Hope things go well for you both, nowadays the docs have open heart surgery procedures down to a fine art, so the risks are not as great as they used to be, I had open heart surgery done in November 2014 where my surgeon replaced my aortic root arch and also the aortic valve. In surgery for about 6 hours and then released after 6 days, had a slight complication about a week later and re-admitted for another shorter surgery and spent another 4 days in. Since then my life is almost back as it was before the surgery now, with the only noticeable problem being that my concentration and short term memory is not as good as it used to be, (possibly due to minor brain damage during the surgery) but life is still better now than the alternative would have been.
You will most likely have to take time off work to assist her for about 2-4 weeks but all going well she will be able to start to do most things for herself then, after that lifting, cleaning and that sort of thing taking longer, up to 12-16 weeks. Sneezing will be quite painful and I had to carry a folded towel wherever I went, which was to press against my chest for about 4-6 weeks in case I need to sneeze. (helps to prevent the wires from breaking). You will probably feel quite stressed during this period worrying about her, but it will get better especially if you get support from friends and family during this period.
All the best.
Ed.
You will most likely have to take time off work to assist her for about 2-4 weeks but all going well she will be able to start to do most things for herself then, after that lifting, cleaning and that sort of thing taking longer, up to 12-16 weeks. Sneezing will be quite painful and I had to carry a folded towel wherever I went, which was to press against my chest for about 4-6 weeks in case I need to sneeze. (helps to prevent the wires from breaking). You will probably feel quite stressed during this period worrying about her, but it will get better especially if you get support from friends and family during this period.
All the best.
Ed.