Metal Mouth Message Board

i have my surgery date for the 1 st august so im now going to start stacking up on stuff i think ill need.Looking at the zip and squeeze website and wondering what to buy.Did most of you get the hospital starter set -it seems quite alot ..i was thinking of getting the office kit(2 liquid bags,2 thicker bags)do you think that will do.
Cant belive i have my date...scared,excited and happy all at the same time...

Hi Ema27,
What type of surgery are you having done? Has your OS mentioned how long you'll be on a liquid & pureed diet? I wasn't sure how much to get either, but was told I could wash & reuse the bags a couple of times before tossing them. I'm having Lefort I & BSSO, with possible genio (although that's doubtful at this point), so I ordered the hospital kit (5 small & 5 large), plus I got an extra pack of the "new" larger & thicker bags (4 pack). I also ordered 2 jaw bras, so I could wear one while the other was in the freezer. I'm in the states, so I did regular shipping and received everything in about 7-10 days.

The small bags have the "tubing" already attached and are for liquids only. I'm not good with measurements & sizing, but if I had to guess I'd say the small would hold about 6 (maybe 8?) ounces of liquids. The large bags in the hospital kit have a bigger tubing and can be used for pureed or blended foods. I'm guessing these are maybe 8 (possibly 10?) ounces, but again not very good at eyeing measurements. Honestly I was surprised how small these bags really are, so I'm concerned I might even need more. The "new" larger bags are much bigger than the large and more the size I expected the "large" bags in the hospital kit would be.

Best of luck and keep us posted on your journey!

I went with the 10-pack Hospital kit, tried a bag once and decided it was too much of a pain in the a$$. I found the free hospital syringe they gave me to be much easier to use/fill/handle and clean. The bags were a waste of money for me, but was worth the comfort before surgery of knowing I had them in there if I did need them. The $35 zip-n-squeeze kit and the $40 in bromelain both were money down the drain, but that's just me. A lot of people on here swear by them.

I went with the "better to have it and not need it" attitude, so its probably better to play it safe and order more than you think you'll need since by the time you order more and they arrive, you'll be drinking out of a glass on your own and won't need them anymore.

Hi hedybleu-
I Will be having lower jaw surgery definitely-On my last visit a couple of days ago the ortho said that he will be putting a plate in my chin area also.He didnt go into that much detail-he said we will have a chance to discuss that in a couple of weeks at my pre assessment.So i dont know whats happening there.

Thanks for the info about the bags im not too hot on measurements either-i assumed that one bag would hold enough for one meal.As for reusing can you only use them a couple of times? i thought youd just be able to use them again and again..
Its looking like i will need the hospital set at least then...
When is your operation?i will definitly keep posting as the days draw closer.
Thanks again..

You can definitely re-use the bags a few times. I think they (Zip-N-Squeeze) recommends using a new one every day or two, for hygiene reasons.

How long are you going to be wired/banded shut for? I was wired shut for 10 days and I went through about nine bags. If you're going to be wired shut or tightly banded, you'll definitely use quite a few bags. Otherwise, you might be able to start using a spoon relatively soon.

i am not being wired shut but i imagined tightly banded although as of yet i dont know for how long.I should know more in the next few weeks but i dont want to leave it too late to get them shipped out.
Any one know how long shipping takes..

Hi ema27,
My surgery is Tuesday July 8th. I am expecting to be banded between 4-8 weeks since I'm having both upper & lower jaw surgery, don't know about the splint yet though. In addition to the zip-n-squeeze bags, I also purchased baby spoons and sippee cups from Target for when I "graduate" to soft or no chew foods. Some of my friends call me "Miss Checklist Girl" so like KarlClayLA, I tend to have the "better to have it and not need it" type of attitude.

The bags are reusable but they don't say a specific number of uses or days. I'm thinking the included instructions say "a couple" or a "few" uses, but it could have said days... I'll have to double check when I get home tonight and update this thread. I believe ohmyjaw is right and that zip-n-squeeze only says that for hygiene/liability reasons. That said, I'd guess if you are washing them with soap and water between uses, you could use them quite a few times before tossing them. Of course I haven't had my surgery yet so I don't know of sure, but hopefully some other more experienced folks here will weigh in on that one.

Just to be different i didnt use the zip and squeeze at all (i was so disorganised i didnt even get around to sending for them! )

Intially i was only in giuiding elastics, and within an hour or two from being in theatre could manage (ish) a plastic cup for fluids, then the next morning "ate" ready break off a teaspoon.

Then when i was tightly banded things got more fun, a baby sipper cup was a life saver and food just had to be pureed and kind of poked in the places it could fit!

Still cant decide-i dont want to buy loads and then be stuck with them.
lou-lou-did the hospital give you anything top help with the feeding-a syringe or something..
i live in a small village which isnt helpful for basic supplies nevermind any thing else!!!!!

Hi Ema27~

Somehere at AW had good luck with small disposable drinking cups (Dixie cups here in the US, not sure if you have the same brand). I bought a package of the 3 oz. cups, I also bought the starter kit from Zip-n-squeeze and some baby spoons. As you can see from my ticker, I'll still not sure how any of it will work out!

kaycee

Sorry to say it, but the hospital gave me absolutely nothing to help, in fact they were pretty useless. I was given a disposable plastic cup to drink from and normal spoon. But i managed ok with this, so i think in a way not "babying me was for the best. (it was after being discharged i was tightly banded)

I have ordered the zip and squeeze office set ( 2 of each ) If it isnt enough then i will just have to manage..
Still cant believe surgery is this summer.......

Hi Ema,

I would thoroughly recommend getting some syringes as well as the bags, as it seems like everyone has a different method that works for them, so best to be sure!

I really liked using some larger syringes for soups as i could just poke the end in between the teeth, and fire the soup in there without really having to open my mouth at all. After a day or so I started using the zipnsqueeze bags for thicker soups and weetabix (not together tho )

In the end I used both methods all the time so would recommend getting some of each as at least you can have the choice at the time.

Oh, and good luck for the surgery! I'm now 3 months post-op and feeling pretty good, and it did go pretty quickly!

Dave

I was banded shut the first week and only used the syringes the hospital gave me to ingest liquids. The Zip-N-Squeeze bags are so easy to use, I found myself squirting too much into my mouth and it felt like I was drowning. I needed something that took a concerted effort to use because you're not exactly coordinated and skilled at doing anything right after surgery. However, one week post-op when I was de-banded and switched to guiding elastics, I found the Zip-N-Squeeze bags very helpful. At that point you can open wide enough to place the tube between your teeth and you're so hungry/thristy that you'll want to just let 'er rip. I tired so easily during recovery that I really appreciated the ease of use the Zip-N-Squeeze bags provided once I was able to handle them.

I got one "Hospital Pack," but I ordered another one a couple of weeks post-op, because I was very timid about moving on to soild foods. I think I spent a total of six weeks on a liquid diet and I didn't really mind it. There's enough Campbell's Soup alone to help you avoid food "boredom."