Did you know?
Walking is encouraged on the day of the treatment. It must be done without excess, but regularly and repeatedly. Walking helps preventing phlebitis. Sports and physical activities may be resumed gradually 10 days after the treatment.
Before/After surgery
Simple preparation steps and instructions
- The surgery is performed under local anesthesia; it is not necessary to be on an empty stomach.
- It is strongly recommended not to drink alcohol the night before the surgery.
- Treatment requires shaved legs, shaving needs to be done 24 hours before the start of surgery.
- It is best not to shave on the morning of the surgery and not use depilatory creams, since these products can be irritating.
- Do not apply cream or any other moisturizer on your legs 24 hours before surgery.
Patients taking medications must advise Dr Mercier
Patients who take anticoagulants (Coumadin, Plavix or otherwise) or other medications should notify Dr. Mercier in advance, who will advise you with the procedure to be followed.
The day of your treatment: what to expect and what to do
Patient should arrive to the clinic 5 -10 minutes before the start of the treatment. Thereafter, the patient will be asked to go in the change room. The patient will then be guided by the surgical assistant who will indicate the procedure to be followed and the next steps leading to the surgery. Once in the operating room, in a standing position, a precise marking of the diseased veins will be made using the ultrasound.
All procedures are performed with the assistance of a scrubbing nurse and a medical-surgical assistant.
A follow-up visit scheduled seven to ten days following the surgery is included as part of your treatment plan
Once the surgery is completed, patients will receive all the necessary information before the next visit which is normally scheduled between seven (7) to ten (10) days following the treatment. A comprehensive explanatory sheet will be given and explained by Dr. Mercier, including the procedures for the dressings and aftercare instructions. Every patient has access to the cell phone number of Dr. Mercier in order to contact him during outside office hours.
Post-treatment instructions and FAQs
- Alcohol: alcohol consumption should be avoided three days following the surgery.
- Flight: short flights are allowed within seven days following the surgery. For long duration flights, it is recommended to wait fourteen days.
- Sun: sun exposure is permitted but with sunscreen application only.
- Work: many patients decide to go to work the day after the surgery, with their dressing and compression stockings. We recommend taking three days off depending on the type of work patients do.
- Sports / Exercise: physical activity of high intensity should be avoided before ten days and, thereafter on a gradual basis.
- Water: water exposure should be avoided for the first seven days.
- Driving: patients can drive immediately after the surgery, if the dressings do not prevent to do so or is not too inconvenient.
Charges and fees related to initial diagnostic consultation and treatments
The consultation includes an ultrasound and a physical assessment of the legs’ venous system. Following this visit, each patient receives a diagnosis and a proper treatment plan. Patients who do not required surgical treatments will be referred to other phlebologists. The costs for a surgical treatment varies depending on the severity and the technique used. Compression stockings and two postoperative visits are included in the cost of surgery.
