Wednesday, the 29th of May, I walked into my surgeon's office. "I want to hear I can eat today, that's all I'm here for!" I said to the doc. "I appreciate your blunt honesty" Dr replies with a chuckle.
After some 'hello's' and 'how are you's', the Dr does some measurements and the assistant writes them down. He then grabs a wooden stick and has me tap my teeth against it then bite down on it, on both sides..
"Yep, you can eat" he says!
HALLELUJAH THAT IS SWEET, JOYFUL, MUSIC TO MY EARS!!
IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE!!
My favorite place to eat is PF Chang's. Santa Barbara is quite confused on their priorities because there is no PF Chang's for MILES. (Dr's office is in Santa Barbara) So, another favorite is CPK (California Pizza Kitchen). And no, I do not go there for the pizza. I don't really like pizza. I went for the Mediterranean Focaccia bread and Chicken Piccata! And oh my heck it was heavenly! Wow, I just loved and loved every second of it!! FINALLY, something other than a soup or smoothie! 10 weeks.. 10 WEEKS of straight puréed diet! Nothing but a soup or smoothie! Aye yi yi I am SO over those two items!
I kept swallowing without chewing. Just habit. It's like my mouth doesn't quite know what to do. It is a bit difficult. I can only open my mouth half way. Right now I am at 22cm and full range is 43cm (give or take, I dont remember the exact #). So I still have to shove and squeeze my food in, then its difficult to chew because I can't open my mouth enough to get the food in between my teeth all the way. Add to that the fact that all muscles are extremely stiff and I am still numb inside and outside of my mouth. So I chew like a cow. And I'm not complaining! Because I actually GET to chew! And I get variety! SO much variety! It's amazing and I'm lovin' it!! I loved food before surgery and I love it even more now. I didn't think that was possible. I also have a new appreciation for food and it drives me nuts when I see a perfectly good piece of food going to waste. AH!
I've done really well pacing myself when I eat to not stuff myself so full I get sick. I'm quite surprised actually hah. I just listen to my body and stomach and when I am satisfied, I stop. I so badly want to keep eating because its SO dang delicious , but I don't, because I know if I do I will be sick and get into a habit of eating more than my body needs. And luckily it doesn't really hurt when I eat. My muscles will get sore from all the hard work (yes it is totally hard work for my mouth right now haha), but it lasts just a short while. I thought it would be worse.. so yay for that!
My mom got me a little celebratory gift bag which included:
soft chew Chips Ahoy choc. chip cookies
chocolate drops with vanilla filled middle
chocolate creams with choc. creme in the middle
a box of pasta noodles
and a super yummy sauce to go with it
AND
no celebration is complete without CONFETTI CUPCAKES! And confetti frosting of course.
D to the VINE. Those cupcakes are always, always delicious and always, always make my heart happy!
Later that night for dessert we had frozen yogurt and I was able to eat my favorite toppings: cheesecake squares. Which is odd because I don't like cheesecake. However, after eating those little squares every now and then and being on purée diet for so long, I don't think I would deny a piece! :) My nephew, Cohen, came with us down to Cali for my appointment. Just for fun. Just to have some alone time and fun time with me and Mam'ma and Papa. He is 9 and never stops talking. So funny for a boy. I kid you not, this adorable little man is CONSTANTLY talking. If he isn't talking to anyone in particular he is just mumbling and speaking the thoughts in his head out loud. He hums when he eats and whistles, hums or sings when he walks. It's quite entertaining to watch. And when you need a little moment of silence from the gabber, he is really good at turning on his "mute button". Haha, we had fun with him on our short little eating trip. Because that's what it was. An eating trip! And Co's little growing body that always wants to eat was just perfect to bring along. :)
The next morning we went to a place called Joe's Cafe. Back in January, when we went on our 'trip from hell' we ate there. (re-cap: this was the trip that just about everything that could go wrong, went wrong.. dad's computer fell out of the car and broke. The car broke down and had to be towed. Dad waited 2 hours for the tow truck which kept saying he was a half an hour away. Surgery was canceled because I got a sinus infection. Rental car was the size of my shoe. Mom had a panic attack over that). So when things go from bad to worse what can ya do? LAUGH. That's what. So that's what we did. My mom, dad, Tyson and I sure had a wonderful time just laughing and laughing at the domino affect of misfortune on that trip. That morning we went out to breakfast at Joe's. I had the chorizo. I remember loving it and I had been craving it so that was my choice for breakfast when I was cleared to eat soft foods! Unfortunately the chorizo was too hard. I got tiny little snippets of it, but I could still taste it in my food and the rest of my breakfast was just wonderful. Second thing I had been craving was In n Out. Still can't eat their burgers so I got animal style fries. Lightly cooked and extra spread to make them soft and mushy and boy where they amazing! If you're wondering what animal style is- I feel sorry for you right about now- it makes In n Out's burgers and fries so much better! Animal style on their fries is spread, cheese, and grilled chopped onions spread over the top. And on their burgers its the spread, grilled onions and pickles added. And if you're wondering what 'spread' is then you live under a rock and I am not explaining that one! In n Out has a small secret menu..just google it. That's my answer to anything I don't know.. google it. And my answer to any sadness or illness- long hot shower/bath. Works for me every time!
Oh! You know what is so cool? I can bite my food! Like a real bite. It makes that perfect 'C' shape in the food too! A can actually bite my food and it breaks it clean. It's so weird. It amazes me. I have not been able to do that for YEARS. Before surgery I had what they call an 'open bite'. Which means when I bite down, my teeth in the back are touching, but my teeth in the front are far from it. I would bite all the way down and with my back teeth touching, I would be able to stick my tongue all the way out of my mouth through the gap between my top and bottom teeth. So I couldn't eat sandwiches, pizza, tacos, burger etc. because when I would bite down, everything in the middle would pull right out. Or the whole thing would just slide right now. Are you getting the picture in your head? Not pretty, not fun, super annoying and frustrating. So I resorted to tearing my food apart with my teeth best I could.. like a wolf. Yup, I ate like a wolf with a mess all over my face. Sure was pretty I tell ya! Not. So this whole being able to bite thing is so great for me and I love it!
Okay.. are you ready for the highlight of the trip? We were walking down to the beach after dinner. We were noticing the sidewalk was extremely splotchy.. remnants of millions of bird poop. I look above us and see lots of nests and white fluffy birds. "Look at the nests and white birds mom", SPLAT!! She screams, I scream. Surely it was just a berry that has fallen and hit us. Guess again. Bird poop! In my moms hair, her arm and the corner of her EYE! Mom instantly drops to the floor laughing, Cohen, dad and I bust up. We were all dying. It was absolutely hilarious! Luckily, the hotel was close, we just walked back to take care of the mess. My poor mother is the random one who gets hit by foul balls and bird poop! HAHA! Good thing she is such a good sport! Why get mad about it? What is that going to do but ruin your mood and day? It's funny, let it be funny! I've learned that from her.
Well I've got many more days of blissful eating ahead of me and you better believe I am going to enjoy and savor every single bite!! And of course mom and I documented in pictures my first meal...enjoy:
I kept swallowing without chewing. Just habit. It's like my mouth doesn't quite know what to do. It is a bit difficult. I can only open my mouth half way. Right now I am at 22cm and full range is 43cm (give or take, I dont remember the exact #). So I still have to shove and squeeze my food in, then its difficult to chew because I can't open my mouth enough to get the food in between my teeth all the way. Add to that the fact that all muscles are extremely stiff and I am still numb inside and outside of my mouth. So I chew like a cow. And I'm not complaining! Because I actually GET to chew! And I get variety! SO much variety! It's amazing and I'm lovin' it!! I loved food before surgery and I love it even more now. I didn't think that was possible. I also have a new appreciation for food and it drives me nuts when I see a perfectly good piece of food going to waste. AH!
I've done really well pacing myself when I eat to not stuff myself so full I get sick. I'm quite surprised actually hah. I just listen to my body and stomach and when I am satisfied, I stop. I so badly want to keep eating because its SO dang delicious , but I don't, because I know if I do I will be sick and get into a habit of eating more than my body needs. And luckily it doesn't really hurt when I eat. My muscles will get sore from all the hard work (yes it is totally hard work for my mouth right now haha), but it lasts just a short while. I thought it would be worse.. so yay for that!
My mom got me a little celebratory gift bag which included:
soft chew Chips Ahoy choc. chip cookies
chocolate drops with vanilla filled middle
chocolate creams with choc. creme in the middle
a box of pasta noodles
and a super yummy sauce to go with it
AND
no celebration is complete without CONFETTI CUPCAKES! And confetti frosting of course.
D to the VINE. Those cupcakes are always, always delicious and always, always make my heart happy!
Later that night for dessert we had frozen yogurt and I was able to eat my favorite toppings: cheesecake squares. Which is odd because I don't like cheesecake. However, after eating those little squares every now and then and being on purée diet for so long, I don't think I would deny a piece! :) My nephew, Cohen, came with us down to Cali for my appointment. Just for fun. Just to have some alone time and fun time with me and Mam'ma and Papa. He is 9 and never stops talking. So funny for a boy. I kid you not, this adorable little man is CONSTANTLY talking. If he isn't talking to anyone in particular he is just mumbling and speaking the thoughts in his head out loud. He hums when he eats and whistles, hums or sings when he walks. It's quite entertaining to watch. And when you need a little moment of silence from the gabber, he is really good at turning on his "mute button". Haha, we had fun with him on our short little eating trip. Because that's what it was. An eating trip! And Co's little growing body that always wants to eat was just perfect to bring along. :)
The next morning we went to a place called Joe's Cafe. Back in January, when we went on our 'trip from hell' we ate there. (re-cap: this was the trip that just about everything that could go wrong, went wrong.. dad's computer fell out of the car and broke. The car broke down and had to be towed. Dad waited 2 hours for the tow truck which kept saying he was a half an hour away. Surgery was canceled because I got a sinus infection. Rental car was the size of my shoe. Mom had a panic attack over that). So when things go from bad to worse what can ya do? LAUGH. That's what. So that's what we did. My mom, dad, Tyson and I sure had a wonderful time just laughing and laughing at the domino affect of misfortune on that trip. That morning we went out to breakfast at Joe's. I had the chorizo. I remember loving it and I had been craving it so that was my choice for breakfast when I was cleared to eat soft foods! Unfortunately the chorizo was too hard. I got tiny little snippets of it, but I could still taste it in my food and the rest of my breakfast was just wonderful. Second thing I had been craving was In n Out. Still can't eat their burgers so I got animal style fries. Lightly cooked and extra spread to make them soft and mushy and boy where they amazing! If you're wondering what animal style is- I feel sorry for you right about now- it makes In n Out's burgers and fries so much better! Animal style on their fries is spread, cheese, and grilled chopped onions spread over the top. And on their burgers its the spread, grilled onions and pickles added. And if you're wondering what 'spread' is then you live under a rock and I am not explaining that one! In n Out has a small secret menu..just google it. That's my answer to anything I don't know.. google it. And my answer to any sadness or illness- long hot shower/bath. Works for me every time!
Oh! You know what is so cool? I can bite my food! Like a real bite. It makes that perfect 'C' shape in the food too! A can actually bite my food and it breaks it clean. It's so weird. It amazes me. I have not been able to do that for YEARS. Before surgery I had what they call an 'open bite'. Which means when I bite down, my teeth in the back are touching, but my teeth in the front are far from it. I would bite all the way down and with my back teeth touching, I would be able to stick my tongue all the way out of my mouth through the gap between my top and bottom teeth. So I couldn't eat sandwiches, pizza, tacos, burger etc. because when I would bite down, everything in the middle would pull right out. Or the whole thing would just slide right now. Are you getting the picture in your head? Not pretty, not fun, super annoying and frustrating. So I resorted to tearing my food apart with my teeth best I could.. like a wolf. Yup, I ate like a wolf with a mess all over my face. Sure was pretty I tell ya! Not. So this whole being able to bite thing is so great for me and I love it!
Okay.. are you ready for the highlight of the trip? We were walking down to the beach after dinner. We were noticing the sidewalk was extremely splotchy.. remnants of millions of bird poop. I look above us and see lots of nests and white fluffy birds. "Look at the nests and white birds mom", SPLAT!! She screams, I scream. Surely it was just a berry that has fallen and hit us. Guess again. Bird poop! In my moms hair, her arm and the corner of her EYE! Mom instantly drops to the floor laughing, Cohen, dad and I bust up. We were all dying. It was absolutely hilarious! Luckily, the hotel was close, we just walked back to take care of the mess. My poor mother is the random one who gets hit by foul balls and bird poop! HAHA! Good thing she is such a good sport! Why get mad about it? What is that going to do but ruin your mood and day? It's funny, let it be funny! I've learned that from her.
Well I've got many more days of blissful eating ahead of me and you better believe I am going to enjoy and savor every single bite!! And of course mom and I documented in pictures my first meal...enjoy:
10 weeks after surgery- 10! that seems like forever but feels like not forever ago
checking bite
Co-Dawg
this is as much emotion as I can show at this point. still numb. still stiff. just got the "go ahead" for soft chew diet!!! YAY!!!
on our way to dinner
parental units
handsome boy
my little gift :)
JUMP FOR JOY!
what was inside my gift
Mediterranean Focaccia- so so good!!
Chicken Piccata- heavenly goodness
before..
after.. think I did pretty good!
first bite, first chew. laughing and enjoying
confetti cupcakes!!
pure satisfaction
splotchy sidewalk..
bird poop
bird poop
we found an amphitheater
loungin' lion
