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Post-Op Instructions after Septoplasty & Sinus Surgery
- Do not take aspirin, blood thinners, or anti-inflammatory medications (ie. Ibuprofen) for two weeks before and two weeks after surgery. Also, avoid herbal medications. These medications can thin your blood and increase your chance of serious bleeding. Tylenol use before and after surgery is not a problem.
- Avoid strenuous activity for 2 weeks. This includes bending, lifting, manual labour and avoidance of dust/dirt exposure at work. Avoid external injury to nose (pets, small children).
- Typically, nasal stents are placed in the nose for 12 to 18 days with a dissolvable white jelly-like packing.
- For the first 2 to 3 days following surgery, do not blow the nose, but rather sniff secretions into the throat and spit. Avoid smoke and other substances, which might irritate the nose. Use saline nasal spray lavage after the first day to cleanse the nose. Continue daily saline nasal lavage to keep the stents open and relieve the nasal congestion.
- Use the medications you were given at the time of discharge as directed. These may include an antibiotic to combat infection at the postoperative site, saline nasal spray, and pain medication.
- Bloody drainage from the nostrils and down the back of the throat is to be expected for the first several days. You may have to change your nasal gauze pad several times a day. Drainage will slow down after the first several days. Drainage will change to brown to clear mucous with old blood. Rest in bed with your head elevated on two pillows and try ice packs on the nose and cheeks. Headaches and toothaches are not unusual and usually improve after removal of the stents in the nose.
- Heavy bleeding from the nose, difficulty breathing, fever or chills should be reported to your surgeon or after hours, to the nearest Emergency Department.
- If you must sneeze, sneeze with the mouth open. Do not close the mouth and sneeze or pinch your nose to stifle the sneeze.
- Avoid hot, spicy foods and alcohol. These items are known to increase nasal blood flow and nasal oozing/bleeding.
- If nasal packing is placed at surgery, take your pain medicine 30 minutes prior to your "removal" appointment time at our office.
- If your nose seems dry or sore, you can place a small amount of Vaseline in each nostril and sniff. This will coat the lining of the nose and help with the dryness. You can do this morning and night.
- After your packing is removed, continue using saline nasal spray 3 to 4 times daily for 1 to 3 months postoperatively. Take care to avoid injury to the nose for 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively. Crusting from the nose is common after surgery for up to 3 months post-operatively.
- Contact your surgeon or the nearest Emergency Department if your eyes become very swollen or you experience double vision or loss of vision.