Just Had surgery, No clue what to eat!

Message

#1 Post by **chankyi** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:07 pm

Hey all, i just had my jaw surgery done on the 15 July. shifted my lower jaw in and my upper jaw out. Before surgery i used to eat alot and cuz of my teeth i swallow my foods, Now my teeth are binded together and eating becomes alot slower and troublesome. Can anyone gimme any advice, tips? Any food that fills your hunger with a little portion? Any alternatives besides syringes for feeding. Please help! Thanks

#2 Post by **hedybleu** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:39 am

I had Lefort I & BSSO (8 & 10 mm), plus they narrowed my lower jaw and removed turbinates from my nose. I am in heavy elastics, but not banded shut. My OS encourages getting back to normal eating as soon as possible.

The first 5 days, I mostly drank Ensure using the zip-n-squeeze bags. Personally I liked the bannana creme flavor. I also drank protein waters (Kellogs K2O bottles or the mix-in kind found in the kool-aid aisle) instead of plain water so I'd still get some protein & fiber. After day 5, I felt better and moved onto blended soups. I tried to pick things that had lots of flavor, such as chicken & mushroom or clam chowder. Also yogurt is good and simple. You will still probably lose weight regardless; I lost close to 15 lbs the first week.

I'm still numb but the past two days I've ventured out a bit farther to more "normal" foods. I had grilled salmon with lima beans & rice. I flaked the salmon with my fork and basically ate everything with my fingers. Last night I had fettacine shrimp alfredo. Ran the shrimp through the food processor till it was very small pieces and cut up the fettacine into small baby bite size pieces. Mixed together and ate with a baby spoon, very yummy.

Not sure how tightly banded you are and for how long, but there are some really good soup and smoothie cookbooks. Plus just about any thing can be pureed in a food processor or blender. Keep in mind you can add fiber and protein powders to anything you blend as well.

#3 Post by **chankyi** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:54 am

Hey all, thanks for replying. Im heavily banded, liquid can only go thru at the back of my teeth. The space i have is ridiculous, even corn skin gets stuck. So i gotta drain everything, anyway how do u eat using a spoon? Also a quick question, do u guys feel cold easily? im 6 days post-op as of today!

#4 Post by **kaycee** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:09 am

I used a baby spoon until just a few days ago. I can now just barely open my mouth wide enough to admit a regular spoon and even that is a bit tricky. So I would say to have patience.

I have found ice cream causes excutiating pain if it touches my lips, which are still quite numb. The roof of my mouth was also very sensitive to cold but that has decreased as the numbness has decreased.

10 days after surgery I was cleared to use a straw, which made the whole food business a lot easier.

kaycee

#5 Post by **hedybleu** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:32 pm

I'm still using a coated baby spoon and my fingers to eat. As for feeling cold, my body has been very cold (normally I'm very warm-blooded) which I attributed to the healing process and drastic weight loss (close to 15 lbs in a week). Now I am back to normal temperature with just an occasional cold chill, plus I'm gaining some weight back too. Food-wise, I agree with Kaycee that ice cream hurt my lips (which are still mostly numb).

#6 Post by **chankyi** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:49 am

Ohhh, thanks for the info all! Anyone got any good desert recipe? Feel like having some jello but got no thoughts on how to go about it.

#7 Post by **kaycee** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:23 am

chankyi -

Ohh, dessert, my favorite. I've been making instant chocolate pudding and then mixing in some chocolate wafer cookies and whipped cream. After a while in the fridge the cookies turn soft so there really isn't any chewing involved.

Mmmm, wonder what's for breakfast....

kaycee

#8 Post by **chankyi** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:03 pm

Haha its so sad im heavily banded that small food have trouble seeping thru them! Hey another few question, is it a must to sleep in a straight posture meaning u can only look at the ceiling and not turn to the other side? 1 more thing is that if its okay to drink with a straw, i havent removed my stitches yet. Thanks

#9 Post by **Thathrill** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:32 pm

these are some good questions. I am a side sleeper. I have to start on my right side so I am a little worried about that. I did buy a recliner as I feel I will be spending a lot of time in it. I am not going to enjoy sleeping on my back. hopefully the drugs will help lol

#10 Post by **Emerald** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 4:33 am

I'm totally wired up so only have small spaces to eat/drink through.

I've been using a straw since Fri (4 days post-op).
I found it a lil hard to begin with as my top lip is numb and I dribble a little but it's not too bad.

The main things I have been eating are lots of different soups which I got before my surgery.

They are all gettin blended up then sieved so they have hardly any bits to get stuck.

Then I use a straw to drink it up.

I've got lots of meal drinks the hospital provided me with which I have in the evening, there's vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and banana flavours.

I also have Yop for brekkie - drinkable yoghurt which I just drink from a glass

Snack wise I've only been eating chocolate mousse, using the tip of a small med spoon after mixing it quickly to make it more runny.

I've also had mango pulp using a straw.

I didn't get told when to use a straw etc I just tried. I also just tried when it came to drinking from a glass as I was getting annoyed with having to stick the syringe up the side of my mouth.

NB: I'm a side sleeper too, I find it fine sleeping on my side now though, the first couple of days I stayed on my back with the pillows up high, then I gradually began sleeping on my side which hasn't caused me any problems.

I even sleep on my right side where my hip graft was taken!

#11 Post by **chankyi** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:40 am

Grats Emerald, Oh yeah i've been to followup today and i've asked my surgeon wether i need to sleep and face the ceiling and she said that i should as it helps the swelling and the healing of the jaw properly. Sleeping on your sides might lead the jaw to slide to another side and heal up causing a imbalance. Sounds dangerous so i guess i'll just try and sleep facing upwards. Besides that, my stitches and bands have all been removed and replaced by just 2 rubberbands from my molar to canine forming a rectangle which lets me go on a Very very very soft aka no chew diet. I've got no zip and squeeze and its hard, my mouth cant open that big to let the spoon and food to come in. I still have to stick with syringing the food i guess... Anyone has any substitutes for zip and squeeze? Thanks

#12 Post by **phil** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:40 pm

chankyi,

Hi! I hope your healing is progressing rapidly.

Have you tried using a baby spoon yet?

Also, when I went through my surgery, I got really creative with blending up my favorite foods, and adding the appropriate liquid, then using the syringe. I never was a fan of the zip-n-squeeze, although many people have found it useful.

What are your favorite foods? Perhaps I could help you with ideas on how to adapt them...

Be well, and at peace. Don't forget to breathe!

Phil

#13 Post by **StephCanuck** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:00 pm

the other day I saw someone eating a chocolate bar and I desperately felt like one too. however, I'm also wired shut so I cant get pudding or anything thicker then soup through. My dad bought me these "milkshakes" by Nestle (they're more like flavored chocolate milk) that actually taste like the chocolate bars, like coffee crisp, rolo, crispy crunch ect. They pretty much quenched the craving. I don't know if they're available in the UK but if they are they are a nice treat!

#14 Post by **chankyi** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:27 am

Hey guys! thanks for replying, im doing well. Now on 2 rubberbands, remove when eating and brushing teeth. Having trouble opening my mouth wider though, the sides feel sore. Hope i can open wider to allow a spoon with food so i can consume better things. Haha, I miss having scrambled eggs...

#15 Post by **chankyi** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:10 am

Yeah? Range of motion means opening wider right?