Which doesn't mean that I'm not always preparing in case I suddenly become a shrinking violet.
Take my recent oral surgery. Given how I squirmed, sweated, and generally freaked out at my last teeth cleaning, I was sure that I'd finally found my achilles heel - in my mouth. (Not the first time, some might say).
The prep for getting all 4 teeth removed began early - the first time I chickened out and postponed the surgery. Sheer nerves got the best of me and I called with a fictional work trip. Then, of course... a REAL work trip came up and I elected to postpone again.
Between our gala at work, Leesil's graduation, impending trips to New York and San Francisco, I just never knew when I would find the time to potentially be laid up for a week.
But once I bailed out on a conference I was looking forward to, I decided that I wouldn't postpone it any longer... May 14th at 2 pm.... my teeth were coming out.
I read everything I could, made shopping lists, stocked up on pain-relieving herbs (at Whole Foods, people!), and began taking steps to ensure I would have a healthy recovery.
My criteria for food was simple: I wanted to prepare it at home, rather than rely on packaged products - out of some insane fear that preservatives would enter my system much quicker through the open wounds in my mouth.
They had to be foods that I liked, but not too much, in case I got sick and threw them up.
Therefore, split pea soup was in; guacamole was out.
Last, but certainly not least, it had to be prepared ahead of time in case I was too ill to cook.
Here are some of the foods that fit that criteria; they're a lot healthier than the milkshakes and Taco Bell bean burritos most interweb folks seemed to live on.
1. The abovementioned split pea soup:
I soaked the peas two nights before the surgery. The night before, I cooked them with some japanese dried herbs, a huge diced onion, some carrots and lots of garlic. I simmered it for a few hours, then pureed it all in the blender. Then pureed it some more. It was seriously the best split pea soup I've ever made and I have a feeling that it really spurred me on to a speedy recovery.
2. Blueberry and pineapple smoothies:
Pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain that is most commonly used in meat tenderizers. However, it also has super-powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which I'd read would help the swelling. The first thing I ate was a bowl of pureed oj, blueberries and pineapple. Rather than sip it from a glass, I used a spoon since I didn't want to put too much suction pressure on my mouth. It was heaven and I continued to drink the same mix twice a day.
3. Steamed sweet potatoes:
Sweet potatoes often seem like a "special occasion" dish to me. They take forever to bake, they're messy and difficult to peel, and the best way to eat them is mashed with tons of sweet stuff. For some reason, I feel that they're healthier than white potatoes, and I try to eat them as often as possible. Now that I've discovered the easiest way in the world to prepare them, we probably eat them once every few weeks.
Quite simple: Use one of those cheap-ass veggie peelers from Ikea to strip the peel away. Save the peel for veggie stock. While you're peeling, bring a pot of water with about three inches of water in it to a boil. While water's coming to a boil, chop the potatoes into 2 in. chunks.
Pull out your rarely-used bamboo or bear-trap looking steamer, place in the pot of water, put the sweet potato chunks in the steamer, cover, and come back in 10-15 minutes. You'll have yummy, glistening orange chunks of goodness - all ready to eat! Season as you wish, but unless I'm using them in a recipe, I usually just eat them as is to enjoy the crazy flavors bursting out.
4. Mashed potatoes:
Of course. When else is it okay to eat mashed potatoes for breakfast? After the second day, when I was a bit tired of mashed foods, I lightly fried the mashed potatoes and ate them that way.
5. Bananas:
Easy to gum - what can I say.
6. Frozen ice stuff:
Make or buy what you want. I got sick of sweets pretty quickly, so I didn't eat to much of this, but it was nice to have it on hand.
7. Tomato soup:
My ultimate comfort food. I had it for breakfast the Sunday after my surgery and wondered why I don't eat it first thing in the morning more often. I love making my own tomato soup, but for this, I just got one of those squeeze boxes of Imagine soup.
8. Avocados:
Once I knew that I'd keep down food, I sliced them and nibbled on them throughout the day.
9. Vegan cheese and bean quesadillas:
Easy to make, and if you don't let the tortillas crisp too much, very easy on your mouth. I had some salsa in the fridge, and I just stuck it in the food processor for a few minutes to make it nice and smooth. Then I chilled it in the fridge for a bit - I love the contrast between the warm, oozy tortilla and the crisp chill of the salsa.
There you have it. Not the most healthy diet I've lived on, but certainly not the worst. It was all easy to make, and I really believe that it helped me recover so quickly.
Here's a breakdown:
Thursday: surgery
Later that night (after 5 percocets): small bowl of smoothie
Friday: smoothie in the morning, pea soup for lunch, quesadilla for dinner
Saturday: smoothie for breakfast, both kinds of potatoes for lunch, and quesadilla for dinner. Banana and smoothie in the evening.
Sunday: tomato soup in the morning and smoothie in the morning, probably some sweet potatoes for lunch, more split pea soup for dinner.
Every single person is different, but here's a timeline of how I felt.
Thursday: ugh... a lost day - probably due to the 5 percocets. I slept off and on all day, and got a bit nauseous later in the evening. The bleeding tapered off in the early evening.
Friday: a bit groggy, but by mid-afternoon I was feeling a bit better. I took one Tylenol 3 in the morning, and that was it for the painkillers.
Saturday: still swollen, but my mouth felt fine. Took the dog for a long walk in Rock Creek Park, and even ran a bit. I took care to keep my teeth clenched firmly so that nothing rattled out:)
Sunday: my mouth felt a tiny bit tender and one side is still pretty swollen. I can open my mouth wide and wiggle my jaw back and forth with just a twinge of pain.
I think that if I can make it through tomorrow without any more pain, I'll be out of the woods. I still fear the dreaded dry socket and probably won't rest easy until day 5 (Tuesday).
As much as I dreaded it, having my teeth pulled didn't seem like a big deal. Actually, let me clarify. Getting the teeth pulled was a huge deal; the recovery was fairly painless.
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