Heart surgery

You are right to be prepared. I do hope that there are people here who can give you the advice you need - it is the small things that often make a big difference and that you can only learn from experience.

OH had emergency life saving surgery last Summer and I was very nervous when he was discharged. I found that his appetite was very small when he first came home so several small meals and if he only ate a couple of mouthfuls( wasn't eating enough to keep a bird alive at first) I just removed it and offered him a yoghurt or fruit. But his appetite gradually improved.
I put a stool in the bathroom so he could sit to have a wash, he found standing very tiring for a few weeks, but I encouraged him to do it himself . When he was able to shower I sat in the bathroom and helped him wash he had a horrendous scar and was very wary of stretching and bending for ages.
When he came home he had many drugs to take he wasn't able to keep track so I wrote myself a list of which drugs how much to take and how many times a day, and kept track of when he needed them replaced by the GP.
If I think of anything else I'll come back.. I hope your OH's surgery goes well..

Good luck when it happens. My good neighbour had a triple by pass aged 80 and was out in 6 days. He has made a wonderful recovery.
He was very fit,never smoked or drank and the consultant did say that was why his recovery was so fast but it is such a common op these days so don't worry and take note of what people who have dealt with it tell you.

Late DH had triple bipass and valve replacement surgery nearly 17 years ago. He came home after 6 days, needed a lot of rest and tlc but was back at work, at his insistence after 5 weeks albeit p/t. He was in ITU for 24 hours then moved to a room on his own but he was bored so moved into the ward. The wounds healed up pretty quickly and although the main one was quite sore particularly when coughing or bending, he said the sorest part was where the veins were removed from his legs! Juggling the drugs took some time to get right but we got there in the end. Remember to take care of yourself too; try not to worry too much because he will then worry about you and that's just an extra thing to cope with.
Good luck and hope all goes well.