Before the operation:
2 weeks before the operation you should not take any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. These include Motrin, Ibuprofen (Advil), Aspirin, Naproxen or any medications containing these drugs. All herbal medications should also be avoided as they can interfere with normal blood clotting and anesthetic agents. If you take pills for high blood pressure, you should still take them the morning of surgery with sips of water. Post operative bleeding is not a significant material risk for the surgery, but it is important that bleeding be limited during the surgery as it is done in a very small area and any bleeding can reduce visibility during surgery.
Patients will attend a pre-operative tour at the hospital where blood work and pre-operative testing will be done if any has been ordered.
After the Operation:
You will be discharged the same day of the operation. You should have someone with you the first evening. It is normal to have some blood come from the ear for a day or so after the operation. You should not have any purulent fluid from the ear. You will be put on Ciloxin drops twice a day for 2 weeks after surgery. This is a Ciprofloxacin antibiotic often prescribed for the eye, but is quite safe for the ear and is to help prevent any infection after surgery. You will need to continue with water precautions after surgery for 6 weeks or until advised otherwise by Dr. Robichaud. Once the perforation is fully healed it is fine to return to swimming and bathing with no further water precautions at that time.
There may be a small amount of blood at the external ear that is normal. You may not find any improvement in your hearing for up to 6-8 weeks after surgery until all the dissolvable packing has been removed or dissolved. Strenuous activities should be avoided for 8 weeks after surgery, but light exercise is permitted at 2 weeks post operatively. There will be dissolvable sutures above the operated ear or at the back of the neck which does not require any special treatment but should be kept dry for 48 hours. There is no restriction from showering after 24-48 hours, apart from keeping the operated ear dry, as you did before the surgery. You can return to work at 1-2 weeks post operatively or sooner depending on what type of work you do and your preference.