Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Wired. ~Sigh~



After a no good terrible horrible rough day yesterday
We found out that Jason will be having surgery today
to wire his jaw shut
for 6 weeks.
~sigh~

It is the opinion of everyone he saw yesterday that this should have been done the morning after the accident.
And that he should have been put on an antibiotic as his infection risk is elevated now
and
and
and
well
never mind.
No use living in the past.
But needless to say this momma is slightly frustrated
and should any of my other kids ever break their jaw
I know a lot more now than I did before yesterday. 

Can I be a little more needy and ask you to pray for him today?
and
have any of you had your jaw wired shut?

He's 15.
And weighs close to nothing already.

Tips?
Recipes for shakes/drinks/things that I can blend?
High fat recipes? 
Real food that tastes good blended?
Hot food that tastes good blended?

With as much as our teenagers eat I think this is going to be a rough 6 weeks for him so I want to try and give him as much variety as possible.

Help!

Surgery at 12:15, please pray for Jason!

33 comments:

  1. Hi Sonia....I would like to send you some meal shakes for your boy..its a powder, all natural, that you can mix with milk and frozen fruit to make shakes. My kids love it as do I....can you email me your address?... Lpsmss@aol.com.

    BTW...I found your blog through Jennifer Peterson who I have known for over 20 yrs and I just love reading both of your blogs and hearing about all your adoption adventures. I have 3 adopted as well.

    Prayers continue from CT!

    Laurie

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  2. Oh Sonia...you poor sweet momma of all boys!! God Bless you!! We are diligently praying for Jason and for you his parents & siblings! I always put peanut butter in my shakes...that will add protein and fat content! Other than that maybe someone will loan you a vitamix mixer or something where you can put pretty much anything in it & blend it to smitherines!!

    Hugs, JoRie

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  3. Wow! I wondered why they didn't take him to surgery right away for the wiring! I 'm thankful he didn't need a lot of plates and screws to repair the fractures! Praying for Jason today as he undergoes surgery and for him during the six weeks. Hang in there!

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  4. I too have smoothie recipes. We eat them daily. Lots of protein... I'm guessing any good bean soup blended up would be good too. Chicken soup... Poor guy. I'll be praying for y'all at noon.
    Blessings,
    Rebecca
    Rebecca@mattmckee.com

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  5. Oh, Sonia, I will be praying for your son! No ideas on what to blend, just what NOT to blend. My husband broke his jaw as a child and had it wired shut (the happiest 6 weeks of his sister's life) and his mom tried to blend a burrito. Epic fail. The soups sound like a good idea--tomato, potato, cauliflower. Do you have one of those stick blenders Those are handy because you can blend right in the pot. Praying.... Joy

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  6. I'll be praying for that handsome fella! When Ivy had her surgery, they recommended the high calorie drinks. I don't remember the name, but they were almost like a breakfast drink. Ivy particularly liked the strawberry. The docs didn't want her to lose weight since she weighed very little. Thanks for keeping us updated.

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  7. I am so sorry that Jason broke his jaw and I am praying this morning for his surgery. My husband David just had jaw surgery at 57 and had to wear a splint for 5 weeks - all liquid diet. He is a runner and had no weight to lose so I can relate to what you will be going through. Just a few things we learned: Boost and muscle milk are better than ensure and get the high protein, high calorie kind. Chocolate and strawberry are the best. Costco carries some of these in their pharmacy department but what I could not get there I found at WalMart. David drank these plain but I also added them to some of the smoothies so he would have more protein. Keep your blender and food processor on the kitchen counter and you can give him whatever you are having for your meal but just blend it. If it needs more liquid add chicken broth or water. All Soups and chicken and dumplings are great. Peanut butter and ice cream were added to many shakes or smoothies. Chickfila and Zaxbys have the best chocolate shakes. Believe me we tried every fast food that made one. If you have any questions or just need to talk, pray, complain, etc please email, facebook, or call me. I will message you on FB my phone number. Praying for Jason's jaw, the surgeon, and for you as his sweet Mama and nurse.

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  8. Oh Sonia, I'm so sorry! I've had a lot of experience with liquid diets and surgeries because of Jadon's cleft. After the last surgery, we borrowed a vitamix (mixer) from a friend. They are super-expensive, but I'd absolutely buy one if he's on a liquid diet again. It was incredibly helpful! It mixes virtually anything. We made a lot of baked potatoes and butternut squash. I would mix them in the vitamix with tons of butter or some cheese and broth (we like Rapunzel vegetable boullion the best). This was very filling compared with most liquid things and Jadon loved it. You can buy a reconditioned vitamix and it has the same warranty as a new one, I think. It is soooo worth the price, though.

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  9. I'll be reading the comments with zeal. My 15-year-old daughter has TMJ (already) among other jaw issues and is having surgery on both her upper and lower jaw. She'll be wired shut for 2+ weeks.
    her favorites for her last surgery were
    instant mashed potatoes (high carb and the savory factor is good)and tapioca pudding

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  10. 2nd the VitaMix. Just buy one if you can swing it. You'll use it forever.

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  11. I'm so sorry to hear about your son! This tomato soup recipe by Real Simple (ignore the accompanying sandwich) is delicious, easy, and a family favorite for us: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/tomato-soup-roast-beef-panini-00100000066430/index.html. If you have a hand emulsifier, that works beautifully (instead of having to blend in batches, just stick it right in the pot and blend away). Good luck, we will be praying for him and all of you!

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  12. Sonia,

    My sister had jaw surgery in college and was wired shut. She got a handful of straws from McDonalds, the kind they use for milkshakes. They're wider than regular straws and can suck up a little bit of semi-solid stuff. I think they still have them. My sister ate a lot of milkshakes, some with protein powder, and she made lots of things that she just put in the blender -- omelets, pasta with sauce (over cook the noodles and blend with the sauce; you can add extra tomato sauce to thin or add heavy cream), oatmeal, cream of wheat, whatever. If she could find something palatable to thin it with, she'd blend it and eat it. It is important to have it be as liquid as possible. Little chunks flying up through a straw increase the risk of choking, so you want him to be careful. There are also all those great fruit and veggie smoothies now (Naked, Odwalla, etc) so he'll have that option as well. He's going to be hungry, though. Poor kid.

    I'll be praying.

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  13. I will be praying for Jason. I must admit I am not surprised about the jaw wiring-being a nurse I was more surprised that it wasn't. However, since just delivered moms are my specialty I wasn't for sure. There is of course the usual Boost and Ensure drinks, but you may want to try smoothies because you can get a lot of variety there. Those drinkable yogurts if he likes yogurt. Also cream based soups, potato, cheese, chicken etc. I hope that helps!

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  14. Oh Sonia . . I am so sorry! My best friend in high school had to have this done as well. I will message her and see if she has any tips or suggestions. When I saw her in the hospital I brought McD's shakes for her. Praying for him!

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  15. I would find a great soup cookbook and use it. Anything in there can likely be blended and that way he can at least sometimes get a new flavor. I know that the monotony of the diet was a big emotional drain at times. This way you can learn the flavorings without necessarily blending a cheeseburger. Now all you need is a giant straw to add to your wall.

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  16. refried beans thinned down with sour cream in the blender and tomato soup were the only non sweet food i could stomach while on a liquid diet for TMJ/trigeminal neuropathy. I wrote slim slow that they should add a turkey dinner flavor! Hardest part for me was finding things that were NOT sweet. There are also protein powders to add calories. I felt true hunger... humbling. Try to balance out the boosts and milkshakes with non sweet and protein filled sips. Will help avoid stomachaches and glucose peaks and valleys! Extra prayers for your family.

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  17. PediaSure,'generic brand Pediatric Drink are good high calOrie drinks. There is also a powder called DuoCal which can be ordered at any pharmacy to be added to liquids, soups, yogurts. It's tasteless and adds no texture and I think adds 25 calories per scoop.

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  18. Definitely PRAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  19. So sad to hear the jaw had to be wired- it's not fun :-(, but I also admit I was surprised when they were going to wait.. Long story in a nutshell, I had mine wired for 2 years! (jaw issues-total joint replacements that had to be 'removed' due to FDA pulling the joint replacements off the market due to major problems & damage they were causing to the bones, so I technically had 'no jaw joints for 2 years until they devised something. As a result-I was on a liquid diet for 2 years. So, I am speaking as someone who has lived the 'jaws wired for an extended time & as a nurse, who also had contact with patients. Anyway-most of the suggestions above hit on the best options. There are the protein & fat content powders that you can mix with ice cream, fruits, etc. which can be found in health/nutrition stores or on line. Part of the 'struggle' is 'mental' in that, as an adult, you don't think of 'eating meat, potatoes, etc. blended, so it tends to be 'tough to accept'. Depending on how 'tight' the wires are placed- I know folks that when absolutely craving 'meat'-ate very, very, VERY finely shredded strands of chicken, fish, etc, but that depends on the tightness of the wires. But the very finely shredded stuff, they were able to get it past the wires, 'savor' the taste of the food and then swallow.(It was so finely shredded that there was essentially no risk of chocking'. Unfortunately, alot of it is going to be trial & error. Prayers for a speedy recover. PAM.

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  20. Sorry- after posting above-remembered another 'trick'. To increase the variety, add 'honey, cinnamon,mint, yogurt & other spices/ingredients to provide a change in 'flavor. (As someone previously mentioned oatmeal, you can add the banana, or other fruits to it & toss in the blender.) Also, you can add spinach or kale to before blending. The 'main ingredients' will mask the taste (if he's not a fan of spinach/kale) but it provides alot of important nutrients. Lastly-alot of patients, with wired jaws, experience problems with their 'GI regularity, since they don't get their normal fiber + pain medication can cause constipation. Some folks found it helpful to drink the prune juice & really increase their water intake-to avoid any 'going' problems. PAM

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  21. Sams has Muscle Milk and Chill has protein powder to add. I can get both tomorrow, just let me know!
    Danette

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  22. I think the wiring is a good idea...not fun, but better in the long run.
    I 2nd the Vitamix...wonderful machine
    No recipes for you, but just prayers

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  23. So sorry to hear that! And I know kinda how you feel. Lily weighed 24 lbs. when we brought her home (and still only weighs about 26) and when she had to have both her palate surgeries it was so discouraging because I knew she would lose the weight she started to put on. I don't have much to offer that hasn't already been said (peanut butter and potatoes with butter), but I will be praying for you all.

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  24. Awww...Hope he's okay!!!!
    I have trouble gaining weight and my secret has been adding fat, like extra virgin coconut oil, avokado oli, walnut oil etc, to my smoothies.
    Here's my fave smoothie recipe at the moment: soy youghurt, dates, almonds, walnut oil and cardamom. It is super yummy and high in protein too!

    -H

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  25. I broke my jaw when I was a kid. They did not wire my jaw but should have. It caused damage to cartilage etc from moving while healing. I did eat through a straw for 6 weeks and do not recommend putting meals in a blender to serve. Spaghetti is not good blended.

    From Sam (Gina's best friend)

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  26. I was wired shut for 2 thanksgivings and 2 Christmas'... i was loose enough to where I could eat the meat from Tacos, I don't like soup at all so there wasn't much of a selection for me other then pudding, yogurt, smoothies, mashed potatoes, I even ate baby food! I actually gained 10 pounds while I was wired shut! Just to let you know though..It's gonna be miserable! he's gonna get so hungry at first. The nice little tidbit of info though is to get a waterpik since he won't be able to brush his teeth very well for awhile! they're amazing!

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  27. Praying, praying, praying. Carnation instant breakfast is a good booster--google recipes for liquid diet--you will find lots.

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  28. I know he is a BIG boy.. but I can't help but thanks ahhh your sweet baby!! Poor kiddo :O(. I am so sorry this happened! Baked potato soup can be made thinner with milk, I bet that would work great!

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  29. Rats. My Dad had his jaw wired shut for 3 months. It was not fun, but he did make it.

    I will tell you what my Mom did: she pureed everything she cooked normally. Some you would think would be awful my Dad liked, while other things he hated. Meat was yuck he said no matter what but veggies not as bad and casserole-type dishes OK. He drank a LOT of milkshakes b/c that always tasted good to him. He also liked soups a lot b/c even pureed, they still tasted sort of like the original recipe. My Dad ate baby food too as someone else mentioned.

    I'm so sorry for your son having to go through this. :(((

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  30. Wanted to pass this along... told my husband about your situation- where he works individuals often get broken jaws, that have to be wired shut (I know, I know- strange). To meet the dietary needs- they often blend peanut butter, bananas, and vanilla ice cream. Lots of protein, calories- and not bad tasting (or so my husband says). They will change it around with vanilla pudding... Hope this helps.

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  31. Saying prayers dear friend. So sorry there wasn't an easier solution.

    I hate to cook so you don't even want any ideas from me!

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  32. Pumping up my daughter after her cleft surgeries we pureed lots of butter and whipcream which we added to her "meals". Applesauce, yogurt and mashed potatoes w/ gravy? Oh my, I feel for you! Sometimes this stuff is harder on mama's than the kiddos. HUGS!

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