Haha, oatmeal really can be tricky—I learned that the hard way too. I remember thinking soup would be my best friend, but after a few days of nothing but broth and smoothies, I was seriously craving something crunchy. Funny how you never realize how much texture matters until you can't have it. One thing that surprised me was mashed sweet potatoes—they were comforting and filling without feeling like baby food. Did anyone else find an unexpected favorite during their recovery? I'm always curious about what works for others...
Mashed sweet potatoes were a lifesaver for me too, but weirdly enough, scrambled eggs ended up being my surprise hero. I thought they'd be boring or bland, but adding a bit of cheese or avocado made them feel more substantial. Also, I totally relate to missing crunch—I remember desperately trying to nibble crackers on one side of my mouth (not recommended, haha). It's funny how quickly you start craving the simplest textures when they're off-limits...
Mashed sweet potatoes were definitely helpful for me too, but honestly, soups ended up being my go-to. Did anyone else find that temperature was just as important as texture? I tried lukewarm soup at first, thinking it'd be gentle, but weirdly enough, slightly warmer broth felt way more soothing. Also, scrambled eggs sound good in theory, but did you ever worry about small egg bits getting stuck near the stitches or irritated areas? I kept overthinking it and ended up blending mine into a weird egg smoothie (not my proudest culinary moment...).
And yeah, the crunch cravings hit hard. I remember staring longingly at a bag of chips like it was some forbidden treasure. Tried soaking crackers in soup to soften them up—definitely not the same satisfaction. Did anyone find a decent workaround for crunchy cravings that didn't feel risky?
Totally relate to the temperature thing. I thought cold smoothies would be my savior, but turns out slightly warm stuff was way more comforting—maybe it relaxes the muscles or something? As for the scrambled eggs, yeah, I had the same paranoia about bits getting stuck. Your egg smoothie story made me laugh though, because I did something similar with oatmeal—blended it into a weird paste thinking it'd be easier to manage. Spoiler: it wasn't.
About crunchy cravings—I ended up baking thin apple slices until they were just crispy enough to satisfy that crunch urge without being risky. They soften up pretty quickly in your mouth, so there's no sharp edges or anything. It wasn't exactly chips-level satisfying, but honestly better than soggy crackers! Hang in there; sounds like you're already getting creative with solutions.
Totally get you on the oatmeal paste thing—I tried blending rice once thinking it'd be easier to swallow, and ended up with gluey mush that was somehow worse. The apple slices sound smart, though. I went with roasted sweet potato wedges myself; soft enough to chew gently but still had a bit of bite. Plus, they're cheap and filling, which helped my wallet too. Hang in there, it does get easier...
