Metal Mouth Message Board

So my OS has restrictions on what I can eat even before sugery! No dairy a month before and two weeks after. I can't live without cheese! or butter! or cheese!!!!!!! It's one of the main food groups don't you agree?!
anywho, and up to 8 bottles a day, and I have to eat green vegatables. (sp?) It wouldn't so much of a problem if well... I liked to do any of these things. lol anyone else have restrictions?

I freaked out my OS b/c my blood pressure was really high due to the effect of coffee. I told him it was his fault for attempting to take a law student's blood pressure during finals.

I freaked out my nurses because I have very low resting HR and BP because I do a lot of cycling. I overheard them talking about 'bradycardia', and hastily scribbled on my whiteboard that 45bpm was totally normal for me

I feel left out on the dietary thing - I had no special pre-surgery or post-surgery diet to follow.. in fact the only thing my consultant said was that post-surgery was an ideal time to indulge myself on guilt-free mushy syrup sponge pudding and custard!

i also freaked everyone out, including my anaesthetist pre-op because my resting heart rate is about 120, he even made me get extra bloods done pre-op, and post op i had to explain this to each different nurse as they were all concearned.
such big dietry restrictions seem a little unfair tho!

Jaly - I have had the no dairy rule a few times. It is very hard. I think in this case it has to do with mucus production. Some feel that dairy increases mucus and can cause more trouble breathing - not a good thing after this type of surgery. I have lactose problems and am planning to go off dairy before my big surgery as well....we can suffer together. Do be sure to ask if yo can use lactose free milk in smoothies post op, or even better, start taste testing soy subsitues now and see what you like best. There is a powder soy milk they sell down here that I like much more than regular soy milk (sorry it is a Mexican brand so I can't recomend it), and it is much less expensive than regular soy.

Another idea - I just bought the book 'The Sneaky Chef' for my kids. There are all sorts of ideas for sneaking veggies into regular food. Yeserday I made mac 'n cheese with hidden sweet potato and carrots, and brownies with hidden blueberry and spinich - yes they tasted great...really!. It might be worth a peek just to give you some ideas to boost veggie consumption.

Delag you rock my socks off! thank you for that! I could cry. we found non-dairy butter if you'd believe that! lol
And thanks for the advice. that's what wolford said. that dairy causes excess mucus production and since the can't put a breathing tube down my throat, since well... that's where all the surgery is anyway. it will have to go through my sinus cavity. hence no dairy to make that difficult. thank you so much!

I could be wrong, but I thought the vast majority of jaw surgery patients had nasal tubes - but most of us weren't warned off dairy.
Anyway, recent research suggest that dairy doesn't stimulate mucus secretion:
http://www.jacn.org/cgi/reprint/24/suppl_6/547S

I basically had the reverse of your situation. I don't like dairy very much and generally use soy products. I was actually encouraged to eat a lot of dairy after my operation, because of the high calorie content. My surgeon's office gave my a whole list of blender drinks that were all dairy based.

I think the taste of soy milk takes a bit of getting used to, so I would recommend going with flavours (like chocolate). Also, put some soy milk and frozen fruit (like strawberries) in your blender for a nice smoothie. You can even add some protein powder. I don't know where you live, but if you can find soy ice cream, it's quite good too.

I'm just doing what the doc said. he's got everyone believing that dairy causes all the sinus cavity build up so I'm going with it. And he kind of pioneered the surgery's and research for his field so... anyway thanks for the good suggestions about soy! I wish I could find some soy cheese though... >>

I wouldn't bother with the soy cheese, personally. I have tried lots of different kinds and haven't found a decent one yet!

would definately reccommend checking out the lactose free and if this is suitable for you, im lactose intolerant and lactose free milk is miles better than soy - which i think sucks totally. it seems a bit weird, but good on you for following your surgeons instructions, however weird.

lol thanks. I'll try to find it. we have to have a health food store somewhere around here! >>

I'm lactose intolerant as well. I've tried both soy milk and lactose free milk. I like both. The taste of soy milk takes some getting used to. To get used to the taste I make hot chocolate with it (it tastes almost normal!! ), put chocolate syrup in it to give it chocolate flavor.
You can find lactose free milk and soy milk in any grocery stores, near or in the milk section. Good Luck!

Lactaid tastes slightly sweeter than regular milk, but it IS still considered dairy. (I've been drinking it for more than 10 years). Just because it doesn't have the lactase enzyme in it, doesn't mean it is any less "dairy" than regular milk.

If you need to avoid dairy, you need to avoid all products made from an animal's milk, such as milks, creams, butters, and cheeses. Just look for the words "non dairy" on the label. You can substitute margarine or olive oil for butter, Cool Whip for whipped cream, and some of those soy-based ice creams for the real thing. Usually a healthfood-related store will carry more of that stuff, like Whole Foods if there is one in your area.

There is soy cheese, but I'm sure it tastes rather different from the real thing. Perhaps on a pizza with a bunch of tomato sauce it wouldn't be so bad.

It seems that Dr. Wolford follows the no-dairy practice with many of his patients, from what I have known of some of his other patients. Each doctor has their own practices and beliefs. My OS follows the teachings of Dr. Arnette in Santa Barbara, and puts all of his female patients with TMJ problems on a small dosage of Amitriptyline (Muscle Relaxant), Feldene (NSAID), and Doxycycline (Antibiotic) for a year before and after surgery. Apparantly they have a secondary effect of joint stabilization. But it doesn't appear that there are a lot of other OS's out there who do that.

It is good that you are following his instructions, even though I am sure they are difficult to comply with (speaking from the heart, as I come from the land of cheese heads!). Dr. Wolford is a world reknown surgeon and a SPAM in his field, so be confident that you are in good capable hands