About this topic
Endoscopic sinus surgery can correct problems with your sinuses when drugs do not help. The sinuses are air-filled spaces inside the head that lie behind your forehead, nose, cheeks, and eyes. The spaces have small hairs that clean the sinuses. Your sinuses may swell, get inflamed or infected if the small hairs are not working well. You can also have problems if there is a block in the opening to the sinuses. The mucus sometimes gets trapped inside the sinus, causing pain. You may have had sinus surgery because of: ‚
- Frequent sinus infections
- Tumors in your nose or sinuses
- Nasal polyps. These are soft, painless, noncancerous growths that grow on the lining of the nasal passage or sinus.
- Chronic sinus headaches
- Choanal atresia. This is a condition that occurs when the back of the nose does not open or communicate with the rest of the airway. It is often a condition that is found at birth or in early infancy.
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Do not blow your nose or sneeze for 7 to 10 days. If you must sneeze, keep your mouth open.
- Breathe through your mouth for the first few days.
- Place an ice pack wrapped in a towel over the painful part. Never put ice right on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. This will help relieve pain and swelling.
- Protect your nose from injury.
- Avoid activities that put pressure on your face, like bending over or holding your breath.
- Ask your doctor about:
- When you can start taking a bath or shower.
- When you should start to use a saline rinse for your nose. This may be right after any packing has been removed. You may need to use the rinse 3 to 4 times each day to help prevent crusts from forming inside of your nose.
- If you should use a humidifier.
- When you can return to your normal activities or return to work.
- Sleeping with your head up or in a sitting position may be more comfortable.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may remove any packing or stents (small tubes) at one of these visits.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Fight an infection
- Lessen swelling
Will physical activity be limited?
- Talk with your doctor about the right amount of activity for you.
- Do not lift anything over 10 pounds for 2 to 4 weeks.
- Do not bend over toward the floor.
- Avoid activities that may jerk your head, like playing sports.
What problems could happen?
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Numbness in the nose
- Eye problems
- Bruising around eyes
- Cerebrospinal fluid leaks from nose
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills.
- Lots of bleeding from your nose
- Packing comes out before it should
- Upset stomach and throwing up not helped with drugs
- Too much pain or headache
- Swelling or redness of the eyes or nose
- Clear fluid draining from one side of your nose
- Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my nose.
- I can tell you what may help ease my pain.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have lots of bleeding, my packing comes out, or I have clear fluid coming from one side of my nose.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery ‚
http://www.entnet.org/content/sinus-surgery ‚
American Rhinological Association ‚
http://care.american-rhinologic.org/ess ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-01-26 ‚
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Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚