Patient Education
Tongue/Oral Cavity
Surgery
Post Operative Instructions
At Alabama ENT, getting your life back to normal quickly and safely is our chief concern. Much of that will depend on how closely you follow the instructions in this handout. So, please read over this brief pamphlet, and make sure that what it contains is clear to you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask your surgeon.
- IMMEDIATE CONCERNS
- Convalescence: Stay out of school/work for as many weeks as your doctor prescribes.
-
NO SMOKE! Smoking, smokeless tobacco products, and second-hand smoke increase your chances of bleeding and infection following your surgery.
- POST-OP DIET:
-
Guidelines: Please read the “Post-Op Dietary Guidelines” on this website. They have been very carefully created with both your recovery and your eating pleasure in mind.
-
Fluid Intake: Drink plenty of fluids; Ice chips or Popsicles work fine.
-
Diet Progression: Begin with a liquid or soft food diet, and progress back to your normal eating habits as tolerated.
-
PAIN MANAGEMENT:
-
Ice-Pack: It is OK to use an ice-pack on your neck, if it increases comfort and reduces pain.
- Nighttime: Awaken yourself the first 2 nights to take your pain medication (at least Tylenol) at the prescribed intervals.
-
- WHAT TO EXPECT:
-
Expect pain to get worse 3-5 days after surgery, and to persist for up to 10 days.
-
Expect ear pain. It is normal for you to experience pain in your ears from the nerve endings at the site of your throat surgery (this is called “referred pain”).
-
Expect blood-tinged sputum/saliva for the first 24-48 hours following your surgery. This will continue for 7-10 days, due to the scab falling off. It can be controlled with crushed ice held in the mouth and spit out every 30 seconds.
-
Expect bad breath until the scab falls off. (The scab will look like white patches in the throat.)
-
- UNACCEPTABLE MEDICATIONS: (These can cause bleeding; Avoid
for 7 days after surgery)
-
Do not take the following over-the-counter drugs: Aspirin, Ibuprophen, Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Goody’s Powders, or Vitamin E.
- Do not take the following herbal products: Ginger, Fever Few, Garlic, Gingko Biloba, or White Bark.
-
- TRAVEL: Do not drive or fly until you are finished with your pain medication. However, you may be a passenger for local travel when you are comfortable enough to do so.
Follow-up Appointments…
Our office will call you 2-3 days after your surgery to schedule follow-up appointments. The number of appointments varies with the surgery, and will be scheduled as needed. Do not miss your follow-up appointments. They are vital in monitoring your progress and recovery.
-
Bleeding: You have a flow of bright red blood from the nose or mouth that cannot be controlled with crushed ice in mouth or direct pressure to the nasal area for 10 minutes.
-
Fever: If you have a fever over 101 degrees.
-
Dehydration: If you cannot consume the amounts of liquids listed on the “Post-Op Dietary Guidelines."
-
Pain or nausea: If there is an increase despite medication.