Re: Solution for Ensure haters, update and question

December 20, 2004

how about going to GNC and buying some weight gainer....that provides

either 1850 or 2200 calories per serving, and it tastes good too.

Just blend with milk.

>

> Hi,

> I hated Ensure too, and, at first, I couldn't find a good high

> protein substitute, because they were all too gummy for the

syringe.

> Here is what I found in the " Healing Jaw " book. This worked. I

hate

> milk straight anyway, so I don't know what this would taste like un-

> doctored, but mixed with stuff, it was GREAT.

> Fortified Milk: 1 quart milk, 1 cup Carnation Instant Nonfat Dry

> Milk. Mix milk and powdered milk with beaters until dissolved.

> Refrigerate. The flavor will improve after several

> hours. " Fortified milk is very high in protein and nutrients. Use

> in recipes and drinks in place of regular milk to boost nutrition.

> Powdered nonfat milk adds an extra 8 grams of protein to each cup

of

> milk. 1 cup 2% milk contains 10 grams of protein. This totals a

> whopping 18 grams of protein per cup, helping to make each bite [or

> syringe push] count! Fortified milk is also a great source of

> potassium, calcium, vitamin D, and a variety of other nutrients. "

>

> Okay, now, also from the " Healing Jaw " book, here is my favorite

> drink. It was sometimes the only one I could reliably get down:

> Mocha Blast: 1 cup milk (fortified works great), 1/2 cup chocolate

> pudding (pre-made works fine), 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, 1 packet

> milk chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast, 1 and 1/2 tsps. instant

> coffee. Blend until smooth. At night, my teeth were very

sensitive

> to cold, probably because the nerves were messed up. Then, I had

to

> have thin soup, and, like some of you, it had to be THIN. Two

things

> that worked: Bean and Bacon soup blended with milk and

> worchestershire sauce, and Cream of anything soup blended with 1/4

> cup or so of Ragu cheese sauce and milk.

>

> My surgery (palate expansion, lower brought forward, and genio) was

> 11/23. I have made good progress, but am still tired often and

very

> emotional. I can take the bands off and eat anything I want. But,

> since I can still only open my mouth about half as far as I could

> before, and because I am still tender, there are definite limits to

> what I can eat. And I have a hard time managing the food in my

> mouth, because I am still numb in places. I think I just need to

be

> patient.

>

> My question has to do with mouth opening. For those of you who

> already have or who are working on solving this problem, how did

you

> do it? My OS very briefly described opening exercises, which

> basically involve prying your teeth apart with your fingers.

Okay.

> I can do that to an extent, but it hurts, so it's hard to do and

hard

> to hold for any length of time. And, seems to be of very little

> use. Any advice?

December 20, 2004