Preparation for surgery

With the date set all I had to do was prepare myself.

I started thinking of the items I would need to bring with me to the hospital. Read posts from the support groups. I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I placed my order for the zip and squeeze bags (2 hospital sets) and the jaw wraps along with the information and recipe book. Began thinking of what I would eat. How was I supposed to get down 2000 calories on a liquid diet?

Went out and got a six pack of every ensure flavor they had. Began drinking one each morning to get a sense of what I would like and not like. My two favorites have been the latte one and the homemade vanilla. The "plus" version has more calories and more nutrients. Turns out Costco carries the plus version of the vanilla so I got a case.

I did a lot of prep work prior to surgery. I bought a large flat of strawberries and began blending and straining them in the magic bullet blender. The magic bullet is so awesome to have around for this. I would fill the cup with strawberries with tops cut off. Add some OJ and blend away. I strained out the seeds as much as I could. I then poured the mixture into ice cube trays. This way I would have my own smoothie base without so much straining later. I did the same with a bunch of bananas.

I bought many kinds of soups to try. Went to Olive Garden and sampled their 3 soups. Decided on some minestrone to go. Spent the next couple days blending, straining, and freezing various types of soup. Bought some baby food items too. Even tried out the zip and squeeze bags to get the hang of how they work.

Physically and mentally I began de-stressing. I am a member of Massage Envy so I began getting a 1 hour massage twice a week. I was also seeing my chiropractor 3 times a week. Got acupuncture twice. Two months before I began having a smoothie with vitamins every day. I also took some time off work so I could focus solely on relaxing and preparing myself. I wanted to be in great health before the surgery to aid in healing.