Its crazy to think that my summer is halfway over. What is even crazy to think about is that I spent the past 6 weeks of summer consuming nothing but liquids and purees. On May 26th I underwent maxillofacial surgery on both my upper and lower jaws. I knew I had to get this surgery for a while because of an underbite that I inherited from my dad. I will make more posts about the details of my jaw surgery later, but for now that is pretty much all you need to know. The recovery process is pretty extensive and I was required to be on an all-liquid-diet/ no chewing diet for the first 6 weeks after my surgery. Here is the basic timeline of my diet for the last 6 weeks:
Week 1: The reason for the all liquid diet was because of a splint in my mouth that helped my jaws heal correctly. The week after the surgery my mouth was rubber-banded shut and I could only consume clear liquids through a syringe that I squirted into the back of my throat in hopes that some of it would go through that little gap between where your jaws meet. I pretty much survived off of water, ginger ale, beef broth, chicken broth and apple juice. I was extremely swollen so it was pretty difficult to get any kind of nutrition. My main purpose was to stay hydrated. I was also taking a lot of pain meds this first week, which happen to be all liquid too.
Week 2: This was when I started focusing more on nutrition. I don’t like yogurt and apple sauce, so finding foods I actually wanted to eat was the struggle. my first post-operative appointment I was able to open my mouth but I still had the splint in and rubber-bands to keep my mouth from opening too much. I could eat food with a spoon now, but I looked absolutely disgusting when I ate because I couldn’t (still can’t) feel my lips or chin so I would just dribble food everywhere. {Advice: BUY A BIB OR DRAPE A TOWEL OVER YOU SO YOU DON’T RUIN YOUR CLOTHES.} I started blending up soup and drinking different juices. V8 has some really great fruit juices that gave me sugar and some nutrients. Every morning I had an Ensure/Protein Shake for breakfast and then I would eat a can of soup for breakfast and dinner. I tried to drink a lot of water, but if you think drinking 8 cups a day is a lot when you are able to open your mouth, just try it with only a syringe. I also noticed that my hair and skin were suffering from my diet. I broke out a lot and my hair got really greasy and stringy. I also noticed some weight loss.
Week 3: This is when I started to get bored with the liquid diet. I tried getting creative with various kinds of soups. This was also when I started working and doing more activities so I had to eat more food. I was constantly hungry and wanted nothing more than a cheeseburger. I even blended a McDouble up but honestly it was so gross I only had like 3 spoonfuls. This horrible experience motivated me to actually look up a cheeseburger soup recipe and I pretty much survived off of that for about a week, blended up of course. I still had the urge to chew solid food when it went in my mouth so I had to blend everything, even noodles and veggies. I had to pick out the chocolate chips in mint chocolate chip ice cream. When I went to my second post-op appointment, I weighed myself and had lost 10 pounds since the surgery.
Week 4: I started drinking two Ensures a day and added a mid-morning smoothie to the mix (but nothing with seeds). Now I was working full days at the office so I started drinking some soup for lunch and dinner. I also started drinking alcohol and coffee again. The coffee was more to keep me awake at work and as far as the alcohol…I talked to my surgeon before I started drinking again. This is exactly what he said to me: “Now I’m telling you this not just as your surgeon, but as just a trained professional; you shouldn’t be drinking a lot on an empty stomach and I know you don’t eat a lot on this all liquid diet. So if you’re going to drink, make sure you eat a lot before”. So I did just that. And it was fun. I went to a bar one night and some people thought my syringe was a special drink you could order at the bar and they tried to get one too saying “we want what she’s having!” and I was like no…you don’t. I also went to a wedding and held my syringe full of wine on the dance floor the whole night. People were confused and sending me judgement looks…but sometimes you just gotta own it.
Week 5: I started getting a little more rebellious and tried pureed and mashed food. I would mash up an avocado and add salad dressing or bbq sauce to make it softer. I also made super milky mashed potatoes. It was nice to mix things up but I had to swallow all of this food whole. At times it made my throat sore so I stuck to soups and protein shakes most of the time. But on the bright side, I figured out I could drink out of a water bottle, which made staying hydrated easier. Only minimal dribble occurred. I also started working out again because I finally had my energy back. I weighed myself at the gym and I had lost 5 more pounds, bringing the total to 15 pounds lost since the surgery.
Week 6: This was the 4th of July weekend and it was rather hard trying to enjoy the holiday while on my diet. While everyone was eating burgers, I was slurping mashed potatoes with ketchup in it. When I went out to lunch with my mom and aunt, the restaurant only had one type of soup. It was also during this point that my syringes started malfunctioning and I would spill beer and coffee everywhere on the reg. It was so frustrating. But to be honest, I finally got used to the diet. You would not believe how many situations I was in in the last 6 weeks where people ate food in front of me and I just drank a syringe of Ensure or tomato soup. Food had lost its thrill for me and just became a means of getting substance and energy. I had come to terms with the fact that I could only drink my food and it became a habit.
Currently: Yesterday I just got the splint removed out of my mouth (and it was DISGUSTING) so I can start eating solid foods again. My surgeon told me I have no restrictions, but I do need to retrain the muscles in my face to chew again. Yesterday I ate some scrambled eggs, pancakes and rice. I tried some home fries and chicken as well, but trust me-I was driving the struggle bus. It doesn’t help that I got my braces tightened yesterday as well, so I have to deal with that all too familiar soreness of having my teeth shifted. I am beyond thrilled I can start eating solid food again, but right now I’m trying to take it easy. Its all about the baby steps. We’re not fully out of the woods yet, but my dad and I have been saying this phrase since the very first day of my recovery:
“Everyday is better than the last.”
You can expect a lot more posts about my surgery to come. If anyone who is reading this has gone through the surgery or is planning on getting it, please feel free to comment below or reach out to me!