On Tuesday, my 21-year-old daughter had all 4 of her wisdom teeth removed. Many friends who've gone through the procedure themselves or have children around the same age who recently had it done all warned us about what to expect: feeling very loopy right afterwards from the anesthesia, lots of bleeding, intense pain, and by Day 2, facial swelling that makes you look like a chipmunk.
We were advised to keep up with the painkillers no matter what, even if my daughter felt fine after the surgery, because the ill effects usually take a day to kick in. We were also told to ice her face as often as possible, but that a certain amount of swelling was to be expected regardless.
And then, there was one co-worker at my daughter's office who gave her this advice: eat pineapple and/or drink pineapple juice for at least 24 hours prior to the surgery, and your swelling will be minimal. The rest of her co-workers thought the woman was crazy--no one had ever heard of this "trick"--but after my daughter mentioned it to me, I decided to look into it.
Sure enough, in multiple online forums and medical sites, I found testimonials and articles about the amazing power of fresh pineapple and its anti-inflammatory effects. Specifically, the enzyme Bromelain, which is said to greatly reduce bruising and inflammation after facial and sinus surgery.
So, my daughter decided to give it a try, and drank lots of pineapple juice in the day leading up to the surgery. When we got to the surgeon's office, I asked one of the nurses about it, and she said that she has seen it work for patients, but that it's important to ingest the pineapple and/or juice BEFORE the surgery, in order to reap the benefits.
The results were astounding.
Within 48 hours after surgery, my daughter was back at her full-time job, feeling great. She had very minimal bleeding, which stopped within a few minutes of having the surgery. She had no swelling, no brusing, and very little discomfort. We followed all of her doctor's orders (no drinking through a straw, sleep with your head elevated, ice as much as possible, eat soft foods for the first 24 hours) but I absolutely believe the pineapple is what made the difference. My daughter is very fair-skinned, and her doctor warned us that bruising should be expected, but she had NONE. I stayed over at her apartment to take care of her, and she kicked me out after 24 hours. She had an appetite, minimal discomfort, and was able to take care of herself.
The Power of Pineapple. Who knew?!
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