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There are all kinds of things to learn, know, and understand before open-heart surgery. Perhaps one of the most important is how long your recovery might take, but the truth is that there's no single answer. Read on to find out how to calculate open-heart surgery recovery time.

Recovery Variables

When it comes to preparing for open-heart surgery, most patients have a lot of questions, especially about recovery. However, recovery time isn't static; it's different for every patient, and a lot of things need to be factored in before you can get an accurate estimate.

Here are a few things to consider when asking about your recovery time.

When you think about what makes you you, what is it that first comes to mind? Is it your physical features, like the specific shade of your eyes that you've never seen mimicked anywhere else? Is it a special skill? Is it some complex combination of the books you've read, the songs you've heard, the people you've met, and the things you've done? Whatever comes to mind when you think about yourself as an individual, it's likely not the simple yet incredibly important act of breathing.

Breathing is an important part of every life, yet it is often overlooked as an automatic and unnoticed detail--but after surgery, that can all change.

Getting ready for heart surgery can be nerve-wracking--but that's completely normal. As a patient, the best thing you can do is prep, prep, prep so that you know exactly what's going to happen, what you can expect, and what's going to be expected of you. Here are a few things to keep in mind during the whole process.

The First Step: Narrow Your Focus

Although it's easy to feel like you need to worry about every little detail when it comes to heart surgery preparation, the truth is that your doctor has done this plenty of times before and is perfectly comfortable being responsible for the important stuff. All you need to do is ask the right questions and make sure you've completed a few simple tasks.

To help narrow your focus, here is a "schedule" of things you need to do before heart surgery:

The period after heart surgery is important for every patient. The healing period looks different for every patient and for each surgery type, but there are a few things that you can expect during this time.

What You Might Experience

While everyone's recovery is unique, there are many experiences and situations that are common to nearly everyone. 

Sleep Irregularities

You may have fatigue after the surgery, but that doesn't always translate into better sleep. You may have trouble getting to sleep and sleeping through the night for a number of reasons. One of the common reasons for this is some pain from the surgery. Taking the medication as prescribed at regular intervals allows you to keep much of the pain away. A Heart Hugger is another solution to help combat pain after heart surgery.