Hi @catsunn, I was in the hospital for two weeks due to fluid buildup, a common complication, following open heart surgery. I was also caregiver to my husband who has Alzheimer's Disease, but was highly functioning at the time. Upon our return home, I was able to look after the both of us with some help from friends.
For me, the restriction on driving was 6 weeks. I've read that that's been lifted, and reduced to two weeks, but my nephew just had open heart surgery and he was given the same 6 week restriction.
You don't want to do anything too strenuous that could open your chest.
I was also given a 10 lb restriction for lifting, but because I am very small, I lowered it to 3 lb for myself.
I had some friends that took me grocery shopping or picked up groceries for me, drove me to appointments, etc.
Clean your place, do laundry, etc., if you can, before surgery. Line up some friends who can help you out. Plan on having ingredients for preparing simple meals or get in a supply of frozen meals. Maybe you could sign up for Meals on Wheels if it's available.
Your local senior center may be able to provide some assistance in your home, or you can get the number of a reputable agency just incase you need more help.
I was encouraged to walk and was walking soon after surgery. I was told I need to walk 3 miles a day everyday for the rest of my life. (I've since had an autoimmune disorder so had to cut that back, but I do walk 25 minutes most days and use a rebounder). I did have Afib for a while, took meds for that and wore a heart monitor for 10 days.
At the time of surgery, I thought of myself as a raw egg that could easily crack. Then I progressed to coddled egg, soft boiled, and finally returned to my old hardboiled self. I think of my experience with open heart surgery as My Life As An Egg. No other surgery made me feel so fragile, maybe because the heart is the center of our being.
Depending upon how your surgery goes, you could probably care for yourself in a limited fashion to what you're used to and with the support of some friends.
If you're going to be totally on your own, maybe consider one of those monitors that hooks up to a help/emergency services network.
Take care.