What do I need?

[Antbee]

For people who've had surgery - what do I need to get in the way of blender/ special pillows/ jaw bras etc.
I know I'm supposed to strain my food in the beginning for particle-free diet but am not sure what that means exactly - is it basically broth and ensure? Any advice of helpful items to have in preparation or stuff to bear in mind - surgery is a month off - would be great thanks.

[CK]

gunson doesn't use jaw bras, so im betting neither does arnett. they should send you a packet in the mail that will enumerate everything you'll need, and additional concerns can be answered by lena/kim/rene/etc. they don't want anything touching your jaw or making contact with your cheeks (they will be particularly soft and vulnerable with the augmentations). this includes ice/heat packs. you will wake up in the recovery room with a cast-like jaw sling that prevents movement, but gunson/arnett or the nurse will take it off later in the night or the evening after. i wanted it off as soon as possible because it was so irritating.  

straining is pretty self-explanatory. see you a soup you like? well, test it through this:

http://www.amazon.com/Winco-MS3A-8D-Strainer-Double-Wooden/dp/B001VZERX4/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1347180407&sr=1-5

what i discovered, early in my recovery, the virtually nothing remotely tasteful could be strained. i believe one of the few soups AG recommend are imagine because they don't need to be strained:

http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Organic-Creamy-Potato-16-Ounce/dp/B000LKZ428/ref=pd_sim_gro_2

ensure is DISGUSTING. i tried drinking them before surgery, ugh. i dried all the flavors, ugh. it's just awful. early on i just drank broth, apple juice, ginger ale, gatorade. assistants are more concerned about you staying hydrated, you're guaranteed to lose weight in the first two weeks. i was quoted 10lbs but ended up losing almost 25 after 5 weeks.

you won't need a blender until later on, probably two weeks after...i think. that's when you can have particles, but everything has to be blended because it is still no-chew until week 8. like i said in other threads, i just made a milkshake once a day and water/juice. the stomach adjusts to the liquid diet, so when you start slowly with an 8oz milkshake that will fill you up for the entire day. even now my meals are rather small because i get full so easily.  

i personally recommend down pillows. i tried the "big pillows" in kohls and they sucked. extremely uncomfortable. fortunately my hotel provided an unlimited supply of down pillows, i probably had 20-25 on my bed easily. however, they are quite pricey...$40-50 for a single pillow.


you should be getting the packet soon, probably in the mail already.

[Antbee]

thanks CK - very helpful indeed.
I'm also trying to figure out whether to rent an apartment via homeaway.com or similar or go with a hotel. Since you mentioned you used a hotel- was there any reason you think in retrospect that might be better for me to go with a hotel? For instance, did you find yourself needing room service or late-night supplies and so on. I know these seem like daft questions but just trying to get everything sorted.
I got my packet in the mail but just assumed it left out things like heat packs etc. I didn't realise they don't actually allow them at AG.

[CK]

thanks CK - very helpful indeed.
I'm also trying to figure out whether to rent an apartment via homeaway.com or similar or go with a hotel. Since you mentioned you used a hotel- was there any reason you think in retrospect that might be better for me to go with a hotel? For instance, did you find yourself needing room service or late-night supplies and so on. I know these seem like daft questions but just trying to get everything sorted.
I got my packet in the mail but just assumed it left out things like heat packs etc. I didn't realise they don't actually allow them at AG.

how long are you staying in SB? i stayed in a hotel - won't say on the forum, but if you want I can pm you where I stayed. AG also provide a list of hotels they recommend, and they might offer discounts. A hotel will likely be more expensive than renting or sub-leasing an apartment/home for the duration of your recovery - until arnett says you're okay to go home. we stashed up on a lot of supplies prior to the surgery, and stored them in the fridge (YOU MUST HAVE A FRIDGE). i ran out of ginger ale pretty quickly, and it was one of the few drinks that would clear up my throat and help sooth the scratching feeling. arnett will probably suction out your stomach when he is done with the surgery, and it requires a device that really scratches your throat. it will be sore for 3-4 days. maybe arnett is different, but gunson's assistants were very clear in their opposition to heat packs/ice packs because it can delay healing and potentially flatten the cheek augmentation.

i would recommend going on craigslist, numerous posters (on this forum and others) have successful found homes and places on craigslist. you can probably rent a summer apartment for one month for 1-2k, and a home for 3,500-4k. hotel cost about 1,600, but we stayed less than two weeks and made reservations several months in advance. the 1,600 was AFTER the airplane points we used.

metalarchwired has a laundry list of supplies needed for surgery, imo you won't need most of them and many of the recommended supplies aren't recommended by AG. im guessing you'll have someone with you as you recovery in SB. im not even sure arnett will do surgery unless they know you are under some kind of observation by one other person - whether in a hospital or at home. what if you fall in the bathroom? pass out due to dehydration? etc...

[streo]

i stayed in a hotel - won't say on the forum, but if you want I can pm you where I stayed.

Yeah, I don't think anyone should publicly mention on the internet where they intend to stay after a major surgery like this!!  Maybe add that to the forum guidelines for safety purposes?