How long does it take to return to normal after a cardiac cath?
441444
After one week you should have had more recovery than you have had.  There is a risk of infection with any invasive procedure but from what you say, it doesn't sound like it.  I'm sure you'll mention this when you hear from the doctor and you'll have your answer.
1037738
i had my gallbladder out in march and the surgery is actually really routine. if you are healthy enough for laproscopic surgery, they will make three small incisions (one under your breastbone, one midway down your right side, and one in your belly button), and the surgery will just take about 45 minutes. they use general anesthesia, so you'll be out for the whole thing. the recovery period isn't too bad ... my doctor told me to take a week off from work and that seems about average. make sure you keep up with your pain killers while you recover.\n\nthe most uncomfortable part of recovery for me was from the carbon dioxide they pump in your body in order to move around more freely during the surgery. i was told that my shoulders would be sore for 18 hours, but it was actually closer to a full week for me. i couldn't do anything without pain in my shoulders from the CO2 that was still trying to dissipate. once that finally happened, i felt like i could pretty much go about normal life.\n\nif you are overweight, your doctor may suggest traditional surgery, where an incision is made to remove the organ. recovery time for this surgery can be up to 6 weeks.\n\ngood luck!
1065510
You should become concerned after 48 hours.  Post surgical oozing is not uncommon, thus, the 48 hour wait.  Also, post surgical anxiety is a normal reaction.
995786
It depends on if their doing it vaginally or cutting you below your stomach.  If their cutting you it'll take longer to heal, and it's alot more painful as well.  But if their doing it vaginally it'll take about 3-4 weeks to recover.  You may feel better in about a week or so, but don't over do it until your body totally heals!!!  Good luck, you'll feel like a new woman when you've healed up!!!!!
853203
In looking into your inquiry, it turns out that a very rare complication can be artery perforation and resulting cardiac tamponade.  I located a study from back in the 90's about this complication.  Here is some background information that will help you gain perspective on the whole matter.\n\nDuring the 3-year study period, a total of 15 patients had cardiac tamponade during or within 36 hours after 6999 coronary interventions, yielding an incidence of 0.21%. No cases of tamponade occurred among 14,927 patients undergoing diagnostic catheterizations during the same period.\n\nThe diagnosis of tamponade was usually confirmed by echocardiography, with the exception of 1 patient who had hypotension and tamponade physiology while in the laboratory. Fluoroscopy revealed immobile heart borders, and pericardiocentesis was performed immediately without prior echocardiography, with rapid restoration of normal blood pressure. The echocardiogram was performed within 30 minutes of onset of hypotension in 9 of 15 cases, and in all, within 2 hours.\n\nThe clinical circumstances leading to emergency echocardiography and therapy varied, but with a common theme of hypotension. The 6 patients who had tamponade in the catheterization laboratory were immediately recognized on the basis of sudden profound hypotension and (in the 4 coronary artery cases) by obvious contrast extravasation. Of the 9 patients with delayed tamponade, 8 had unexplained hypotension. Four of these also had chest pain, 3 had dizziness, and 2 had severe bradycardia. Only 2 patients had asymptomatic hypotension.\n\nTreatment was surgical in 9 (60%) of 15 patients. These patients had various indications. In 1 patient, tamponade was not suspected until the chest was opened for emergency coronary bypass graft surgery. In 5 patients, pericardiocentesis was not successful in controlling the bleeding, whereas in the remaining 3 patients, pericardiocentesis was not attempted.\n\nThe mean time from surgical consultation to arrival in the operating room was 1 hour. Four patients had surgery as the primary treatment, whereas 5 had a percutaneous pericardial drain placed but required surgery for continued active bleeding. Six (40%) patients responded well to conservative treatment with pericardiocentesis alone. In cases of coronary perforation, prolonged balloon inflations, often with the use of perfusion balloons, usually were used to achieve hemostasis or as a temporizing measure before pericardiocentesis.\n\nHere is a case of having cardiac tamponade/pericarditis incidental to the procedure.  Two problems not necessarily related to each other.  Infectious complications of coronary angioplasty and stenting are uncommon. A 70-year-old man is presented who underwent percutaneuous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and stenting of an occluded left anterior descending artery. This was complicated by Staphylococcus aureus pericarditis with tamponade. He was successfully treated with a closed drainage and antibiotics. This is the first reported case in the literature that documents purulent pericarditis and tamponade following percutaneous revascularization.\n\nBacterial pericarditis is very unlikely but then your whole experience has been very unlikely.  See the attached link to learn more about pericarditis, which is what you are currently suffering from.  As you will see viruses and inflammatory diseases can also account for this presentation too.  \n\nhttp://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1781.htm\n\nSo now that I have done all of this footwork for you...two questions:  1)  Why couldn't you look this up yourself?  2)  Why didn't you select a best answer on your last question about this matter?
378874
Hi Grizz\nI have just had a treadmill ECG and I'm awaiting the results. Whilst in the 6 minute period of the test i had the pain i get in my neck whilst i have the chest pain. But no chest pain at all. Would this show up on my ECG results?I have been having chest pain for 3 weeks, the angina meds have helped alot.I have had 2 ECG whilst in pain and they showed un-specific changes that is why I have had to have the Treadmill ECG. What happens after my treadmill ECG if it shows a problem.Thanks in Advance
1095320
It may take months to feel like your old self again. If you are in top physical condition with strong abdominal muscles, recovery will be faster. Some people return to work after two weeks, while others need to wait  three or four weeks.\n\nExercise will help you heal. Even if you've never exercised before begin an exercise program to reduce swelling, lower the chance of blood clots, and tone muscles as soon as the doctor allows it.. \n\nYour scars may seem worse as they heal, which is normal. It will o take 9 -12 months  before your scars flatten and lighten. They will never disappear completely but won't show under most clothing\n\nJust be sure to follow your surgeon's post op instructions to the letter and you will do fine.  Your results will be long lasting IF you follow the diet your doctor prescribes and you exercise faithfully.  Good luck!
549658
An angiogram is not surgery.  It is done by inserting a very thin wire-like material into an artery or vein, then threading it up to the heart, either to look at the coronary arteries, or the heart chambers and valves.  The opening is just a small hole, usually in the groin area in the crease of the leg.  The doctors will obtain the information they need to determine if a balloon angioplasty is needed, or balloon valvuloplasty, both done within the same procedure.  The patient is awake, and may be asked to hold the breath a few seconds after inhale or exhale.  A dye might be injected via the wire to assist in the discovery process.  Recovery is basically the amount of time it takes for the incision (hole) to heal.  A tiny plug, and/or sandbags resting on that area while the patient lies still on his/her back, will assist the healing process.  I was able to drive a week later, and otherwise felt fine right after, there was no pain during or after, maybe just a slight ache during the first night.  I don't see a scar, but it would be extremely small and faded after 18 months.
1128963
Certainly not until your doctor releases you, but I started back after about 6 weeks.  I took it easy and was back to regular exercise after about 10 weeks post surgery with no side effects.  I did mostly easy cardio the first few days with light weights.
366497
Let me guess...you're a lawyer or paralegal.  Okay, I'll humor you... One thing that can delay a catheterizaion is a concommitant condition that would put the patient at risk of adverse reaction or death.  Although you do not mention his troponin I level (which is more specific for cardiac muscle than CPK), this is clearly a myocardial infarction (STEMI), and the patient likely needs a cath.  Some cardiologists are hesitant to cath a patient who has recently received thrombolytics such as tPA or TNK, but there are clinical trials of patients being cathed very soon after receiving thrombolytics.  It also depends on whether the hospital where he was treated is able to perform an "interventional catheterization".  If not, they would only be able to visualize the arteries.  If they found a blockage, they would need to ship the patient to another hospital to perform the angioplasty or open heart surgery.  Hope this helps.
511241
It will return to the normal size 95% of the time. It does take 4-10 weeks, depending on your healing abilities.
449804
I had gall bladder surgery 3 years ago. They did it laporscopically which means they went through my belly button and mad 3 small incisions in my stomach. Since it is in the stomach region, they do consider it major surgery, however, after having it I really don't think it is that bad. I stayed in the hospital overnight and then went home the next day. I did have a little pain at the hospital in my back and shoulders because when they pump your abdomen when air so they can work easily around the organs, it leaves tiny air bubbles inside you when they take the air out, so that was uncomfortable but I didn't feel it anymore after 2 or 3 days. My abdomen was really sore and when I walked around it would have a few sharp pains if it jiggled or something but I had some pretty good medicenes that helped me out. The recovery was pretty easy acctually. After a week I was doing really well. I still had pain but not as bad at all. I could start doing things at 2 weeks like going places. And I had to stay on a really low fat diet for about 6 weeks because the gall bladder helps digest fat and since I didn't have that anymore, fat runs through me faster and could make me sick. So after 6 weeks, my body was used to this change and could go back to eating reguarly. Not to say that fatty foods are okay to eat even after the 6 week mark because sometimes I get really bad diarea still (after 3 yrs) because my body doesnt have the gall bladder. All in all I am pretty normal still. I don't even notice a change really. I eat a normal diet so everything is fine. Good luck and don't be scared. It goes smoothly and quickly and you'll be fine.
961025
Well I had mono and I could not return to normal activity for about 5 weeks,  but I had a severe case I was hospitolized and everything but I think a normal case lasts for about 3-4 weeks!  The advice I can give you is rest, drink lots of fluids, and if you didnt go see a doctor yet you need to go see a doctor so you can go on antibiotics and get yourself better!  I hope you feel better soon!!  Lots of Luck!
515313
It varies, how many stenotic (narrow) areas there are in the arteries, whether all of them need treatment or not.. It also depends on the cardiologist's experience, some like to take longer, some take a shorter time, again this depends a bit on the patient's anatomy, available equipment (in this day and age most cath labs have an extensive variety of angioplasty equipment..) etc. In my daily work I encounter angioplasties that take anything ffom 30 minutes to three hours. It is not necessarily bad sign that it takes longer, it just means there is more work to do.\nMost of the angioplasties (PTCA) are done under local anesthesia and sometimes sedation, very rarely under general anesthesia, unless it is an emergency PTCA or patient has other medical problems. Recovery period is much shorter, you are right, hospital stay is shorter and costs less money. Also the risk of general anesthesia is not there. Risk of heart attack, stroke, death is always there,  and " minor" complications such as hematoma (bruise) in the groin, infection in the puncture site, allergic reaction to contrast (x-ray dye) etc.
687823
the surgery itself is fairly quick... just minutes\n\nas for recovery- it depends on your age and your sexual tendancies... erection can cause it to take longer to heal\n\non average look for it to take about the same as a surface scratch to heal... usually about 2 weeks (unless u are diabetic)
205088
I have not, but am a nurse.  The postoperative pain should be only at the venipuncture site..and should be minimal.  Very short recovery period.  They should watch the patient for chest pain, and will probably do a stress test, to make sure the vessel is open.
669134
I had an open RYN and was out in three days. Most are 4-5 days that I know of depending on how you are. You will have to be up and walking a good bit before they'll let you go home. If you had it laproscopically, you could go home in two days...assuming you are up and walking.