Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Jaw surgery and all

I've had upper and lower jaw surgery. It will be 4 weeks by Turkey day. I still can't chew--have to be on a non-chew diet for six weeks. So no turkey for me, only mashed potatoes and mushy soup. It's hard--can you imagine not being able to eat? And I like crisp and crunchy food. Going through things like this makes one develop new appreciation for simple things that are taken for granted before--that the texture of a food really matters (when you put everything in a blender, it just doesn't taste like that thing anymore), and that being able to chew, eat and not think about it is wonderful. I'm reduced to browsing mouth-watering photos of gourmet food on the Internet. My hubby said why do you torture yourself? I said I can't help it. I foresee a prolonged period of binge eating when I can finally chew.

Going through a surgery is never fun, especially this jaw operation. The first week is terrible, the second week a little better, and then I get a little better each week. The progress is slow although noticeable. I have not resumed painting yet--just recuperating, reading, and doing whatever feels fun at the moment, that is, between my frequent small meals every two hours.

And before I log off--Happy Thanksgiving!