It's tempting to relax after the trauma of bypass surgery, knowing that your blood vessels are open. But, while it's true that the surgery has improved blood flow to the heart, it hasn't cured the disease process that caused the problem in the first place.

A few weeks after the surgery, patients should get into a rehabilitation program and make a commitment to permanent lifestyle changes. Here are some tips from the Cleveland Clinic:

• Work on any weight problems by restricting calories and reducing dietary fat.
• Buy an American Heart Association cookbook, and use it.
• Get your total cholesterol level under 200 mg/dl, with the LDL component (the "bad" cholesterol) under 100 mg/dl.
• Don't drink more than the equivalent of 2 oz of liquor or 6 oz of wine on any given day for the first month after surgery.
• With medical supervision, begin an exercise program, usually starting with hour-long sessions three times a week.
• Stop smoking. Those who do so after bypass surgery have less recurrent chest pain and fewer heart attacks and repeat operations.
• Follow up with your cardiologist every three to six months initially, and then at least every year for the rest of your life.

Source:  Cleveland Clinic. Bypass: restoring arterial flow is only the first step to recovery. Heart Advisor, May 2002;5(5):3.

Related information: Treatments - Bypass surgery | About it - Guidelines for heart-healthy living