What is the recovery time after open heart surgery. How bad is it. My Mom is 78 years old.?

I think that they tell you to expect at least 6 weeks. And check with the hospital...some will provide a teddybear in order for the patient to hold against their chest when they cough. If they don't...buy her one. My grandmother and grandfather both had the surgery....and it helped them immensely (and the hospital gave it to them) And I TOTALLY agree with the poster who said to be prepared....it's a horrible surgery...my grandfather looked like he barely made it (but the nurse told me that it was quite normal) Good luck.

Its all about her general health before the surgery. If she is in relatively good health she will likely be fine and initial recovery will only be a few days. However, if she is a diabetic, or in poor health otherwise it can be long, drawn out, and painful. Make sure she is up walking, and not being depressed. This surgery takes its toll on everyone, but when my mom had a bypass, she was back to pretty much normal in about 3-4 weeks. Still pain with coughing and getting up and down. The others have mentioned her look right after surgery, its very true, I thought my mom was near death, she was very swollen and looked terrible, but the next time the hospital let us visit she looked tons better. Dont let that scare you. Just keep her spirits up, and reassure her it will be better soon. Good luck with it! God bless!!!

It really depends on the preciese procedure being performed, as well as the pre-existing condition of the patient. Heart surgery is obviously a major surgery, but recovery is suprisingly quick. On average, a patient may remain in the hospital for 3-7 days after surgery, but a lot depends on how the patient responds to the surgery. You can rest assured that the staff in any open heart unit at any hospital is extremely quailified. I am continually amazed at the care I observe in various cardiac care units from every member of the staff. The best thing you can do is to support your mother through her surgery and reassure her. Also, don't be afraid to ask the hospital staff questions about your mothers care. New technologies have made open heart surgery much easier on patients that years past. I hope that everything turns out well with your mother, and that this has somewhat reassured you!

If you mean a by pass, it can be months. Some do very well, others it takes longer. You probably can get a nurse from medicare for free for awhile.