Day 46: Drooling, Soft Foods and Bacon
During the past fortnight or so I have been experiencing a drooling sensation; I say sensation because throughout the day, I find myself wiping my mouth a lot, multiple times an hour, because I feel myself drooling down my chin. However, there is never anything there! What is especially freaky is that when I drink and the liquid is in my mouth I swear that I am drooling, I can actually feel it drip down my chin. I go to wipe my mouth and that's right, nothing! Nada. Nothin'. Nerves are just plain strange where this recovery is concerned.
Presumably it is due to the fact that my lips and chin are vacillating between feeling like a block of wood or else tingling incessantly but whatever it is, I am not sure what to call this phase apart from just plain ol' strange.
One final note concerning drooling - you would think that knowing it is simply a drooling apparition I would simply stop wiping my mouth. However, the moment you stop wiping your mouth is the moment you are actually drooling and then people just stare at you thinking, "doesn't he know he is drooling" . . .
This is what my life is presently; a series of events, some real and some imagined apparently, that culminate in minor (I tell myself) inconveniences that are relatively frustrating. It is always the little things of life that seem to affect you the most. I should add another section to the blog dedicated to the so-called little things that occurred as a result of the surgery. . . .
Moving on, I am discovering that the definition of soft foods can be applied quite liberally. I used to think that my food must literally be soft and of a mushy or liquid consistency, similar to the mashed potatoes and instant pudding that I have developed an addiction for. Now that my recovery is entering the seventh week almost, I have expanded my definition so that the food:
1. Can be cut up in to very small pieces and fit in to my mouth
2. Can be sucked of all its liquid form
3. Can be swallowed following # 3 above
4. Absolutely will not be chewed or accidentally slip in between my upper and lower teeth. This has happened just once and it really hurt my teeth for numerous days afterwards . . .
Given the above definition, I have started experimenting with some foods; sausages (success), chicken (less successful), ham (definitely not successful), non-mashed potatoes (less successful). I even tried a chocolate M&M but whatever kind of chocolate is used in making M&Ms (cheap kind is my guess!), it is the kind that does not melt in your mouth quickly and as a result it took an absolute age for it to dissolve! Believe me, it so was not worth it!
Final note: I cooked some bacon this evening to be used in a salad that my wife was making (salad, by the way, scored high on the cannot be sucked, slurped, or swallowed category) and let me tell you right now that I love bacon. Always have, ever since a kid. I very rarely however, if ever, eat it nowadays in life but I love the smell and taste of bacon. So there I am cooking the bacon and I was so tempted to put it in my mouth. The trouble is that bacon is a food item that requires significant chewing. As in significant. You cannot suck, slurp, and swallow bacon. All that means is that your eating grease. I know because I tried it :) Not successful. The bacon was spat out. Gross story, I am sorry :)
With this in mind, I am expanding my diet! Do not expect to see instant pudding or mashed potatoes from now on in my daily eating guide! A whole new world has been opened to me :)
