After your Surgery

Myringotomy & Tubes, with or without Adenoidectomy

Please read these instructions carefully before surgery and keep them for reference after surgery and in the future.

Care of the ears in the early postoperative period.
After placement of tubes, use ear drops 3 times daily, each ear, for 3 days. Remember to "pump" the drops into the ear 30 times to get the medicine to go through the tube. This is done to help prevent an infection from occurring. The drops are formulated not to cause pain, but some children find the sensation of drops going through the tube and into the throat (which is expected) to be uncomfortable.(The ear drops will be given to you by Dr. Frost immediately after the procedure).

There may be a small amount of blood-tinged drainage from the ears for 1-2 days. This is simply a residual of the small incision made in the eardrum, which has many tiny blood vessels. This is nothing to be alarmed about, but it is helpful to use the ear drops as directed to help prevent this small amount of blood from drying and blocking up the tube in the eardrum.

The tubes in the ears should cause no pain themselves as this area is a non-moving area. Patients may complain of "pain in the ears" if they have had an Adenoidectomy or Tonsillectomy at the same time. This pain is really referred pain coming from the upper part of the throat or nasopharynx that just seems to be in the ears. This pain gets better as this area heals, usually in 4-6 days.

Unless another procedure has been done along with the tube placement the patient needs to follow no special diet and may go back to school when the effects of the anesthetic have worn off, usually after 24 hours.

Long Term Care of the Ears.

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