Caring for your Child after Pharyngoplasty
What is a Pharyngoplasty?
Pharyngoplasty, also called a pharyngeal flap, is surgery to reduce the opening in back of the throat. It helps to decrease air loss through the nose during speech. This is done to make your child’s speech clearer.
What to Expect after Surgery
- A sore throat for a few days, most often when swallowing.
- An intravenous line (IV) will provide fluid for your child for the first day or two, since she will not drink as much as usual.
- A 1-2 day hospital stay.
Your doctor will order pain medicine to keep your child comfortable. It will be given every 4 hours for the first day or two. Pain medicine will also be prescribed for home. It may help to give it ½ hour before meals to ease pain with eating. You should not give your child ibuprofen (Advil®/Motrin®) for 1 week. It is okay to give acetaminophen (Tylenol®) the week after surgery, if you are not using the prescribed pain medicine.
Mouth Care
- After eating, water should be used to rinse the mouth of leftover food. It will also help to prevent a bad taste in the mouth and bad breath.
- Do not use mouthwashes.
Give your child soft foods that are easy to chew and swallow. Do not give foods that are rough or crunchy like cold cereals, cookies, chips, pretzels or popcorn. These foods can damage the new surgical area. Give your child plenty of liquids. Be careful when using a spoon not to touch the surgical site.
Soft Diet
|
Foods Allowed |
Foods to Avoid |
Milk |
All milk and milk drinks, milk soups. Soft pudding and custard. Plain ice cream. |
Milk products with nuts or seeds. |
Meat |
Pureed meats and meat soups. Soft cooked eggs. |
Whole pieces of meat. Peanut butter. |
Fruits and Vegetables |
All fruits and vegetable juices. All pureed fruits or vegetables. Mashed vegetables with added liquid. |
Fruits and vegetables that are not purees. Thick gummy mashed vegetables. |
Breads and Cereals |
Any thinned cooked cereal. Macaroni and cooked noodles. |
Breads and crackers. Thick gummy cooked cereal and dry cereal. |
Fats |
Butter and oils. |
|
Miscellaneous |
Gelatin desserts and plain sherbets or plain yogurt. |
Gum and lollipops. |
Seasonings |
Sugar and small amounts of salt. |
Other spices. |
Do not allow straws, or sticks (Popsicle), or other objects in the mouth that might hurt your child's surgical area.
Your child should stay on this soft diet until the clinic visit with the doctor. Your doctor will let you know at this time if your child needs to stay on a soft diet.
Activity
Quiet activities and extra rest helps with healing. Expect your child’s energy level to be less for several days. Plan for your child to be out of school for 1 week. Your child should avoid tiring physical exercise or lifting more than 25 pounds.
Secretions
Often there is a fair amount of swelling in the throat. This may make it harder for a child to blow her nose or clear her throat. The nurses may gently suction the mouth as needed. Your child may drool until healing is complete.
Comfort and Support
Before surgery your child needed your comfort and support. After surgery you are the child's most important security. It is common for children to regress (go back to younger behaviors) after being in the hospital. For example, if your child was outgoing, he may now be shy. If your child was potty-trained, accidents may occur. This is
Follow up
Your child may have her first clinic visit with the doctor about 5-7 days after surgery. The second visit should be about 2 weeks after surgery.
When to call the Doctor or Clinic Nurse
If you have any questions or concerns about your child or there are any problems such as:
- Bleeding from the mouth
- Temperature over 100° F when taken under the arm, over 101° F when taken in the ear, or over 102° F when taken rectally
- Not drinking liquids
- Frequent vomiting
- Pain not controlled by medicine
Plastic Surgery Clinic, weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm: (608) 263-7502
After hours and weekends, the clinic number will give you the hospital paging operator. Ask for plastic surgery resident on-call. Leave your name and phone number with the area code. The doctor will call you back.
If outside the
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The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Last Updated: 07/27/2011
Copyright © 07/27/2011 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#4774
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