We often encounter patients who have had successful surgeries, but after discharge from the hospital, the disease recurs or does not recover satisfactorily due to insufficient knowledge about the disease, improper postoperative care or failure to adhere to follow-up examinations. In order to provide patients with better postoperative home care, we have briefly summarized the following precautions for otitis media as an example, hoping to help more patients.
Precautions
1. Do not blow your nose until your doctor indicates that your ear has healed. If necessary, any secretions that accumulate in the nose can be aspirated and coughed up into the throat. This is especially important when you have a cold.
2. To pinch your nose to drum air into your ear through the eustachian tube. To open your mouth and sneeze.
3. Do not let water in your ears until your doctor tells you that your ears are healed. Cotton can be stuffed into the opening of the external ear canal while showering or washing your hair. If there is an incision in the skin behind the ear, do not let this area get wet for a week.
4. Try to avoid catching a cold. Avoid getting cold and fatigue. When you have a cold, treat it as usual and inform your doctor if you have ear symptoms.
5. You may feel a pulsating sensation, bubbling sounds, clicks and other sounds in the ear, as well as a feeling of fullness in the ear. Sometimes it may feel as if there is fluid in the ear. These are all normal post-operative occurrences.
6. It is best to fly only after your ear has healed. When the height changes, you need to stay awake and chew gum to stimulate swallowing.
Vertigo
Slight vertigo may occur with head movement, which is irrelevant if it does not get worse.
Hearing
Hearing improvement immediately after surgery is rare. There may even be temporary aggravation due to tissue swelling and filling of the external ear canal.
Ear leakage
There may be bloody or watery ear leaks during the recovery period. The ear canal opening can be replaced with a hearing cotton ball if necessary, but generally the less you move the operated ear, the better.
Whenever there is a yellow purulent (infected) ear leak, it is important to return to the hospital for follow-up. You should also inform your doctor if you develop a foul-smelling ear leak.
Pain
Mild, intermittent ear pain is not uncommon during the first 2 weeks. There is often pain over or in front of the ear when chewing. If there is persistent ear pain, follow up with your doctor.
Ear drops
If your doctor prescribes ear drops, tilt your head to the opposite side and place 2 drops in the ear and hold for 5 min. then tilt your head to the affected side to allow the drops to drain.
Post-operative medication change
The stitches are usually removed 7 days after surgery, but sometimes the stitches need to be removed in stages depending on the condition of the wound. The intra-ear filling is removed within 2-3 weeks after surgery. After the stitches are removed, the patient can be discharged from the hospital and return to the hospital to have the plug removed according to the doctor’s orders.
Review
After removal of the intra-ocular filling, your doctor will arrange for you to return to the hospital for a follow-up endoscopy according to your condition. The hearing condition needs to be monitored regularly after surgery. The first electroaudiometry review is scheduled 3 months after surgery, followed by 6 months after surgery and 1 year after surgery.