<p>This is not the typical college question or comment. My daughter, senior in HS, recently broke her jaw in a dance injury (not even a contact sport). Unfortunately, the injury has deflated her spirits. Her jaw is wired shut for at least 10 more days so her diet is strictly liquid. She refuses to eat at school in front of her peers so she goes from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm without any food/nutrition. She has been allowed to go back to dance with limited movement and no high impact movements. Fortunately, but unfortunately, she has a dancer body with little to no body fat to spare. We have been creative as far as pureeing different foods. She just hates the syringe apparatus that she has to use to eat/drink. Typically a good and diligent student, she has recently stopped doing homework. Just a crazy start to 2010 and the second semester. </p>
<p>Has anyone gone through this and/or have any ideas how to get her to drink her meals?</p>
<p>Would she be allowed to “eat” in the nurse’s office?</p>
<p>Poor baby!</p>
<p>BTW, you might want to look into Odwalla smoothies. Some of them have quite a lot of protein, or special vitamin boosts, and they are all tasty. Even the weird-looking green one! :)</p>
<p>My daughter was a serious dancer at that age so I know about the crazy injuries they see. Fortunately, though, my own never experienced an injury like your daughter. I really hope she feels better soon and can only empathize; I know it has to be hard for you to see her suffer.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be Ensure or something like that loaded with nutrients so she gets the vitamins she needs. Personally I would limit any dance activity to stretching for a couple of reasons - (1) If she’s not eating (drinking) her meals, she’s going to be burning up major calories and will lose weight faster with any exercise and (2) make dance the incentive to eat - you don’t eat, you can’t go to dance; when dance is your passion, that might do it.</p>
<p>Edit: Try Smoothie King also if you have that in your area. You can customize their energy smoothies and they’re delicious.</p>
<p>Another thought - could someone in your family “pick her up for lunch” and let her eat a smoothie or something even if it’s in the car or at home if it’s close enough so none of her school friends would see? Kids that age are so self conscious.</p>
<p>Poor thing–I hope she recovers soon! Taking her a smoothie and having her drink it in the nurses office or in your car–or coming home for lunch if it is not too far-- sound like good ideas. She HAS to eat something. . .</p>
<p>My son was hit by a foul tip at a professional baseball game. He had over 70 stitches inside his mouth and lips. He did not want to eat much either, but after a few days he decided he would eat whatever he could. Creamed tomato soup with lots of milk to make it thin was his favorite.</p>
<p>My brother broke his jaw as a kid – my mom took whatever we had for meals and threw it in a blender. Gained 15 lbs. because he drank twice as much as the rest of us ate. She also made him milkshakes for bedtime snacks. </p>
<p>Can she manage a straw at this point? Smoothies or fruit/protein drinks with a straw wouldn’t look too “obvious” since that is a concern. I’d remind her that her body will start losing muscle if she doesn’t keep enough calories on board – which may keep her out of dancing longer than the jaw issues.</p>
<p>S1 has done Instant Breakfast with ice cream blended into a smoothie when we were trying to get a few pounds on him.</p>
<p>My son had jaw surgery this summer and I know how quickly they tire of milkshakes. I would make ice cream milkshakes with Carnation Instant Breakfast or powdered protein. I also bought and supervised him taking liquid vitamins. It sounds as if your daughter is depressed and poor nutrition can add to this, besides feeling like an outcast and missing an obviously important part of her life (dance). She may need to talk with a professional to get her through this and you need to find a way to get her eating more. I really do feel for you and your daughter as I know she is feeling absolutely miserable and you only want her to be happy.</p>
<p>Ensure can taste mediciney after a while. Get her a Jamba Juice Card and then she can have them add the protein or vitamin boost. They have something like 10 flavors. Also guacamole if she tires of milk shakes. You can freeze Gogurht (yogurht in sticks in little plastic envelopes) and by late morning they are thawed out but cold and easy to eat. Pudding also works good. You can put the milk shake in a thermos to dtay cold at school. Does she like starbucks? The frappachino is a gazillion calories, cold, looks cool at high school in the morning and can be decaff if you want.
I know raw eggs are taboo for some but I remember when I had herpes stomatitis at age 3 my mother made me milk shakes with ice cream, milk, chocolate syrup and added a couple of raw eggs.
BTW water pick is essential for these kids for cleaning teeth</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone that support has been incredible. I spoke with her dance instructors today and we have agreed that she will not be able to participate in her classes unless she has an acceptable amount of calories. Her ballet instructor even commented that she is too thin…this from the woman who thinks every student has 5 to 10 pounds to lose. She actually came home in better spirits today. I think because she knows it is the weekend and we are getting snow. </p>
<p>We are doing ensure and protein shakes. We actually pureed Chef B. ravioli. I blended with beef stock and Ragu sauce. She really liked it. The battle is not so much the food but using the syringe to eat. She is not suppose to use a straw yet as they said it can move the jaw and teeth alignment. She misses salty foods so while not the best nutrition we are going to try to puree Lays with sour cream. </p>
<p>I like the suggestion of adding vitamins. If I cannot find liquid, I will go for chewable to blend with a smoothie.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all the ideas and suggestions.</p>
<p>I can understand her being depressed. You might wish to consider buying her a selection of CDs and/or DVDs (music; comedy; etc) to brighten her mood.
Best of luck. There have been a number with Dance themes–Mad Hot Ballroom; Get It On!, etc</p>
<p>I’m glad you are able to find some things for her to eat that she likes. I loved the idea of :)pureed Lays! Made me LOL!! :D</p>
<p>Hopefully with the weekend here, your D can catch up on her eating a bit. Lots of calories, protein, and vitamins will help. Best of luck to you both.</p>
<p>Aww I love that you’re trying so hard to find a way for her to get the taste of foods she likes…ravioli and lays! What a good mom you are! The lengths we’ll go to for those kiddos! I hope you and she have an awesome weekend.</p>
<p>Spaghetti sauce is loaded with salt – found out the hard way when I was pregnant and had to seriously reduce salt intake.</p>
<p>Chef B. ravioli is great comfort food, too. Glad to hear the dance instructors are with you on getting enough calories and good nutrition in her. She needs it for healing that jaw!</p>
<p>Is this kind of injury less serious than I imagine? I’m sitting here cluelessly kind of wondering why this doesn’t warrant at least a couple days home from school? :)</p>
<p>Could she be allowed to take a Magic Bullet to school and make her own fresh concoctions in the teachers’ lounge? It’s a fairly simple and kind of self contained/not messy at all device.</p>