Hi all....the one day at a time deal has been working pretty well..gaining some weight and getting outside!...but I need to reach out with a question to my forum friends. I don't recall stitch issues from 19 years ago. I still almost 6 weeks later have a mouthful of "blue" stitches holding my jaw and free flap. If they are nylon apparently they will NOT go away on their own. I was never told to come back and have them out / or/ and never asked if they will dissolve and if so how long? So now the swelling is of course going down and I have a forest of these things and they are not going anywhere. Does anyone have experience with this? I am trying to hold off on calling my surgeon but will need to do so Monday if this persists....just hoping for some advice. Thanks as always!

Hi Brooklyn Bridge,

I had a forest of my own for awhile, although I can't seem to remember how long. Definitely ask the doc if you have any questions. Does seem like a long time though...

HB

So...after some consultation and a request I now have a copy of the most recent surgeons report along with pathology. The stitches scenario is "interesting" Apparently there were issues in keeping my jaw to stay together and it had to be replated and then the use of Maxon 3-0 became necessary. So these stitches have a min 180 day pre-absorb life....so I guess I wait! The check up was positive, the free flap looks good and I actually have some speech! Yay....I am still on soft foods and soups...does anyone have a web site or something for other food ideas. Yes...have talked to nutritionist and read lots....just wondered if other forum members have any other thoughts on bulking up! Thanks!

Hi Brooklyn Bridge, Princess Margaret Hospital has a website where you can get food ideas. They even have a live streamed cooking demonstration once a week. It is here:

https://www.ellicsr.ca/en/clinics_programs/ellicsr_kitchen

Do you have a slow cooker? I have found it is really useful to have one on hand so that I am not always working in the kitchen.

Sounds like a good report. Main thing about diet is if you need to gain much weight than proteins and fats contain the most calories. Blending up protein powder with milk is good. Add a banana. Peanut butter is very high in calories.

I did fine with using protein powder as the base, milk, and threw in in whatever blends up and tastes good. You can use yogurt, stroll farmers market for daily picked fresh fruits. Nuts work fine.

If your taste is good, then it helps a lot to make things that taste good. If your taste is off, you need to try what tastes good for you. Texture is a big thing too, so if you can take more volume then you can make things thinner but more volume. Those who have hard time swallowing need to pack more calories in each gulp. Experimen, make it fun. You can always catch up with vitamin supplements.

Brooklyn Bridge, congrats on the positive report!

For trying to gain/regain weight, think of foods high in carbs. Even though you are still on soft foods, there are still some great options available to you. Oatmeal, pasta, potatoes and sweet potatoes are all high in carbs and easy to chew and swallow. The oatmeal and pasta can also be healthier if you use whole grain varieties. Whip some milk and butter into your potatoes to make mashed potatoes. Dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, etc.) are also full of carbs. You can carry them around with you to snack on during the day. They're also good with oatmeal. Beans are another high carb food and also high in protein.

Don't forget to take whey powder, which is full of protein. It's easy to make smoothies with whey powder, bananas, fruit, milk or yogurt, peanut butter, etc.

I ate plenty of the above for gaining weight prior to starting rads and it worked well for me. I hope you get similar results.

Bon appetit!

I'm going to weigh in on the carte blanche statements about whey protein. Protein promotes tissue rebuilding and recovery, to some degree, but generally, whey protein does two things that are counter-productive to weight gain. First, the hormone, CCK (cholecystokinin), is increased by whey. It stimulates the production of bile, in preparation of disgestion of fat and protein. CCK is also a hunger suppresing hormone. This means you will have less appetite and more stomach acid. We all know hownthat feels.

Second, whey protein suppresses ghrelin, the actual hunger hormone. Ghrelin is a neuropeptide, which means it is an important part of regulating energy (metabolism). This is one mechanism that can cause a reduced metabolic rate with resulting weight gain.

Whey, for compromised digestive issues we will all experience to some degree, can cause much worse abdominal distress, increased stomach acid two distinctly different ways and cause overall weight loss.

Pre-treatment, whey is an excellent bulking product if you already have muscles. Post-treatment weight gain, as Christine keeps pointing out, is about calories in exceeding calories used. Keep track of calories and increase them until you see weight gain. Eat a healthy, well-balanced meal, too. You will gain health from balanced nutrition.

I had the same stitches in my tongue... yum... feel better and keep on keeping on... hugs