Recovery after heart valve replacement surgery requires a relatively long time i.e. about a few months. During this period, a patient has to put limit on his activities, while simultaneously; the patient experiences a few common emotional and physical changes.
Moreover, in some cases, patients deal with difficulty in sleeping or experience chest pain. In addition, during this phase, the patients of heart valve replacement surgery require the necessary medicines, proper physical exercise and good amount of nutrition.
Heart Valve Replacement Surgery Recovery Period Depends on the Necessary Precautions
Once you return to home from the hospital, you have to spend about a few weeks to a few months to recover from your surgery. Full recovery period in this case varies among people and is according to one’s age and physical condition. In addition, recovery period primarily depends on the level of motivation possessed by a patient to work with consulted doctor.
Limit Your Regular Activities: While you are in the recovery phase, you should make sure to put a limit on most of your regular activities. If possible, you should stay a few weeks on leave from your job. Furthermore, you should discuss with your doctor for identifying whether return to work is a safe option for you or not.
Stop Driving for a Period of Few Weeks: Your doctor may advice you to avoid or stop driving your car/vehicle for a period of about few weeks. This is because; your body requires some time to regain its normal agility as well as coordination and to allow healing of your incision.
Strictly Avoid Applying Direct Pressure on the Wound: You should strictly avoid applying direct pressure to the surgical wound if you want to assure about proper healing. For instance, you should avoid lifting anything heavy or the one that causes you strain at least for 6 weeks. These include any child, milk containers, backpack/briefcase, grocery bags and similar others.
Heart Valve Replacement Surgery Recovery Depends on Your Way to Deal with Symptoms
If you deal with some discomfort feelings, such as swelling, pain, fatigue because of prescribed medicines or surgical procedure, you should discuss about it with your doctor. Along with this, if you experience any symptom related to depression, you should consult with the doctor for its treatment to keep yourself healthy.
Some heart valve replacement surgery patients deal with depression as a natural outcome of recovery from invasive heart valve surgery. This is a traumatic situation and is enough to make one’s physical experience weak. Other individuals face depression because they feel inactive or isolated during the recovery process. Positively, such sensations and feelings are of normal reactions and constitute the part of both emotional and physical healing procedures. Hence, they go off with time.
Doctors Tips to Achieve Faster Recovery
Anticoagulants Medicines: Patients who have undergone heart valve replacement surgery should take anticoagulants for approximately a few weeks post heart valve replacement surgery to avoid any dangerous blood clot, which may take place during the recovery period.
Diet to Follow during the Recovery Period: You have to include fiber and fruit in your regular diet to alleviate with the problem of constipation that may take place because of painkillers. Moreover, you should eat foods rich in various essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals to assure faster healing of your body.
Physical Exercise Routine: Doctors may recommend you following a regular exercise routine. For this, you should work with a good physical therapist, so that you may get a sound exercise regimen consisting of minimum level of workout you require. Moreover, you should make sure to avoid any strenuous exercise.
Regular Sleep Pattern: You should make sure to setup a normal/regular sleep pattern. This means, you should strictly avoid any nap or avoid intake of sleeping pills until and unless it becomes very much essential to do it.
Hygiene: Patients with heart valve replacement surgery should make sure to wash the surgical incisions daily by applying a suitable antiseptic soap and water. You may opt to do this while you take bath. However, you should make sure to intimate your doctor if you notice any sign/symptom of infection, such as redness or swelling in the wound/incised area.
Also Read:
- What are the Symptoms Of A Bad Aortic Heart Valve?
- What is the Success Rate of Heart Valve Replacement Surgery?
- Is a Leaky Heart Valve Life Threatening?
- How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Heart Valve?
- What is the Recovery Time for Heart Valve Replacement Surgery?
- How Long Does A Pig’s Heart Valve Last In A Human?
