The recovery from open heart surgery is different for everyone. I believe it depends much on your physical ability going into surgery. It takes a while to recover for sure with slow movements at first. Many cardiologists have cardiac surgery patients go to cardio rehab, did not happen here soon enough because there was a 2 month wait to get an appointment. The owners of the gym I go to are certified and came up with a plan for me, by the time I did go to cardio rehab, I went for 1 visit, did not need it.

Hi Luhn, what pushed me to move forward with my surgery was the fact that I wasn't getting any younger and figured the older I get the more difficult it will be to recover. My humble advice is to get yourself in the best shape possible because, as Walking Girl said, the condition you are in going into the surgery has a huge bearing on your recovery. The only surgery I had prior to my heart surgery was carpal tunnel so I completely underestimated my recovery. During the first 4-6 weeks it seemed like every day there was a different pain...dull headache, soreness in chest, leg pain from where they harvested an artery, etc. I didn't know it was my body healing, so everything freaked me out! I think just knowing that its normal and it will pass would have eased my mind. If you do decide to go ahead, I would highly recommend Rochester and Dr Spencer, he and his team are amazing!
Best of luck, sending you healing vibes!

Hi @luhn, how are you doing? Can I help connect you with the support group most relevant to you? What heart condition are you living with and for which you may need surgery?