Orbital Fractures UHN For patients going home after surgery Read this resource to learn about: How to care for your wound How to cope with pain What to do in case of emergency Do not drive a car or drink alcohol for 24 hours. Please visit the UHN Patient Education website for more health information: www.uhnpatienteducation.ca 2015 University Health Network. All rights reserved. This information is to be used for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for non-commercial personal use only. Author: Bruna Curti BScN Revised: 07/2015 - TWH Day Surgery Unit Form: D-5431
What are fractures of the orbit? When one or more bones around the eye are broken, it is called an orbital fracture. The orbit is the bony part around the eye. An orbital fracture usually happens after: A hit to the face Some type of injury from: a car accident gunshot wound falls physical assault contact sports, such as football or hockey What can I eat or drink after my surgery? You can go back to eating and drinking what you normally would right away. If you are feeling nauseous (feeling as though you want to throw up) or vomiting, you can get anti-nausea medicine from your pharmacy without a prescription. Follow the instructions on the bottle or package and drink clear fluids (like apple juice or water) until the nausea passes. Then slowly eat what you normally would. How much activity is safe? Go home and rest today. When you are lying down or resting, keep your head up on 2 or 3 pillows. Slowly go back to your regular activities, except: Do not do any tiring activities, exercises or sports (for example: swimming, weight lifting, aerobics, or shoveling snow) until your surgeon tells you it is safe 2
Do not lift anything over 10 pounds or 5 kilograms (for example: groceries, children or pets) until your surgeon tells you it is safe to do so. Do not blow your nose Your surgeon will tell you when to return to work and sports. How do I care for my wound? Always keep your wound and bandage clean and dry. If you have steri-strips (white strips), leave them on for 7 to 10 days. If they begin to fall off earlier, remove them and throw them away. Use ice packs, frozen vegetables or crushed ice in a plastic bag and wrapped in a thin clean towel to help with the swelling. Do not put ice packs right on your skin. Put the ice pack, frozen vegetables, or crushed ice on your eye region for 15 to 20 minutes. Do this 5 to 6 times a day for the first 2 to 3 days after the surgery. When can I shower or bathe? Do not wash or wet your wounds until they have completely healed. Do not shower or wash your hair for 3 days. You can take a bath but do not wet your hair. Use a clean face cloth to wash around your face wounds. After 3 days you can shower. Be careful when washing your hair so that you do not get your face too wet until the wounds have completely healed. You may have to wait 10 to 14 days or until your surgeon tells you it is safe to do so. 3
How do I cope with pain? It's normal to have pain after the surgery, but it will get better over time. We will give you a prescription for pain medicine. Take it to a pharmacy to get it filled. Follow the directions for taking the medicine. Take the pain medicine every 4 hours for the first 2 days. After 2 days you can slowly take less pain medicine, as your pain gets better. Pain medicine may cause nausea (feeling as though you need to throw up). To stop nausea: Take your medicine on a full stomach or with crackers or dry biscuits. Pain medicine can cause constipation (not able to have bowel movements). To stop constipation: Drink lots of fluids (3 to 5 glasses of water every day. Each glass should be about 8 ounces). Eat foods that are high in fibre such as bran and fruits. If you have not had a bowel movement for 72 hours, take Milk of Magnesia (follow the directions on the bottle). You can buy this from your pharmacy without a prescription. 4
Problems to watch for: Any decrease or loss of vision A lot of pain in your eye that does not go away after you take your prescribed pain medicine A fever (temperature higher than 38 C or 100 F) Bleeding that won t stop even after you apply pressure for 15 minutes Swelling that was not there before and does not go away with time Redness around the wound Yellow pus coming from the wound If you have any of the symptoms above: Call your surgeon Call 416-340-3155 and ask to speak to the Plastic Surgery resident on-call who will tell you what to do Go to the nearest hospital emergency department Follow-up appointment You must have a follow up appointment with your surgeon. If you don t already have a follow-up appointment, please call the surgeon s office to make an appointment. Doctor: Date: Time: Place: Phone: 5
Special instructions for you For more information visit our website at: www.uhn.ca or www.uhnpatienteducation.ca 6