Week 1: Getting Settled at Home
During the first week after returning home from your procedure, expect to experience mild pain at the incision site and some fatigue. If you live alone, you may want to arrange for someone to stay with you during this week to help with everyday tasks like cooking or housework.
“When we close the artery with sutures, it takes up to a week to heal,” Tang says. “The sutures are applied onto the artery and not visible on the outside. If it breaks open, you can develop a large hematoma [pool of blood at the incision site], which then may need to be surgically repaired.”
To prevent bleeding and hematoma, avoid straining during bowel movements for the first three to four days. And for the first week, avoid playing sports or engaging in strenuous activity like lifting, pushing, and pulling.
You can do regular activities like showering, walking around, and taking the stairs, Tang says, “but don’t lift anything heavy, like taking out trash or carrying groceries.”
While you heal, do not drive or have sexual intercourse until your provider says it’s safe.
Incision Care
It’s normal to experience bruising, itchiness, or mild pain at your incision site while it heals. You can remove the dressing over the incision after a couple of days, Dr. Eleid says. “But there isn’t too much other care that’s needed because the incision is very small,” he notes.
Wash the incision site with mild soap and warm water at least once a day while you shower, and use a small adhesive bandage to protect the wound and keep it clean and dry between washes. Hold off on bathing, soaking, or swimming until you’re completely healed. Make sure to avoid rubbing or irritating the area. Don’t use powders, creams, lotions, or ointments on the incision and wear loose underwear and clothing.
If pain is interfering with your rest or movements, take pain medications as recommended by your provider.
You may notice a soft lump at your catheter site. This is normal, but if it suddenly grows larger or firmer, you may have bleeding that could become a hematoma. In this case, lie down and have someone press firmly above the site for 15 minutes. If the bleeding stops (it doesn’t continue to grow or become firmer), remain lying down for at least two hours. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, call 911 rather than drive to the hospital.
Managing Fatigue
Fatigue is a common symptom of aortic valve stenosis. You may feel unusually tired after TAVR, too, but this doesn’t mean your replacement valve is faulty. “Fatigue is normal for the first couple of days, just from lying in bed for the procedure and the sedation,” Eleid says. “But, generally, that’s mild.”
You may continue to feel tired as your body heals, but be patient — trying to rush through your healing process won’t do you any good. Consider taking at least two weeks off from work to give your body time to get back to normal.
To combat fatigue, structure your days around rest and light activity like short walks to build your stamina. Start small and gradually increase your activity level and walking trips over time.
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