Jaw Surgery Forums » Post-Surgery and Recovery Questions

2 questions: Diet and Breathing

(4 posts)

  1. Gordon
    Member

    Hi fellow jaw surgery blog posters,

    I just had double jaw surgery + genioplasty + septum straightening on may 9 so I am 8 days post op. I'd have to say so far so good! The pain doesn't bother me at all, and I've stopped taking my liquid codeine for the past 3 days!

    The only concerns I have are my breathing and my diet.

    1. Breathing. Probably my only issue with this whole recovery. When my nostrils get blocked, I tend to breathe a lot harder. So hard that I have to think to consciously breathe and it becomes a tad claustrophobic. It turns out that blockages stem from mucus development + minor blood clotting in my nasal passages. As we all know blowing your nose is a no no. I suggested my neti pot to my surgeon and he said definitely not. What are some suggestions that you guys have to maintain clear nasal passages? When my nose is clear the world is 200X Better and I sleep for hours effortlessly. Right now I use hydrogen peroxide on q tips to break up the blood and then gently blow out one nostril at a time. I was wondering what other methods are available.

    2. Diet. I'm stil on a clear liquid Diet + a bottle of boost a day. I believe I'm hitting the 2L liquid mark daily, but it is very trying with a 60ml syringe. Clear liquids are to keep my mucus from building up(it happens anyways as a natural process). Problem is, I am far from my adequate caloric intake and have lost about 15 pounds over these last 8 days. Any suggestions to better this?

    3. I have my first post op appointment tomorrow and I'm not entirely sure what my OS is going to do for me, if anyone can shed some light on that as well.

    Thanks everyone. I'm blogging my experience at:Double Jaw Blog

    Double Jaw Surgery + Genioplasty + Septoplasty on May 9, 2011
    I'm blogging at: http://doublejawfix.blogspot.com/
    Posted 1 year ago #

  2. redroxmysox
    Member

    HI Gordon,

    I had trouble with blocked nasal passages, and I found (and my OS deemed it acceptable as well) that saline spray works wonders. I use it about 4x a day, and it's helped loads. Just plain, Saline spray, nothing like Afrin or a congestion spray. The saline helps ot dry out the mucus and open up your nasal passages.

    I'm not sure about your diet problem. I'm in the same boat, and I'm not on a clear diet, just a liquid one. Even with eating a chocolate and PB shake every afternoon, I've already lost 12 lbs in 13 days, so I've been trying to do everything.

    Oh, and something that might help with a phlegm problem (if you have one) if 7Up. I got the advice from another user on here (thewife) who told me to use it to clear up phlegm, and it's worked wonders. Only 7Up though, not Mountain Dew or Pepsi or any other carbonated drink. I guess it has something to do with the amount of carbonation in 7UP.

    Not sure if that helped at all, but I do hope you feel better soon.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  3. Gordon
    Member

    Hey redroxmysox,

    Thanks for the advice. I will check out some saline spray later on today and see if it works, sounds like a great idea.

    I just went to see my surgeon today(8 days post op) and I'm on one elastic on each side of my mouth, opening my mouth for the first time is the oddest sensation ever. My surgeon said I can eat anything that I can fit into my mouth, so I'm going to move from clear liquid to blended stuff today, hopefully it will help me put in some calories. I will also try that 7up tip, and report on it later. I don't think I have any 7 up handy, but I did used to drink a lot of mountain dew lol.

    Okay, let's put the magic bullet to work.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  4. Gordon
    Member

    Just a few updates:

    1. I was unwired 12 days post op and it helped me breathe through my mouth. My nose also started clearing up around that time. Breathing is no longer an issue.

    2. My OS said that I could probably get my splint out by day 21.

    3. I'm eating a lot of smoothies and yoghurt right now. It's a lot easier to swallow foods when you can open your teeth. It allows for a lot more space in your mouth and therefore less spills out when you are ingesting via syringe.

    Posted 12 months ago #

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