tidbits

new tasty spoonfuls:

I've done this before, but found out today that I can do variations of it by adding strawberries, and other fruits (& veggies?)
Our family is BIG into baked sweet potatoes. Just scrub them clean and rinse thoroughly so that there's no dirt on the skin (the skins have tons of vitamins and fiber, so you should try to eat them if you can...I can't right now). Then just cut off the tips (just like the point parts) at both ends, b/c that's where dirt likes to stick. And roast/bake in the oven at around 400 degrees Celsius until they're soft when poked w/ a fork.
Cool baked sweet potatoes.
I take one medium to large sweet potato that's soft to the touch, peel it (it should be very easy, as the insides shrink a little and the skin is already mostly detached) and toss into a blender. I add a spoonful of honey, to taste, so if you don't like to too sweet or don't like honey, it's optional. And add a dash of milk, I estimate about 1/4 cup to begin with, depending on how sticky or soupy you want your tasty spoonfuls. Blend together, pulse and stop to make sure the blades are getting to it. I need to bang the thing around and push it towards the blades, etc. a few times. Add more milk if you think it needs some help.
EAT with a dainty spoon.

I still get food all over my lips when I eat b/c I can't open my mouth big enough and b/c I can't stick my tongue out to lick up stuff, and if the food is left on parts of my lips that lack sensation then I just don't know about it. So I always keep a napkin or tissue or paper towel near by to wipe after each bite or every few bites. This is also why I can't handle spicy foods yet, my lips get burnt and tingly when hot stuff is left on it and it's painful on my yet-open wounds.

I want to eat more successfully.

The problem with me is that I can't really eat very much w/out getting those gag reflexes. I'm guessing that the cap is at 100 calories. I should try to keep track. But I know it's not even close to what used to make me feel full before the surgery. I don't know if I can finish a bottle of Ensure in one go, but I knew I couldn't since the day I returned from the hospital. That was almost 3 weeks ago (I came home on the Sunday after my Thursday surgery). I thought I couldn't drink a whole Ensure at once was b/c I could barely sit up for 10 minutes to down the stuff and I had even more limited swallowing as my face was so swollen it invaded the insides of my mouth and I could barely swallow my spit and blood. I was still bleeding for a week at home, from my nose, down my throat and in my mouth. I also had infestations of what I took as mucous, which indeed some proved to be when some of the bloody mucous came loose when I gargled (against better judgement). Yuck, right? Yeah.
This is why I despise most food that I try to consume. I try pureeing things and if I can't get whatever portion I had determined to swallow down fast enough, that's the end of that meal. I've eaten like 5 times today, but I don't know if I have 1000 calories in me today. It hasn't been a good consumption day, and I'm sitting here on my bed, occasionally glaring at the mere 3 teaspoons of strawberry-puree-infused sweet potato "tasty spoonfuls." It's taunting me but I don't have the heart, or more accurately, the stomach to try to finish it yet. Maybe in another half hour...when I should be getting to bed...with some water or juice to help it along.
I also started getting picky w/ my spoonfull of guacamole I mix in w/ the grains and veggies soup-puree I try to eat every day. I pushed out the onion bits w/ my tongue...they've been bothering me but I've been just swallowing them up until now. Everything's getting on my nerves when I eat. And the fact that my parents ate out and brought back some Chinese food isn't making me too happy...b/c I can't even fit one piece of anything into my mouth yet.

Anyone else who's had this type of surgery find it difficult to eat and keep food down?