Hi
I had a double CABG about ten months ago.
As a keen cyclist, I was anxious to resume as soon as possible after surgery (indeed, I rode over 150 miles in the week leading up to surgery including a gentle 30 miler on the morning of the operation!).
I prepared carefully, by setting up my most upright bike on a turbo trainer in the garage. Cycling outdoors was forbidden by my surgeon, in case I fell off.
Returned home after three days and resumed cycling and walking next day (5 minutes cycling and 30 minutes walking). After a week at home I was cycling 10 miles and walking 4 miles daily).
Allowed outside after four weeks, and that first ride in the fresh air was magical! Ten miles in 70 minutes, but I wasn't bothered.
At all times I rode conservatively, keeping the heart rate down to below 130 bpm. This meant very slow progress uphill, but I didn't mind as I knew that things should improve.
After about seven weeks I was back to cycling 150 miles a week, including a 50 miler. This was quite easy to achieve because I was off work, and so had lots of time to rest and recover.
To cut a long story short, I experienced a couple of bad times when I overdid things and gave myself a shock, but despite this I have made an excellent recovery so far.
Five or so years ago (pre-artery blockage) I would expect to cycle 50 undulating miles in about 3hrs 30/35mins. It took me 6 months to break the 4 hour barrier (by 25 seconds!) and I regarded that as a significant milestone.
Last week, I did 50 miles in 3hrs 46 mins and I was really happy.
Although I felt great by 6 months, it has only been in the last few weeks that my resting heart rate has returned to near pre-operation levels. It was around 48 before surgery, but stuck at around 60 until recently - it sometimes briefly goes below 50 now. I reckon that the heart needs as least 9 months to recover from major surgery.
Hills no longer appear as a threat - although I still ride them conservatively, I am now more comfortable about raising the heart rate to above 150 bpm (I take no medicine except for Apsirin 75mg, so there are no restrictions to my heart rate).
So my advice is simple - get back on the bile as soon as possible. Ride gently, and your body will tell you when it is ready for a bit more effort.
Hope this helps.
Rgds
Pete