Recovery after varicose vein surgery: week by week

These ranges come from the NHS and three hospital leaflets, and they differ a little, so both are quoted where they disagree. Whether one leg or both were done, how many branch veins were removed and your general health all alter the picture, and your surgeon's instructions come first.

Cambridge describes lying in bed for an hour after the operation and then progressing as tolerated, and Gloucestershire expects mobilising the day after and requires someone to stay overnight and a lift home. You will wear bandages or stockings that squeeze the leg firmly, which limits bruising.

Elevate the leg when you are sitting, and if a wound bleeds, lie down, raise the leg and press firmly while you phone the ward. Painkillers recommended on discharge make it easier to walk, and walking itself protects against clots.

Guy's and St Thomas' says bandages come off after 48 hours and are replaced by T.E.D. stockings during the day for 12 further days, with bathing and showering allowed after 48 hours. Cambridge says bandages come off after 24 to 48 hours and stockings are worn for a few weeks until comfortable, removed at night. The NHS and Gloucestershire say about a week. Follow your own instructions.

Walking is the key exercise: Guy's asks for at least 20 minutes, three times a day. Avoid long periods of standing and crossing your legs. Stinging, burning and tenderness along the vein are common; Guy's says the discomfort eases around two weeks.

• Elevate the leg whenever you sit.

• Walk often rather than resting in one position.

• Keep to the stocking schedule you were given.

Cambridge advises waiting until you are pain-free and in full control, usually three to five days, and Gloucestershire asks you to be able to do an emergency stop without hesitation and to tell your insurer. GOV.UK says that anyone unable to control a vehicle safely must not drive, and to tell the DVLA if you still cannot drive three months after an operation.

Work: Cambridge says up to seven days, Gloucestershire says most people take about two weeks and the NHS says one to two weeks. Your job and whether both legs were treated matter. Resume sexual activity and gentle exercise when comfortable, and build back to sport gradually.

Guy's and St Thomas' says bruising lasts three to four weeks and scars become nearly invisible within nine to twelve months. Cambridge says nerve disturbance usually settles within a year, and that veins can come back, so report new swelling at a routine review.

Call 999 for chest pain, sudden breathlessness or coughing up blood. A calf that becomes swollen, cramping or tight needs same-day review, as Gloucestershire advises, along with unexplained shortness of breath. A wound that turns red, hot and more painful may be infected, and Cambridge asks you to contact the hospital. Persistent bleeding should be reported to the ward, your GP or NHS 111.