I'm tired of soup

Last week I went to the dentist for some minor work. He pumped me full of lidocaine, which is not good for ppl that have neuromuscular diseases, with the systemic nerve damage and all. Then he must have given my jaw a good wrenching (I have a small mouth and he has big fingers). Since then I have not been able to eat anything solid, or yawn, stick out my tongue, open my mouth wide, or smile without pain. The docs say the TMJ is damaged and it could be weeks to months before I get function back...and eat solid foods. They told me to just cram down as many NSAID's as possible and wait it out. I'm going to make an appointment with my neurologist to see what he says. Hopefully this will all go away on its own before my appointment. People with fatty acid oxidation disorers have to be on a strict low-fat diet and avoid fasting. With this liquid diet, its a challenge to get enough calories without adding fat. Dan found a healthy alternative to Cartman's Weight Gain 4000 at GNC. So if too many pounds fall off, I'll go the Beefcake!!!! route. For now its soupy oatmeal at breakfast, pureed soups for lunch and dinner, and slimfast shakes for snacks. And of course, generous helpings of soft ice cream with Advil sprinkles any time of day.

Update 04/20/08: My jaw is slowly starting to feel better, thank God. After weeks of soup and pain meds, I've graduated to mashed potatoes, beans that aren't pureed, and fine bits of tender chicken. I've also cut back on the pain meds a bit. This has really cut into my carb love affair. What I wouldn't give to eat a bagel...or crunch into an apple...or eat a taco. At least I can still eat ice cream. Actually this jaw injury gives me even more of an excuse to eat ice cream and other frozen treats. Hooray for ice cream!