I am so, so glad that @ginabassford @oliviasoma @brumasterj are communicating in the same place. All are ready for their big days coming up in June and July which will set them on their roads to resuming the lives they were leading before HOCM got in the way. Nervous (not a strong enough word) and at peace at the same time describes it all. Your preparedness is remarkable. @ginabassford, please be assured that you will be in the best hands. Each of us had a different recovery, remember that this is major surgery. I thought mine went easily; I was in otherwise good physical shape. You do need to keep upper arms against your body, but I was able to cook (hubby got the pots on the countertop and nothing weighed more than 5 pounds) and do other things once home a week after surgery. No driving for 4 weeks (an accident could do damage to your incision if you bang into the steering wheel). I was most comfortable sleeping in a recliner for a while, it may be a little while before side sleeping, you will have your own instructions and "inner checks" on when you could resume side sleeping. Feeling more normal - it takes at least several weeks. I tell people to not compare today with yesterday which can be up or down, instead, compare today with one week ago and then you realize how much progress you have made. By 6-8 weeks after, life was generally back on track, it takes a longer or shorter time for others. You can resume some things before 4 weeks, I played Mah Jongg again at about 2 weeks after. Do read all of the entries in this What I Learned From My Open-heart Surgery topic!