The typical progression of textures after jaw surgery is thin liquids, thick liquids, purees, soft foods, and then finally solid or regular textured food.
Depending on your type of jaw surgery, surgeon, and rate of healing, you'll spend a different amount of time in each of these phases.
Here is my suggested list of things to buy to prepare and eat your food after jaw surgery:
A good blender. A blender with preferably multiple single serve attachments. For example, if you're making a smoothie, it doesn't make sense to blend it in a 72 oz (9 cup) tall blender, it makes more sense to blend it in a 16 oz (2 cup) single serve blender. I only used the tall blender when I made large batches of food to freeze.
Syringes / condiment bottles / squeeze bottles. In the first days to weeks after surgery, most jaw surgery patients find it easiest to use a combination of these products to get their liquid nutrition in. It honestly comes down to personal preference. I used syringes with catheter tips (provided by the hospital) for the first 4-5 days post-op and then started drinking/slurping from a normal glass. I didn't have good luck with the condiment bottles (despite other patients swearing by them) and I didn't even know that the squeeze bottles existed until weeks after surgery.
TIP: I recommend having separate syringes/bottles for sweet vs. savoury/salty foods. Despite washing the syringes really well in between uses, I could still taste the garlic from my thinned lentil soup when drinking my chocolate Ensure later in the day... YUCK! I labelled my syringes with a permanent marker. You could also keep one just for water too.
NOTE: Technically it's recommended to only use syringes for 3 days before throwing them out for food safety reasons. It's also recommended to store them in the fridge in between uses (after washing them well with warm soapy water) to prevent bacterial growth.
Baby spoons. When you're ready for puree textured food, baby spoons are perfect. Unlike regular spoons, baby spoons are smaller and the curve is not as deep, so you don't have to open your mouth very wide to fit them in. I also appreciated that the baby spoons I purchased turned white when the food was too hot. It's sound silly, but because most of my palate, gums, and half of my tongue were all numb, I was at risk for burning myself if my purees were too hot!
Vanity mirror. I'm 5 weeks post-op today and I still like to look in a mirror while eating. Why? My lips and chin are still numb. Numb lips mean it's hard to know where to aim the cup or spoon, and a numb chin means I don't feel drips until it's too late!
I hope this list helps you as you're prepping for your surgery!
Talk soon,
- Monica, the Jaw Surgery Dietitian
P.S. Are you Canadian? Cool, me too! If you're looking for additional food and nutrition support in your journey and you're a resident of one of the following provinces, feel free to reach out for an online appointment. I'm able to work with patients in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Contact me here!