Hi everyone. I'm wondering if anybody can give me advice on this.
I had ear surgery last week to fix a terrible case of dumbo ears. The week following the surgery I ate normal. Not raw but reasonably healthy. I had stuff like vegetable soups, fruits, brown rice, etc. But my ears are just so sore and swollen still I'm wondering if a 5 day vegetable juice fast and lots of rest might help me heal faster. Will vegetable or green juice provide sufficient protein for the tissues to heal properly? Please help me. I've suffered all my life because of these stupid ears and now that they're supposedly fixed I'm still hurting
Thank you

Ps. Oh and also the doctor said the skin needs to shrink to the size of the new ear. Will fasting help shrink the skin? If not, what will? Thanks again



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2009 12:07AM by izziebee.

izziebee,

A diet high in raw fruits and veg will quell inflammation, which will hasten healing. It's not proteins, per se, that you need, as much as enzymes. Yes, yes, people will quibble that they are arguably the same thing, but the point is that raw fruit and veg have a ton of assimilable enzymes that your body can use to heal its tissues. Raw fruit and veg have a ton of raw amino acids that your body can synthesize into protein, as well. So don't worry. And I think you should ask your doctor to clarify what he or she means by "the skin needs to shrink to the size of the new ear." It seems to me, if the surgery was done correctly, you shouldn't have a huge amount of excess tissue left over; just enough to form a scar in healing, and this happens naturally, so . . .

I totally agree with izziebee on all points.

*****************************
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

Thank you Thamukha, I really appreciate it. Is raw juice ok then or do you think it's better to eat stuff as is?

I called the doctor's office and he wasn't available so I spoke to the nurse. She said that no skin was taken out in the surgery, just the ear structure has been changed, and because my ears were really enormous and now they're much smaller, the skin will need to resize too.

Oops... I meant to say that I agree with Tamukha. =) Good luck, izzieebee and keep us posted. =)

*****************************
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

izziebee,

It's better to eat as large a variety of raw fruits and vegetables as possible to help you to heal. Juice some, blend some, eat some whole--whatever. Just don't eat junk food and you should do well.

I still don't understand how there could be excess skin around your ear if there was no cartilage removed from your ear though it was somehow made "smaller." Please ask the doctor to be more specific about what YOU are supposed to be doing, in addition to your body's inherent healing process, to make this happen. I've never hear of such a thing in reference to cosmetic surgery and this doesn't make sense to me. Sorry if I'm being dumb : )

Thanks plainly dressed.

Tamukha, there was cartilage removed but not skin. I had protruding scaphoid ears where the scapha was really large and flat, sort of like this [www.plasticsurgery4u.com]
but much worse.
Now it's smaller and I have a little flap on the top part but the skin around it is kind of loose. To make things worse the incision line is really visible and funky looking and my ears are swollen.
I feel like they're smaller but still ugly. What I need is a miracle... like for the scar to disappear and the skin to tighten. I have to believe it's possible or I'll just cry

As for the recommendations I received well I was told to rest a lot, not sleep on my side, not bend or fiddle with my ears, not strain myself, avoid heat, eat well and by that he meant lots of animal protein which he said was high quality and would help tissues regenerate. I didn't eat this way because I didn't think it was healthy but honestly now I'm wondering if I should have... I'm so confused

izziebee,

Please ask Doctor man to explain the animal protein bit, as it absolutely will cause further inflammation, and that doesn't speed healing. Remember, doctors know nil about nutrition, but this one may have some sort of clinical rationale. As I said, it's enzymes that actually speed healing, as they are used proteolytically to rebuild tissues. Maybe look into supplementing with additional enzymes from a reputable company, like this:[www.enzymedica.com]. As for scarring, pure Vitamin E, pure coconut oil, and some animal-derived oils have been proven to diminish scarring. Also, stay hydrated, as this will help all your repair systems to work and for the wounded tissue to remain oxygenated. That's why green and fruit smoothies are good--they provide water as well as enzymes. Lastly, please consider that your ear will heal up lovely and complimentary to your face, as being overcritical of your physical appearance is not good for healing your ear or living your life, dear. Good luck, and keep us posted.

izziebee,
The ears are extremities like fingers and toes. Sometimes I get cracked skin on my ears and hands and it can take longer to heal. I use fresh aloe vera slathered over the wound and then bandaged to keep it moist - cleaned and rebandaged once or twice daily. I also often mix a little aloe vera into a greens and vegetable 'total juice' (I almost always eat the pulp). So you know I support you in going long on green/veggie drinks.

Also eating light, late in the day, will give your body a break to heal while you sleep.

blessings

izzie all after surgery scars look HORRIBLE right afterwards. when i had a hystorectomy they had to go thru the abdominal cavity rather than vaginally like they like to do nowadays because i my bladder slung in a way that they were scared to accidently mess with it.

well when i woke up with this huge scar across my pubic area i nearly lost my mind ! it was just grotesque looking and i was so upset. in my mind it looked like i had been chainsawed in half ! a month later you could hardly see it other than a pink line which after a year faded away

your ears i bet will live up too your expectations and more

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2009 12:01AM by Jgunn.

Thank you so much guys. You've been wonderful. I feel much more calm and reassured that I'm doing the right thing as far as diet goes. Doctor man (how cute) is a good guy, he honestly means well and believes what he says but he's also very old and so his nutrition training might be outdated I don't know. After all this passes I'll tell him to read this site.

Vitamin E, coconut oil and aloe vera are all things I have access to so I'll mix them up to put on the incisions. For now I'm using neosporin cause they seemed to be getting infected.

Jodi you have no idea how much hope you've given me. A pink line in a month will be a dream come true. Actually you've all filled my heart with hope so thank you. I'll let you know how I go

Izzie

i forgot to mention about keeping it well moisturized too i used coconut oil, or shea butter , or vit E oil or hemp oil i used them all alternating so i cant even say which one worked better than the other but i was intent on not having a big ugly scar ! lol stay hydrated too inside

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist