Hi Ruth -
Hopefully all goes well for you & you’ll be up & around in no time. With the kind of surgery I had, there was no breathing tube. It is called TAVR & they go through the arteries. I have no idea which procedures that method can be used for but maybe yours mitral valve can be. You just have to go with whatever your medical team thinks is best for you but you could ask. This is not a new procedure but there are risks too just as there are with open heart.
Which ever way, they will keep you comfortable & just think how much better you will feel when it’s all behind you.
I will be thinking about you later this week & praying for your quick recovery.
I hope to hear from you again after you’re up & around, telling me that your health is on the mend & you can now look forward to more activity & fun in your life.
They leave the breathing tube in until the doctor comes and checks you over then he will tell the nurse when you can have it removed as i had my aortic valve replaced twice