After your Tympanoplasty, your healthcare providers will give you self-care instructions before you are sent home:
• Keep water away from your ear to prevent infection
• Do not forcefully blow your nose; after three weeks, you may gently blow your nose
• Do not hold your nose to avoid sneezing
• Do no forcefully exhale (for example, playing a wind instrument)
• Avoid colds and flu as much as possible by frequent hand washing and avoid contact with those who are ill
• If you have allergies or do get a cold or flu, see your doctor for decongestants
• Stop smoking in order to help the graft take
• Keep your incision clean
• Keep your outer ear clean
• Do not participate in sports or vigorous activity, heavy lifting or straining for 2 weeks
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid becoming dehydrated
• Ensure you understand how to care for your incision
• Administer your antibiotic ear s as you are instructed
Be sure to attend your follow up appointment as scheduled.
INTRODUCTION
After your tympanoplasty, your healthcare providers will give you self-care instructions before you go home. These are called “home care instructions” or “discharge instructions.”
The nurse and other healthcare staff should explain the home care instructions to you. Make sure you have written or printed instructions too so you can take them home and review them.
This patient education tutorial explains general discharge instructions for tympanoplasty. Make sure to discuss discharge instructions specific to your medical condition with your doctor or nurse.
ANESTHESIA RECOVERY
After the operation you may feel tired or dizzy from anesthesia. This may last for several hours. Rest as much as you can.
You should have a responsible adult drive you home.
You should also have a responsible adult help you when walking and climbing stairs. You may need this help for up to 24 hours.
Do not drive or operate machinery for 24 hours, until the effect of the anesthesia is gone.
If you are taking narcotic pain medication, you should not drive or operate machinery until you are no longer taking these medications. Narcotic medications include, but are not limited to, the following common medications: Lortab®, Percocet®, Oxycontin® or others.
Do not drink alcohol or take any drugs such as tranquilizers, sedatives or sleeping pills without talking with your doctor. These may interact with your anesthetic medicine.
Do not make important decisions or sign documents for 24 hours. This allows the effect of anesthesia to wear off.
You need to walk several times a day. This will prevent blood clots from forming in your legs. When you sit down, try to prop your legs on a stool to prevent clots from forming.
CARING FOR YOUR EAR
As you wait for your follow-up visit, follow these instructions to help ensure the success of your procedure. Success of the tympanoplasty is measured by whether or not the graft takes.
Keep water away from your ear.This is very important to prevent infection. You can use a shower cap. You can also put a cotton ball in your ear and seal it with petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline®). Any water that gets past the Vaseline is absorbed into the cotton ball. Remove the cotton ball after your shower, and wipe the outer ear with a clean tissue. You should keep water out of your ear until your doctor tells you otherwise.
Do not forcefully blow your nose.For at least 3 weeks, do not close your mouth when you blow your nose. Wipe your nose with a tissue without forcefully blowing out. The pressure d when you blow your nose with your mouth closed goes through the Eustachian tube to the ear and can move the graft out of place. After 3 weeks, you should be able to blow your nose gently.
Do not hold your nose to avoid sneezing.Sneeze with your mouth wide open. If you have to sneeze, open your mouth and let the air pressure go out of your mouth. Closing your mouth when you sneeze could cause the graft to move out of place.
Do not forcefully exhale.Do not play musical wind instruments or do any other activity where you have to forcefully exhale.
Prevent yourself from getting a cold or flu.You should avoid getting the flu or cold for at least two weeks. These can cause your Eustachian tube to plug up and the air pressure in the ear will not be balanced, which may move the graft out of place. Wash your hands frequently and avoid contact with friends who have the cold or flu.
Manage your allergies.If you have allergies or if you get the cold or flu, see your doctor for decongestants.
If you smoke, stop smoking.This is hard to do, but it is important between the surgery and your follow-up appointment to stop smoking in order to help the graft take.
Keep your incision clean.Follow good hygiene by washing hands, washing cloths, and taking care of your incision as asked by your doctor.
Keep your outer ear clean.You can wipe any discharge that comes out of your ear with a damp washcloth. Do not force pressure in the ear canal or let water in. A cotton ball may be ed to collect drainage while sleeping or when exposed to excessive dust and dirt. However, avoid constant use of cotton balls in the ear.
ACTIVITY
To allow your ear to heal, you shouldn’t do any of these activities until after your follow-up appointment, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
No heavy lifting - do not lift anything heavier than 5 pounds
No heavy housework
No driving
No sex
Do not participate in sports or vigorous activity, heavy lifting or straining for 2 weeks.
Ask your doctor when you can go back to work.
DIET
You can go back to eating what you normally do as long as you don’t feel nauseous.
Patients who have had anesthesia may feel nauseous the first day after the operation. Soups may help settle the stomach. It is important to drink a lot of fluids to avoid getting dehydrated.
INCISION
If you have an incision, it may have been closed in one of many ways. Ask your doctor how you should care for it.
If closed with staples or stitches, the incision should be kept dry until the staples or stitches are taken out at your follow-up visit.
If closed with special skin glue, the incision may not need to be kept dry. A shower is usually okay and the glue peels off on its own within 10 days.
MEDICATIONS
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will explain the medications you should be taking, if any.
The ear prescribed to you contains an antibiotic to help fight infections. When putting ear s in your ear, lie with the treated ear up. You’ll need to stay in this position for 2 minutes after placing the s in your ear. This allows them to absorb into your ear. You may want to place a clean cotton ball in the treated ear for about an hour after applying the s.
Make sure you understand which medications you should take, how often you should take them and for how long. Most importantly, make sure you understand why you’re taking the medications and their possible side effects.
Check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to see if there are any over-the-counter medications you need to avoid.
When discussing your discharge with your doctor, be sure to mention what medications you were taking at home. Ask which ones you should continue taking and when you should start taking them again.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Call your doctor or nurse if
your incision becomes red, hot, swollen or starts to leak.
your temperature is greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
These are signs of infection.
Also call your doctor if you have increased ear drainage or the ear drainage has a foul smell. These are also signs of infection. It is normal to have some ear drainage that is brown or reddish brown in color. However, the ear drainage should decrease and become clear in a week or two.
Call your doctor if
You have pain that is not controlled by medication.
You have persistent nausea or vomiting.
You have any severe leg pain, swelling or chest pain. These may be signs of potentially deadly blood clots.
JUST ASK
Do not be afraid to ask any questions related to your health and recovery. Here is a list of 10 common questions you should ask your doctor or healthcare provider before you go home.
What medications should I take and when?
What are the signs of infections and other common complications?
What should I eat?
What will happen to my stitches and staples?
When will I see the doctor again?
When can I drive my car?
When can I go back to work?
When and how can I shower?
How much weight can I lift? Can I bend?
When can I make love again?
Ask your healthcare providers to contact your primary physician and tell him or her what you had done in the hospital, what to expect, what type of follow-up is needed and what medications you went home with.
