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A heart transplant is one of the most major medical surgeries that an individual can go through as the engine room of the body is replaced with another. For whatever the reason the old heart needed to be replaced, it is extremely important to take care of the new one and really look at the situation as being another lease of life. Heart transplant recovery will, like any other heart surgery recovery, require that you get enough rest and avoid over exerting the heart. Heart transplant recovery time starts from the day after the surgery and the hospital is likely to insist that you stay under observation for a period of at least 10 days. Only when complications in the heart transplant recovery process are noticed will you be asked to stay longer. Taking the medication recommended by the doctor is extremely important and while exercise is important, it is equally important to avoid straining yourself too much.

Your heart transplant recovery information will be charted by the nurses and doctors at the hospital throughout your stay there in order to look for signs of rejection of the donor heart by your immune system. You will also have heart biopsies carried out every week for as long as you are in hospital with at least one being performed before you are completely discharged. Although very often overlooked, it is important to inform the emergency services in your area (such as the ambulance and fire department) that you have recently undergone a heart transplant. This helps significantly in the event that there is some emergency as they can reach you faster. The stitches that were created during the surgery will not need to be removed later and are soluble. On arriving home after the surgery, you will require the support of another individual to perform tasks such as having a bath as well as getting in and out of the wash room. Avoid using hot water when you bathe as this will cause your blood pressure to dip - making you feel rather dizzy.

Exercise must be performed regularly and daily, however, not to the extent that you have trouble talking while working out. Do not perform any sit ups, pushups or free weight exercises until your doctor has given you the go ahead to do so, while it is imperative that you do not perform any exercise right after a meal.