Can I shower or swim after phlebectomy?

This question is really an instruction. What does the aftercare guidance allow in the shower, and what does it hold back? The desk read one published passage and marked its own reading.

The directive: shower once the first period ends, skip standing water

www.veindirectory.org says you may take the compression stockings off to shower once an initial period has passed. Baths, swimming pools and hot tubs wait until you are done wearing the stockings.

The passage behind it

The page on phlebectomy at www.veindirectory.org says:

After this period, you can remove the compression stockings to shower, but should wear them the rest of the day for 1 to 2 weeks. You should also avoid baths, swimming pools or hot tubs until you are done wearing compression stockings.

The passage names the activities that wait: baths, swimming pools and hot tubs. It refers to "this period" without defining it here, so the length of the first stretch is open. It also gives a range, 1 to 2 weeks, for wearing stockings the rest of the day after a shower.

Confirm one thing before you leave

Ask your treating clinician how long the first period lasts for you and the date your stockings come off for good. For wider background, see a radiology society's guide to varicose veins, its page on endovenous varicose vein treatment, Cleveland Clinic's page on varicose veins and the MedlinePlus entry on varicose veins.

A note from the desk

The guidance stops at general aftercare. It does not know your procedure or how many veins were treated. If you are being treated in Westerville, get the dates in writing from the clinic and follow those over this page.