The Panic Button
Over the past week I noticed that Jaws Wired Shut has started receiving visitors via searches for things like “jaw wired shut” and “jaw wiring” and “jaw wired shut what not to do.” And I am grateful for the mention on Diner’s Journal, as it has not only connected me to lots of wonderful new readers, but also to many other broken jaw and non-chewing patients looking for resources and recipes, as well as past patients who have assured me with their great advice that this is not, in fact, the end of the world.
Whatever brings you here, welcome. And an especially heartfelt welcome to my fellow patients and their caretakers. I know. This is not fun. Take a deep breath. Maybe it would help to look at some puppies?
I, too, spent much of the first week — and the second — trying to hit the Internet version of the panic button that is obsessive googling. But the Internet is a weird place, and it only gets weirder when you step into its vortex of health and medical information.
So while it is my hope that you find this entire blog useful, maybe even an entertaining distraction, this post gathers in one place some practical information to help orient and reassure you. I’ll keep updating this with new resources as I find them. Leave a comment or contact me if you have a suggestion to add.
Jaws Wired Shut recipe index:
- Red Velvet Milkshake
- Coconut Milkshake
- Peach and Honey Milkshake
- Banana Bread Milkshake
- Ricotta and Honey
- Strawberry Ice Cream
- Peach Ice Cream
- Banana and Avocado Shake
- Nutella Banana Smoothie
- Rice Pudding
- Blueberry-Banana Almond Smoothie
- Watermelon-Cucumber Smoothie
- Kale Smoothie and Juice
- Beet Salad Smoothie
- Cauliflower Gratin Puree
- Kohlrabi and Carrot Puree
- Cucumber, Capers, and Ricotta Puree
- Carrot Ginger Puree
- Whipped Sweet Sweet Potatoes
- Gazpacho
- Bulgarian Cucumber Soup
- Broccoli Soup
- Bouktouf
- Spinach Curry
- Creamless Creamed Spinach
- Cauliflower Almond Puree
- Summer Squash Pesto
- Black Eyed Peas and Greens
The teachable moments (mistakes you may replicate at your own risk):
Recipe resources:
- Sippity Sup!: What’s worse than breaking your jaw and becoming a food blogger? Meet Greg, a food blogger who broke his jaw (coincidentally, about a week after me). Peruse the July 2009 archives to find a treasure trove of gourmet summer recipes that are wired jaw friendly, and then subscribe to his blog so you’ll have lots of awesome things to eat when you start to chew again. I only wish I’d known about creamed corn with chili ricotta soup sooner.
- A MetaFilter thread with a ton of ideas, many concerned with getting enough protein. I can’t vouch for the culinary quality of suggestions here, but they come from people who have been in our position.
- Recipes from NetWellness: Unfortunately, these read like they are straight from a hospital cafeteria (what do expect from a university health center website?), but they do give you a good handle on the blender ratio of liquids to real food.
- The I-Can’t-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft Diet Recipes for People with Chewing, Swallowing, and Dry Mouth Disorders
: If you’re going to be wired for a long time and/or figuring out what to eat is going to significantly add to your stress, I really think the investment in a cookbook might be worth it. Amazon carries several; this one is a fraction of the cost of a case of Ensure, and it will teach you to make things that taste a lot better.
Thanks to my fellow educator and food lover, Karen, who heard of my plight on Twitter a few weeks ago and immediately rushed these links to me.
Online nutrition tools:
- DailyBurn.com: tracking tools for body, nutrition, and workouts.
- Nutrition Data: know what you eat.
- LiveStrong.com: Created by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to be “the definitive daily health, fitness and lifestyle destination.”
(I’m working on a separate post reviewing the use of these tools while on a blender diet.)
Advice from others who have been there:
- Two commenters share their experiences: one after a car accident, including sage advice about post-wire dental care, another on what to eat and how to prepare for real food again.
- For vegans on the blender diet, check out Adam’s comment on JWS, and Shock and Jaw, which documents his own healing.
- The Jaw Struck Diva is an opera singer who endured an injury mid-performance. Her blog chronicles her experiences of injury and recovery from the perspective of someone who puts her jaw joints and muscles to professional use.
- A really helpful article detailing one woman’s experience, including everything from the obvious, like nutrition and exercise, to the easily forgotten, like relearning how to chew and remembering to do your hair.
