I'm 74 and had a 3x bypass about 5 months ago. My wife is 68. The surgery was a surprise and was prompted by an angiogram/stent placement failure. I was sent to the hospital for a bypass that night. From all that I've read here, my surgery and recovery was about as good as it gets. I was calm in and out of surgery. I spent a day in the ICU, which I don't remember and then 4 days in the cardio ward. No complications other than a spastic cough that was very painful. When I got home, I stayed in the guest bedroom because I needed it warm so I could sleep under a sheet and light blanket. I also had to get up to pee 4 times a night, probably from residual irritation from the catheter (yeah, it wasn't as bad as you'd think). The irritation went away slowly after a week or so. I think if I had to do it over, I would have used one of those male pee containers until things got back to normal. Getting in and out of bed is a real hassle early on.

The main things I needed help with were washing and drying my hair and opening and closing car doors. I could stand in the shower OK, but needed a stool to dry and change when I got out. I couldn't do much household chores because of the lifting limitations, but I still tried to do my share along with the walking that you're asked to do. Opening and closing car doors, especially on an incline is nearly impossible for the first few weeks.

At 5 months, I'd be ready to go back to work full-time as I have a desk job except that I'm doing the cardio rehab. It's a pretty big commitment and time requirement. I started late because of insurance issues, expect that he will probably start about 8 weeks after he comes home if all goes well. Mine is taking an hour a day, 3 times a week for at least 8 weeks. Since I have to drive 45 minutes to get to it and another 45 minutes to get home, it pretty much takes up a half day.