Recovery guide
Parotidectomy Recovery Guide
Quick answer: After parotidectomy you go home with a drain, which comes out at your first post-op visit; empty it and record the amount every 8 hours. Remove the head wrap and you may shower after 24 hours, and sleep with your head raised for 72 hours. If part of your face is weak on that side, it almost always improves over weeks to months. Avoid heavy lifting for 2 weeks and travel for 1 week.
What should I expect?
- Pain and soreness around the incision and along the side of your face and neck.
- Mild oozing from around the incision.
- Numbness around the earlobe. This usually improves with time, but some numbness can be permanent.
What if part of my face feels weak?
Because the facial nerve runs through the parotid gland, some people have weakness of all or part of the face on the side of surgery. If you do, it almost always improves with time, but it can take several weeks to months.
- If the weakness affects your eyelid and the eye does not close fully, protect the eye: use lubricating eye drops (artificial tears) during the day and a lubricating eye ointment at bedtime.
- Call us if the eye becomes red or painful, or your vision becomes blurry.
How do I care for the drain?
- You will go home with a drain. It is removed at your first post-op visit.
- Before you go home, the nurse will show you how to empty the drain and write down the amount. Empty it and record the amount every 8 hours, and bring the record to your visit.
How do I care for the incision?
- Remove the head wrap dressing 24 hours after surgery.
- You may shower 24 hours after surgery. Let warm, soapy water run over the incision. Do not scrub it.
- Do not soak the incision in a bath, pool or hot tub.
- Sleep with your head raised on an extra pillow or two for 72 hours.
How should I manage pain?
- Pain can usually be controlled with over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol) and either ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve), taken as directed on the bottle.
- If we prescribed a stronger (narcotic) pain medicine, use it only for pain the over-the-counter medicines do not control.
When can I get back to normal?
- No heavy lifting or intense exercise for 2 weeks.
- No flying or travel until 1 week after surgery.
When should I call?
Call us for
- A fever over 101°F that does not go away
- Pain that gets worse or becomes severe
- An incision that keeps draining, or redness around it that is getting worse
- An eye that does not close fully and becomes red or painful, or vision that becomes blurry
Call 911 or go to the ER for
Swelling in the neck that is quickly getting bigger, or any trouble breathing.
Austin 512-339-4040 · Lakeway 512-682-4798 · Marble Falls 830-992-2830
Questions patients ask
Weakness of all or part of the face on the side of surgery can happen because the facial nerve runs through the parotid gland. It almost always improves with time, but it can take several weeks to months.
If facial weakness affects your eyelid, protect the eye while it recovers: use lubricating eye drops (artificial tears) during the day and a lubricating eye ointment at bedtime. Call us if the eye becomes red or painful, or your vision becomes blurry.
The drain is removed at your first post-op visit. Until then, empty it and record the amount every 8 hours.
Numbness around the earlobe is common after parotidectomy. It usually improves with time, but some numbness can be permanent.
Remove the head wrap and you may shower 24 hours after surgery. Let warm, soapy water run over the incision without scrubbing it, and do not soak it.
This guide is for educational purposes only and does not replace an in-person evaluation. If your surgeon gave you different instructions, follow theirs.
Full guide: capitalent.com/parotidectomy-recovery.html