Living With Your Stent
After the Procedure: Care and Recovery at Home
Before you leave the hospital, your doctor will give you guidelines for activities, diet and medications. He or she may ask you to avoid demanding activities like heavy lifting for at least a week. He or she will tell you when you can resume normal daily activities and when you can go back to work. Because medications will be an important part of your treatment, your doctor will prescribe drugs that you should take at home. These medications will help prevent blood clots from forming in the newly dilated artery and help prevent spasm of the artery. Notify your doctor if your medications cause unpleasant reactions, but do not stop taking them unless instructed to do so. Your doctor may be able to prescribe new medications that better suit you.
After any medical procedure, it is not unusual for a patient to be anxious or concerned about his or her health, even if the procedure was completely successful. Coping and readjustment for the patient, as well as for family members, may continue long after the patient returns home.
Although the hospital stay for a stent implantation is relatively short, with most patients returning home after one or two days, the time required to resume normal activities varies greatly among patients.
Family members can help by monitoring your activity level during the recovery process. After undergoing your procedure, you may feel better than you have in a long time, but is important not to over exert yourself.
Adjusting to Life With a Stent
Lifestyle Changes
When you leave the hospital, your physician may prescribe lifestyle changes
along with medication. Family members should be supportive of your new routine
and continually reinforce the health benefits of moderate exercise and simple
dietary changes. An excellent way for family members to be supportive is to
adopt their own moderate exercise program and low-fat diet. These practices
benefit all of us, not just those with heart or peripheral vascular
disease.
Remember that none of these procedures are a cure for coronary artery or peripheral vascular disease – they are only treatments. Adopting a healthy lifestyle will help in your recovery process and reduce your chances of further treatment.
Support Groups
Many doctors also recommend that patients join support groups following
such procedures. Ask your physician about local groups or contact your own
local hospital for telephone numbers and literature. Mended Hearts (800)
242-8721 is a national group that offers local chapters for coronary artery
disease.
Follow-up Appointments
It is important to keep all follow-up appointments that are scheduled. Your doctor will want to follow your progress closely and may give you tests to ensure your coronary or peripheral arteries are open and blood flow to the treated area is sufficient. If you have any questions, ask your doctor.
Restenosis
The majority of patients who go home after a successful procedure have no further problems. In some patients, however, the narrowing in the artery may return. Such recurrences, called "restenosis," most often occur within the first three to six months after a procedure. If you have pain after you are home, it is very important that you tell your doctor. This may be the first sign that you are developing a restenosis.
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