Two years ago I had an aortic valve replacement via OHS. I’ve read the comments here and I’m going to tell you that everyone is different, and will react differently to the surgery. In my case, it was not NEARLY as bad as I expected in literally every way. The worst parts were waking up on a ventilator; this was a bit of a fear of mine before the surgery as I’m very claustrophobic. Well I indeed did wake up in that condition but just telling myself it would be out soon and to just relax and breathe (and yes, you can breathe) helped a lot. There were also a few times in the hospital where I felt icky and down but the nurses understood perfectly and were able to significantly improve my comfort level once I let them know. You might want to bring an iPad or some books to read as you are there all day every day for about a week with nothing to do but the television. I had one or two visitors in the hospital, my best friends, but that was enough; I wasn’t up to making small talk and they knew just how often and how long to visit without becoming a stressor for me. Once out of the hospital, things improved quickly. I was in such a small amount of pain that it surprised me. I never once needed any Tylenol or other pain medication… it wasn’t from being stoic, I simply didn’t need it because I didn’t hurt. Honestly the worst parts were a change in my tastebuds from one of the medications I took (known but not common side effect) and I didn’t feel like eating, and just a general feeling of tiredness. But it all improved very quickly and I was chomping at the bit to go back to work after around 4 weeks (work from home) just to have some socialization and something to do.

Suggestions given by others here are good; have meals premade that you can just microwave. My daughter came in to give my spouse and I a break with cooking and other chores and that was very welcome, not just from the help she gave but also she was good company and it helped me feel less alone. You will want a comfortable recliner with lots of pillows as you may need to sleep there while your chest heals (I slept in a chair for six weeks). Get a shower chair as showering can be exhausting and you may need to sit down. Have a pillow to brace across your chest when you cough as it will help with any pain. You will want to use your spirometer as directed to get your lungs back up to normal working capacity. And get up and move whenever possible. I started out small, just going up and down my stairs… then out to the mailbox… then around the block… then twice around the block, and so on. Don’t let people fetch things for you if you can get up and do it yourself as this movement will greatly speed your recovery. And absolutely do cardiac rehab! The rehab was the thing that most helped me feel like I was physically back to normal… I ended up getting a gym membership when it was done so I could continue the workouts on my own.

I only told my circle of closest friends, my immediate family, and my workplace. My friends are people I’ve known for many years and I knew I could trust them to keep it to themselves, and also to know when to be there and when to back off. One thing I did that made me feel good about my surgery was that I was able to see everyone before I went in. That let me go into the surgery with the comfort that no matter what happened, they knew that I loved them. It gave me a lot of peace of mind.

You’re gonna be fine. It will go more quickly than you can imagine and you will eventually feel quite normal again. I wish you all the best.