Post Operative Instructions after Clavicle Fracture Repair Helpful Hints & Important Precautions for Patients
Diet
- You may resume clear liquids and light foods after surgery (jello, soup, etc.)
- Progress to your normal diet as tolerated as long as you are not nauseated.
Medications:
- Before surgery you will be offered a nerve block which helps greatly with pain control and decreases your need to take narcotic medications.
- In addition, during surgery I will often inject a numbing medicine like lidocaine that will give some pain relief for several hours after surgery. It is important to begin taking your pain pills before this medicine wears off.
- The first medication I use is Percocet (Oxycodone/Tylenol) which is a strong narcotic pain medication. It will begin to work within 15 minutes after taking it with a maximal effect in one to two hours. Normally, Percocet is taken every 6 hours but if the pain is severe, it can be used every 4 hours.
- Common side effects of these medications are nausea, constipation, itching, and drowsiness.
- The best way to prevent nausea is to take the medicine with a little food, start with just one pill, and be patient while the medicine begins to work. Usually, after the first few doses the nausea will go away. I also prescribe an anti-nausea medication called Zofran (Ondansetron) to be taken if you have persistent nausea after surgery.
- I strongly recommend you take an over-the-counter stool softener such as Colace 100 mg 1 tablet a day and/or a laxative such as Sennokot DS 1 tablet a day to avoid constipation.
- Take Benadryl one half hour before your narcotic if you experience itching.
- As long as you are able to tolerate NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen and Aleve you will be given a perscription anti-inflammatory called Naproxen (Naprosyn) to take for thrity days. This will help with pain and swelling.
- Transition from Percocet to Tylenol as your pain subsides, but pay attention to the dosage as Percocet has 325 mg of Tylenol in each pill. Patients with normal liver function should not consume more than 4000 mg of Tylenol per day.
Bandages & Sling:
- Your post-operative dressing has two layers you need to understand in order to properly care for your surgery site. Your incisions were closed with absorbable stitches covered by steri-strips
- The second layer is a large white fluffy dressing and absorbent pads that are held in place with tape.
- Unless directed otherwise, remove this second layer of dressing 3 days after surgery and place large band-aids over the steri-strips.