Life After Cholesteatoma Surgery – Pain, Healing & Hearing Explained
Patients might experience transient adverse effects following cholesteatoma surgery, such as tinnitus, changes in taste, ear numbness, and jaw discomfort. They can also have symptoms like ear pressure, vertigo, and cracking/popping noises. It’s important to safeguard the ear from water and refrain from strenuous activities, and drains can be installed. The possibility of recurrent cholesteatoma necessitates continuous monitoring.
Typical Experiences After Surgery:
Changes in Flavor:
For a few weeks, one may have a dry or metallic taste in the mouth, which could become permanent if a nerve is damaged.
Tinnitus:
Tinnitus, which causes ringing or buzzing in the ear, can last for a month or more.
numbness in the ears:
The ear or the surrounding area may experience a sensation of numbness or loss of feeling.
Pain and stiffness in the jaw:
Because of the jaw joint’s proximity to the ear canal, it may be painful or rigid.
Ear Pressure and Dizziness:
A sensation of fullness, cracking, popping, or slight dizziness in the ear is typical and typically disappears as the ear recovers.
Drainage:
The surgeon will provide advice on when to remove a drain tube that may be inserted behind the ear.
Packing:
The ear canal might get blocked if packing material is put there.
Bloody Discharge
The ear canal may bleed a little bit, which is typical.
Pain:
Ear pain is prevalent and treatable with painkillers.
Changes in Hearing:
Although there may be improvement in hearing, it is not assured, and additional surgery may be necessary.
Precautions and Rehabilitation:
Back to Work: Patients typically need a few weeks off work in order to recover.
- Limitations on Activity: For a specified amount of time following surgery, refrain from engaging in demanding tasks, carrying heavy items, or allowing the ear to become wet.
- Precautions: Use cotton wool and Vaseline to protect the ear from water.
- Follow-Up: Regular check-ups are necessary to watch for a recurrence of the cholesteatoma.
- Recurrence: According to the Cleveland Clinic, cholesteatomas might recur, thus routine monitoring is necessary.
Important Considerations:
- If you have a fever, uncontrolled pain, excessive bleeding, or a bad-smelling discharge, call your doctor or the hospital.
- Regarding ear care and activity limits, adhere to your surgeon’s specific instructions.
- Proper hygiene and frequent exercise can help with recovery.
- A patient’s hearing may undergo either a transient or long-lasting alteration.
What should patients anticipate following the procedure?
Following ear surgery, it is crucial for patients and their caregivers to take the necessary precautions. Depending on how well the patient feels and whether the treatment is completed sooner or later in the day, they may either return home or spend the night in the hospital following surgery. The likelihood of staying overnight increases if it is later.
Although people may experience side effects like numbness in the upper ear, these will go away around three months after the procedure. Additionally, although it is more common in older individuals, patients may also experience bruising that extends from behind the ear and along the neck. This bruising will disappear in two to three weeks.
After the procedure, patients may wake up from the anesthetic with a bandage covering their head to protect the treated ear during the first few hours (or the first night). The bandage will be taken off the next morning, either before the patient is released or while they are at home.
Maintaining a dry ear following surgery is crucial, above all else, in order to lower the chance of an infection. Patients must refrain from shampooing their hair for at least 10 days after surgery, but a dry shampoo may be used. A cotton wool covered with Vaseline can be used to shield the ear canal when taking a bath or shower since it helps to repel water. Additionally, a shower cap is beneficial.
The cut:
White, adhesive dressings may be applied over an incision if one was made during surgery. After seven to ten days, these dressings can be removed. Patients should wait five to ten days before trying to wash or clean the incision, even if the adhesive dressings come off sooner.
The stitches I use are frequently absorbable, so they might not be visible beneath the skin. Sometimes I utilize blue stitches, which the nurse at the patient’s GP clinic must remove eight to ten days after surgery. The patient’s discharge letter will include precise guidelines if this is the case.
The ear canal:
Dressings that fill the ear canal will shield the ear as it heals. Although these bandages may make the ear canal feel obstructed until the patient comes back to the clinic, they will be taken off at that time.
In addition to a blockage, you may experience a minor bloody discharge from your ear during the first several days following surgery. As a result, individuals are free to swap out any external cotton wool as needed, which may occur three to four times daily at first but then become less frequent over time.
Patients can be given oral antibiotics for five to seven days after surgery if an infection or inflammation is discovered. Patients should take this medication in accordance with their doctor’s instructions.
Possible symptoms:
The eardrum must be raised during many ear operations, which are performed close to or around the gustatory nerve. The taste nerve may occasionally get bruised or injured, resulting in a metallic taste on the tongue on the side of the procedure, either when there is disease or (in some cases) when it is necessary for surgical access. In the six to twelve weeks following the operation, the taste will never recover.
Following surgery, balance may also be impacted for a brief amount of time. The imbalance of the inner ear, along with a reaction to the anesthetic medicines, may contribute to the sudden onset of nausea and dizziness in some patients. Patients are advised to take one or two weeks off work in order to get enough rest in the days following surgery, as this often resolves in the first few days. Patients should avoid overexerting themselves since their recovery will gradually improve their physical and mental well-being.
Patients who have tinnitus (a disorder marked by ringing or roaring noises in the ear) may experience a dip immediately after surgery. Patients may develop tinnitus even if they have never had any prior history or symptoms of the condition, as a result of the disruption of the inner ear and/or the obstruction of the middle or outer ear. As the ear heals, this will take care of itself.
DISCLAIMER-Some patients go to net and directly take treatment from there which can lead to catastrophic consequences-Then- Many people ask then why to read all this text -the reason is that it helps you to understand the pathology better ,you can cooperate with treatment better ,your treating physician is already busy with his patients and he does not have sufficient time to explain you all the things right from ABCD ,so it is always better to have some knowledge of the disease /disorder you are suffering from.
Additionally, patients should also:
- Understand that the ear will produce popping and crackling noises as it heals.
- Don’t lift large weights and strain.
- Refrain from suppressing their sneezes.
- Be extremely cautious if they blow their nose.
- Keep in mind that they could experience a throbbing feeling.
- Refrain from scheduling air travel for four to six weeks after surgery (if in doubt, patients should always check with their ENT surgeon)
- If at all feasible, refrain from flying or scuba diving while you have a cold, but this is contingent upon the procedure you’ve undergone.
- If they experience dizziness or imbalance, they should refrain from driving.
When will the follow-up visit occur?
Depending on how long it is advised that the ear canal dressing stay in place, the post-operative clinic visit will occur one to six weeks after the procedure. Patients will occasionally need to use ear drops prior to coming back to the clinic if I use absorbable ear canal dressings.
If a patient’s recovery becomes problematic in any way, such as increased imbalance or dizziness, excessive tinnitus, or persistent pain following continuous improvement, an urgent evaluation will be scheduled right away.
If any patient has any ENT -Ear nose throat problems and requires any , consultation ,online consultation ,or surgery in clinic of ENT specialist Doctor Dr Sagar Rajkuwar ,he may TAKE APPOINTMENT BY CLICKING ON THE LINK GIVEN BELOW-
Clinic address of ENT SPECIALIST doctor Dr Sagar Rajkuwar-
Prabha ENT clinic, plot no 345,Saigram colony, opposite Indoline furniture Ambad link road ,Ambad ,1 km from Pathardi phata Nashik ,422010 ,Maharashtra, India-Dr Sagar Rajkuwar (MS-ENT), Cel no- 7387590194 , 9892596635
