so much when you shake/blend it!)

#8 Post by **katmpet** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 2:48 pm

As I am now 10 weeks past upper/lower jaw surgery-as soon as you can start making smoothies. I couldn't stand Ensure/Boost etc either so I bought protein supplement powder-you can mix it with what you would like. I added tofu to mine to make it even more nutritious and filling. There are loads of recipes that you can make with juice etc. I found that it was the flavour that I craved. In fact when I got my splint out at 8 weeks-(yes 8 weeks) post op all I wanted to do was 'taste" foods not even necessarily eat them. Good luck