Advice before and after your procedure

General Aftercare

How you feel after any operation / procedure will be dependant on the procedure itself and the type of anaesthetic used. After a general anaesthetic you feel groggy and light headed as you come around from the anaesthetic. You will be nursed in a recovery area, where a nurse will look after you. Usually you will have oxygen given via nasal tubes or a mask. Your blood pressure will be checked regularly.

The majority of the procedures I carry out use local anaesthetic techniques. This especially so for varicose veins and lump removals. With only a few exception (usually patient choice) I carry out these procedures using local anaesthetic. The major advantage is there are none of the general anaesthetic after effects to overcome. Varicose veins procedures can be carried out as a walk in walk out procedure with a rapid return on normal activities. You can be in and out of the clinic in just over an hour.

After any procedure the area will be sore and potentially painful. If you've had a general anaesthetic it would usual for some local anaesthetic to have been put into the wounds to help with pain after the operation. This usually lasts for about three to four hours. If carried out under local then that anaesthetic will last for the same length of time.

It is better to keep on top of pain and so when you get home take the pain relief prescribed or suggested before the local anaesthetic wears off. For most procedures that will be paracetamol / ibuprofen. Always check that you aren't allergic before taking any medication.

Driving to and from clinic

Regardless of the procedure or type of anaesthetic my advice is to have someone else take you and drive you home afterwards. It is the safest option and immediately after a procedure it is the most sensible thing to do.

Flying

There a few things to consider with regards flying after surgery. There is a small risk of blood clots, having had recent surgery you may want to be close to where your surgery was carried out and your insurance cover needs to be considered.

Flying is associated with a increase in blood clots in the legs (DVT). The duration of travel has an impact. In fit and healthy people the risk is very low for short-haul flights (under 4 hours), about 1 in 105,000. For longer flights, over 4 hours it rises to 1 in 6000.
After day case surgery, such as local anaesthetic varicose vein procedures the DVT risk is about 1 in 1000.
So overall the risk does remain very low.

Having had any form of surgery it seems sensible in my opinion to be in the same country and reasonably close to where your procedure was carried out. Unfortunately, complications after surgery do occur. If you're close to your clinic they are better able to treat you and manage any complications.

Having the correct insurance for any travel is important. Recent surgery may invalidate your travel insurance policy. It's important that you check with your insurance company to ensure your cover is active.

My advice to patients is to not fly two weeks before surgery and short haul two weeks after, long haul four weeks after surgery.