Physical activity after angiogram

[Karlyo]

Hi all,

I am having an angiogram on 8th February. We are already booked for a weekend stay in London which would entail driving from Worcestershire to the centre of London on the morning of the 10th, and then spending a couple of days doing museums etc, then driving home on again the 12th. I have had 2 angiograms previously but both times I was in hospital already and stayed in bed afterwards, so this is the first time I’ve been a day patient. My question is, am I likely to be okay for the driving etc., or is this asking for trouble?

[shopman]

Will depend on route they use to insert the wire, if in wrist then should be OK but if through groin then you may be told not to drive for 7 days

[devonian186]

You will likely be liable for the various congestion/pollution charges if you drive into central London so presumably will need to pay in advance for these?

An angiogram affects all of us in different ways so more than likely it won't impact you but as others say if they find something they may want to perform some sort of procedure which would definitely affect your return..

Presumably you are driving because of concerns about trains, but I certainly wouldn't drive into Central London these days.

[Karlyo]

thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my question, it is very reassuring to know that there is a group of people who are so supportive. We have decided to postpone our trip, as we obviously don’t know how I will be after the angio. Annoying, but there will be other times!

[fishonabike in reply to Karlyo]

i think that's wise and hope everything goes smoothly for you

[Hidden]

If you have a straightforward angiogram you will be discharged after a few hours observation into the care of someone who can keep an eye on you overnight. You are not advised to drive for 24 hours. You will need to take it easy for a few days and not do any heavy lifting or similar. However if your investigation on the day leads to an angioplasty with stents you are not to drive for 7 days which is a DVLA requirement and if you do drive you are committing an offence and your motor insurance is invalidated. Finally you should learn more about the post procedure do's and dont's at the time of your pre-procedure assessement which is usually a few days before the procedure.