Resuming normal life
After time, you will recover and regain your strength. Your doctor will advise you on the do’s and don’ts.
You will be taught how to carry out certain movements, especially those involved in lifting weights and working.
For the first 2-3 weeks due to the chest incision the doctor will ask you not to drive and could suggest not sleeping in the supine position. You will have to take care of yourself and lead a healthy lifestyle: doing exercise regularly, “eating – healthy” food and last but not least you should stop smoking.
It is important that an echocardiogram be obtained approximately 6-12 weeks after your surgery to obtain a baseline performance of your new prosthetic heart valve.
This echo will provide baseline data for comparison against any future changes. Should any problems develop with the prosthetic heart valve, an echo test is the best and most readily available method of diagnosing an abnormality.
Often a comparison with the baseline echo will be valuable for early diagnosis.