Home Care Instructions Following Nasal Surgery
- Sleep with your head elevated (two pillows) for at least 5 days.
- You may use a small ice bag or bag of frozen peas across sinuses or nose for 2 or more days. This helps decrease swelling and pain.
- Drink lots of liquids. Start with a soft diet with minimal chewing and gradually progress to normal diet.
- Keep teeth clean. You may use mouthwash.
- A nasal pack may be placed during surgery and your doctor will tell you. It keeps the nasal septum straight and reduces bleeding. It stays in about a day and you will be instructed about it's removal.
- You may have soft plastic nasal splints in your nose and your doctor will tell you. They are slightly uncomfortable so try not to hit them. The splints will be removed 5-10 days after surgery.
Keep the openings of the splints clean of blood and mucous by applying hydrogen peroxide on a Q-tip and cleaning the opening GENTLY. After cleaning, put a small amount of neosporin ointment just inside each nostril. Start this cleaning the night of surgery and continue 3 times a day until the splints are removed.
If you have an external nasal splint, keep it dry and ask your surgeon about wearing eye glasses.
- Following surgery, you will have drainage from your nose. At first, there may be a small amount of bright red bleeding. This is normal and may continue through the first week. A gauze dressing may be used under your nose to absorb this drainage.
It may be necessary to change the dressing several times on the day of your surgery. Old blood from the surgery is dark reddish brown and will drain for a week or more. The drainage may be thicker and pale-yellow in color. This is also normal after septoplasty and is not a sign of infection.
Any bright red bleeding that lasts more than 10 minutes, or is excessive, should be reported to your doctor immediately. Swallowed blood may cause black, tarry stools, nausea, and vomiting. The black stools may last several weeks.
- For the first week after surgery, your head may feel stuffy due to swelling of the mucous membranes in your nose. The stuffiness will gradually decrease over the next few weeks. After this, you should notice that it is easier to breathe through your nose.
- Take your prescribed pain medication or antibiotics as directed. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen for 1 week, as they will increase bleeding. Do not smoke for at least 1 week for the same reason.
- Gently sniff Ocean Nasal Spray or 3-S Solution as a nasal irrigation or spray at least 3 times a day for 2 weeks. You can use a bulb syringe (as used with babies) to squirt 3-S Solution in the nose.
3-S Solution Recipe: 8 oz. warm water, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon white Karo syrup
Mix 3-S Solution daily. May use as a gargle, spray, or nasal irrigation 3 or more times a day after told to do so. Pretz Nasal Spray (Parnell Pharm. Co.) may also be used.
DO NOT:
- Lift over 10 lbs. for the first 5 days. Do not strain to lift for 10 days.
- Drive within 24 hours after anesthesia. You are impaired and DUI.
- Drive while taking pain medication. You are impaired and DUI.
- Injure nose or face. No contact sports until cleared by your doctor.
- Blow your nose for one week. You may sniff back secretions and spit them out.
- Sneeze. Do it with your mouth open to avoid injury and bleeding.
- Put anything into your nose unless instructed. No nasal steroid sprays for one week.
- Smoking or drink alcohol for at least one week.
- Swim for two weeks. No real hot baths for one week.
- Participate in sports for two weeks.
- Strain at toilet. Use gentle laxitives as needed.
Important Phone Numbers
If you have any questions regarding what to expect following your nasal surgery, please call our office at (615) 327-3077. A message center is available to answer your call after hours.
Call the doctor if you experience:
- a fever over 101°
- increasing pain and swelling after first 48 hours
- green/yellowish nasal drainage
- changes in eye sight
You may talk to a doctor or nurse in our office by calling the numbers 615-386-9089 or (615) 327-3077. A message center will answer your calls after office hours and contact the doctor for you.