Post-operative Instructions for Patients Undergoing Chronic Ear or Middle Ear Surgery

1. Remove the dressing on the day after surgery. Take the cup-like dressing off, the piece of paper behind the ear off, and the cotton ball out of the ear canal.

2. Once the cotton is removed from the ear canal, there is more packing material in the ear canal. Leave this alone. Beginning on the first day after surgery, begin to apply eardrops to the packing in the ear canal. Often, the drops will not penetrate deeply into the ear canal. This is normal. If some of the packing falls out on its own, this is okay. Continue to apply the eardrops until you see your physician.

3. Do not get water into the ear. When showering or washing your hair, place a piece of cotton coated with Vaseline into the ear canal to seal it.

4. Some blood-tinged drainage from the ear canal commonly occurs after ear surgery. This is normal. If the drainage is profuse or foul smelling, call your doctor.

5. If there is an incision behind the ear, keep it dry for 5 days after surgery. After this time, it is okay to let this incision get wet, but still keep water out of the ear canal.

6. If you wear glasses, either remove the arm on the operated side or make sure that it does not rest on the incision behind the ear for one week.

7. Beginning on the second day after surgery, try to leave the cotton out of the ear as much as possible, unless you have drainage from the ear. If the ear is draining, replace the cotton as needed to catch the drainage and keep it from running onto your clothes.

8. Do not blow your nose for 3 weeks after surgery. If you must sneeze or cough, do so with your mouth open.

9. Do not lift anything heavier than 20 pounds for 3 weeks after surgery.

10. Do not strain or bend over for 3 weeks after surgery. No vigorous physical activity for 3-4 weeks after surgery.

11. Keep your head elevated as much as possible. For the first 3 nights, it is best to sleep and rest on 2 or 3 pillows if possible.

12. Some dizziness and nausea is common after surgery. If it becomes severe or is associated with intractable vertigo or vomiting, call your doctor.

13. Popping sounds, a plugged sensation, ringing or fluctuating hearing may be noticed in the ear during the healing process.

14. For several days after surgery, the ear may feel plugged and the hearing may seem very muffled, due to packing in the ear canal. This will improve as the packing dissolves. If there seems to be a TOTAL loss of hearing (complete deafness) in the ear, call your doctor.

15. Call the office to make an appointment to be seen 7-10 days after surgery, unless otherwise directed by your physician.

16. If any questions or problems arise, contact the Head and Neck Surgery clinic at (510) 675-4241.