I have transformed into a hard boiled egg. Eating them for almost every meal for four days after wisdom teeth removal can do that to a person.

Despite the complete and utter bliss of general anesthesia, the aftermath of my wisdom teeth surgery was horrendous. Coupled with the constant headache and nausea that plagued my recovery, the inability to eat solid foods provided a wonderful bonus.

The doctors recommend foods without small particles that could enter the wound and cause infection which limits food options.

But with a little less wisdom and a lot of eggs, I made it through the pain. On the first night of my torture, I discovered the cure to my starvation problem: a hard boiled egg and mayonnaise.

I was able to mush the egg into a paste with the help of the condiment and eat it without collecting food in my wound or on my stitches, but this snack was not enough to satisfy my hunger.

Although they did not play a prominent role in my recovery, cheesy mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and root beer floats helped my emotional well-being.

Eating these foods seemed to take decades; I had to chew with my front teeth that were sore because I couldn’t wear my retainer, and I had limited ability to open my mouth.

While tasty, I quickly discovered that some foods were not worth the time or discomfort to eat them. French fries, chicken nuggets and plain noodles unfortunately topped that list.

On day five I branched out of my comfort zone and tried Peel mac n’ cheese. An hour later I finished with a smile on my face at my little victory.

It will be at least another week before I can satisfy my craving for Chinese food, but I am thankful for the small victories to supplement the 20 hard boiled eggs I had over the first days of recovery.

Although I may have turned into a hard boiled egg for a short time, I do recommend this protein packed snack for anyone after wisdom teeth surgery.