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The nurses and doctors will try and keep you free of pain by giving pain killers by injection, via a tube in your back (epidural), or by a machine that you are able to control yourself by pressing a button. As the days pass and you improve the various tubes will be removed and you will be returned to the normal ward until you are fit enough to go home.
You will be visited by the physiotherapist before and after your operation who will help you with your breathing to prevent you developing a chest infection and with your walking.
6. Going home.
If your stitches or clips are the type that need removing, and this is not done whilst you are still in hospital, the practice or district nurse will remove them and check your wound. You will feel tired for many weeks after the operation but this should gradually improve as time goes by. Regular exercise such as a short walk combined with rest is recommended for the first few weeks following surgery followed by a gradual return to your normal activity.
Driving: You will be safe to drive when you are able to perform an emergency stop. This will normally be at least 4 weeks after surgery, but if in doubt check with your own doctor.
Bathing: Once your wound is dry you may bathe or shower as normal.
Work: You should be able to return to work within 1-3 months following your operation. If in doubt please ask your doctor.
Lifting: You should avoid heavy lifting or straining for 6 weeks after the operation.
You will usually be sent home on a small dose of aspirin if you were not already taking it. This is to make the blood less sticky. If you are unable to tolerate aspirin an alternative drug may be prescribed.
7. Complications.
Chest infections can occur following this type of surgery, particularly in smokers, and may require treatment with antibiotics and physiotherapy.
Slight discomfort and twinges of pain in your wound is normal for several weeks following surgery, but wounds sometimes become infected and these can usually be successfully treated with antibiotics. Rarely, the graft itself can become infected and have to be removed. Also the wound in your groin can fill with a fluid called lymph that may discharge between the stitches but this usually settles down with time. Sometimes you may experience numbness or tingling around the groin wounds or lower down the legs afterwards. This is due to bruising or cutting of small nerves to the skin. It can be permanent but usually gets better within a few months. It is also common for your feet to swell due to the improved blood supply. Elevation of the legs when sitting helps the fluid to disperse.
As with any major operation such as this there is a very small risk of you having a medical complication such as a heart attack, but the doctors and nurses will try to prevent these complications and to deal with them rapidly if they occur.
Occasionally the bowel is slow to start working again but this requires patience and fluids will be provided in a drip until your bowels get back to normal.
Sexual activity may be affected due to nerves in your tummy being cut during the operation.
8. What can I do to help myself?
If you were previously a smoker you must make a sincere and determined effort to stop completely. Continued smoking will cause further damage to your arteries and your graft is more likely to stop working.
General health measures such as reducing weight, a low fat diet and regular exercise are also important.
Patient information prepared by Mr S. Ashley MS, FRCS, Consultant Vascular Surgeon and The Vascular Surgical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
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