Jaw Surgery Shopping List

You may have noticed that I removed all my before photos from this site. It's because of all these new fancy image search tools. I don't particularly want future employers and colleagues tracing me back to this blog and wondering why I named it "Asian Jaw Surgery" when it wasn't cosmetic in nature. Oh, well.

So, here's a list of products that I have found to be very helpful during my jaw surgery recovery process (in no particular order).


Crane Drop Shape Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier with 2.3 Gallon output per day

This humidifier has been immensely helpful for relieving my sinus congestion and dryness, especially since I had my deviated septum corrected and my turbinates reduced in addition to my upper jaw surgery. This may not be necessary for everyone, but I'm really glad I made my dad go out and get it.


Chef Boyardee Mini Ravioli, 15-Ounce Units (Pack of 24)

Thanks to the YouTube video I mentioned a few posts ago, I found out that these cans of ravioli are incredibly easy to puree. The regular sized ones work just as well as the minis. This was the first real food I attempted after my jaw surgery. Dilute with water to blend. Add more water a second time for a smoother puree.

Cuisinart CSB-75BC Smart Stick 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome

I was a little hesitant to purchase the CSB-75 model, since it's a lot cheaper than many of the other models and other blenders. It was the only model I could find available at the local Bed, Bath and Beyond store. However, it did the trick in pureeing most of what I wanted to eat. (Blueberries don't blend as well as I like, due to their slippery skin and tiny seeds, but everything else has been blendable.)


Progresso Traditional Soup, Chicken and Herb Dumplings, 18.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)

Very yummy, and surprisingly blendable with the above blender. Too bad it doesn't have more calories. Pro tip: dilute this with water instead of store-bought chicken broth when blending.


Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder, 18.8 Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)

Yes, I ate a lot of canned food. More than I have in years, combined. This clam chowder is especially tasty and blends really well. However, it's creaminess might cause extra mucus production, which can feel like it's stuck in your throat. In the end, I stopped eating this and my throat felt much clearer.


Idahoan Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Garlic , 4 Oz

Yummy. I love anything roasted garlic flavored. The best part of powdered mashed potatoes is that you don't even need to blend it! Just add extra water for a more liquid consistency. The bits of herb in these mashed potatoes didn't clog up my syringe or require blending. I added some gravy for an added layer of flavor, but the roasted garlic flavor was quite delicious by itself.


Cesar Canine Cuisine Variety Pack (Top Sirloin, Grilled Chicken) for Small Dogs, 3.5-Ounce Trays (Pack of 24)

 

Just kidding! No, seriously. No matter how hungry you get, you don't need to resort to eating dog food. Do remember to feed your dog during this time, however.


Also, be sure you have a giant syringe to pump all of your food and liquids into your mouth. Your syringe should hold at least 60 mL of liquid. The hospital should provide you with several of these. Use a bit olive oil to get the plunger in if you plan on pulling out the plunger each time you rinse the syringe. This is another tip I picked up from one of jonpaul70's videos. The full video shows you exactly how he eats through the tube. I personally didn't use the catheter portion when eating. Oh yeah, the blender, ravioli, and clam chowder were ideas that originated from him as well.

Maybe if Soylent works out as a viable meal replacement, you won't need to waste time heating and blending everything. Even though I'm thankful for the canned foods, I'm getting a little sick of them. I also blended some packaged pastas, but those are a little harder to get to a smooth consistency.

Soylent - Liquid Meals Reinvented?

Thanks to a post from a Facebook friend, I was alerted to this cool new product called Soylent. It's an all-liquid diet that promises to give you all your nutritional needs in the form of shakes. Plus, people have successfully lived off of it for weeks or even months, and most of them have reported more alertness, increased energy, and no feelings of hunger.

I wish I had a couple bags of Soylent handy when I just got jaw surgery! That would have made my life a lot easier. I spent a few days feeling light-headed as I was trying to subsist on Ensure. Later on, I finally blended some real foods. But that's not without it's issues as well. Real food can get stuck in your teeth and splint. And if you don't get it out properly, which chances are, you won't, then it'll start to rot in your mouth. Lovely, ain't it. In my experience, cheese doesn't blend too well. Neither does chili or pork.

Anyway, Soylent is supposedly decent tasting. It's not sugary like Ensures are, but more of a neutral flavor. Several journalists have tried it for weeks without complaint about the taste, to their own surprise as well as everyone else's.

Here's the link to Soylent if you're too lazy to Google it yourself: Soylent.

Notes:

• I have not tried Soylent, so I have no clue how well it works/tastes.
• There's currently a 4-5 month waiting period, so I won't be able to get it in time to try it before my liquid diet phase is up. You should also plan accordingly if you're thinking about trying it for yourself. The powdered form is delivered to your door, and lasts 2 years, so order well in advance of your surgery date to make sure you get it in time.
• I have nothing to gain by sharing this. I'm just trying to prevent people from suffering more than is necessary with this complicated process.
• Anything beats living off of Ensure!

This Video Saved Me from Hunger

I had been drinking at least 3 Ensures each day just like the doctor ordered. Despite that, I was quickly burning through my calorie reserves. After a few days, I started feeling light-headed despite drinking plenty of Ensures, beef and chicken broths, juices, and baby food diluted with water daily.

Baby food is great in terms of nutrition. But the problem is that a container of baby food is only about 90 calories. You'd have to eat about 6 to get a meal's worth of calories. And if you're diluting it with water to suck up into your syringe, that will take a long, long time to finish. I usually got through only about 1 baby food container per day, on top of everything else I was consuming.

After about three evenings in a row of feeling light-headed, I thankfully stumbled upon the following YouTube video. It's titled: Don't starve when your jaw is wired shut! Don't be hungry!

I was so, so happy once I saw it. Also hungrier. It showed me how to eat REAL food. In another one of the poster's videos, he mentioned the Cuisinart Stick Blender (CSB-77). The next day, I searched all the local stores for that blender. I could only find the CSB-75, which is a slightly cheaper model. But it seemed like the blending power was the same as the CSB-77, with the only difference being the body's material. It worked great pureeing my canned ravioli! Much better at blending than our old, bulky large blender. In hindsight, some of the other brands of hand blenders will probably work just as well.

I feel so thankful and grateful to have found that video. Prior to that, I had texted my surgeon mentioning that I was hungry, to which he suggested drinking more Ensure. I highly doubt subsisting primarily on Ensure for several weeks is a good idea. Certainly feeling light-headed from hunger can't be healthy.

Now I feel a lot of sympathy for people who frequently experience hunger. I hope to donate money to a food-related charity once my jaws are set free. I also feel for the supermodels out there who have to starve themselves in order to keep booking jobs. Apparently, some of them faint from hunger on a regular basis. What a sad situation it is for all who experience prolonged hunger.