San Francisco Ear Nose Throat Specialist

NASAL SURGERY (RHINOPLASTY / SEPTOPLASTY)

ACTIVITY: You should rest the day of the surgery to recover from the anesthesia. Sleep on your back with your head raised on two pillows. This will help decrease swelling and may make you more comfortable. Cold packs (frozen peas in a zip-lock bag) around the nose may also help with the swelling and pain the first day. Separate the ice packs from the skin with a towel so that it won't stick to your skin. Avoid sleeping with the ice packs on. Light activity is recommended the first 2-3 days after surgery. Thereafter, you may slowly increase your activity as tolerated, but avoid lifting heavy objects or strenuous activity for 2 weeks. Most patients return to work 7-10 days after surgery; when they are taking minimal amounts of pain medication.

DIET: Start with clear liquid diet as most patients experience slight nausea from anesthesia. Advance your diet to full liquid (eg. soup) and gradually to your normal daily diet as tolerated.

PAIN: You will be prescribed narcotic pain medication to take every 4-6 hours. Do not drive while on narcotics as they will make you drowsy. Once the pain is more tolerable, transition to extra strength tylenol over the counter. PLEASE AVOID ASPIRIN, BUFFERIN, ADVIL, MOTRIN, ALEVE, IBUPROFEN OR ANY OTHER PAIN RELIEVER AS THEY ALL INCREASES RISKS OF BLEEDING.

PACKING/ SPLINTS: Some form of nasal packing will be placed inside your nose at the end of the case to avoid bleeding or blood clots formation. As a result, your breathing will be compromised for 5-7 days, at which point the packing will be removed in the office. A plastic splint will be placed over your nose to keep the swelling down. It will also be removed in the first post-operative visit in 1 week. Avoid getting the splint wet as it may come off prematurely.

Symptoms to definitely call the office

Fever greater than 101.5°F/38.5°C
Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
Changes in vision
Massive bleeding from operative site
Extreme swelling that comes about over a few minutes
Increasing pain