Post-Op Instructions

Post-Op Instructions Following Ear Surgery

1. Please call ENT & Audiology Associates to schedule an appointment two to three weeks after being discharged from the hospital unless otherwise instructed.
2. Try to use common sense: don’t overly exhausted, stay cool in the summer, warm in the winter and try to avoid crowds.
3. Don’t blow your nose for 10-14 days following surgery, instead sniff back any mucous that has built up in your nose, and spit it out to avoid infecting your ears. Try to sneeze with your mouth open.
4. If you have a plastic bubble dressing on your ear, take it out the morning following surgery. Take out existing cotton balls and replace them with fresh ones. Place two Band-Aids over the incision line behind the ear.
5. Swap out the cotton in your ear three times a day– in the morning, afternoon and eveing. If the cotton balls become moist you may change the cotton ball more often. If you have had a mastoidectomy or tympanoplasty, you should use ear drops every time you change the cotton ball.
6. You  may remove the Band-Aids from  behind your ear after three days. You may notice watery or bloody drainage from the incision area up to 10 days following the procedure. Tape a piece of gauze behind the ear until there this not more  drainage.
7. Don’t become alarmed if you notice popping sounds in your ear while it heals. It will stop in time.
8. Avoid water in the ear until it is healed. You may wash your hair three days following surgery, but water must be kep out of the ear  canal. Place a cotton ball in your ear and apply petroleum jelly over the cotton prior to bathing.
9. If you underwent a procedure to improve your hearing, it will six to eight weeks for it to improve, so do not be alarmed if it does not happen right away. The surgery must have time to heal before you will notice improvement. The doctors and specialists at ENT & Audiology Associates will let you know what to expect.
10. If you have undergone a neurotologic procedure such as a nerve section, shunt, or removal of a tumor and notice clear fluid flow from the suture line or nose, notify ENT & Audiology Associates immediately.
11. Be sure to keep your follow up appointment with Dr. Holmes and the specialists at ENT & Audiology Associates. Our goal is to get you back on the road to recovery as quickly as possible.

Travel Restrictions After Surgery

Always have someone take you home from the hospital, do not drive. Air travel is allowed 48 hours after surgery and is preferred to train or car travel on trips over 200 miles.

Have Questions or Concerns? Contact Us Immediately.

If you have any questions regarding what to expect following your ear surgery, please call our office at 919-782-9003. The message center at ENT & Audiology Associate is available after office hours.