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A provider answers a patient's question in his office.
How soon after can I use my arm?
Well, that varies.
Once you heal up from the surgery
and any numbness or swelling goes away,
you should be able to use your arm pretty normally.
You will need to protect the fistula or the graft
by avoiding anything that's really tight around your arm,
that would block blood flow,
because if the blood flow is blocked,
you can get clotting of the fistula or the graft.
You also want to be sure that if anyone
takes your blood pressure, they use your other arm.
You don't want them to blow up
that blood pressure cuff above the fistula
or the graft, because that temporarily
stops the blood flow and can cause clotting.