I had an aortic valve and root replacement nearly three months ago, at the age of 39. My aortic root was dilated to 4.8 cm and I also had a bicuspid aortic valve. I went for mechanical, because I wanted to reduce the risk of a re-op. When you have a graft, the risk of re-op is much greater than a straight valve replacement, because the graft also has to changed. Also, I knew that my family was complete, and I do not want any more children.
Warfarin therapy is still all over the place for me, but it is early days. I have bought a coaguchek xs machine, which costs £299, so that I can check my INR from home. The strips and lancets are available on prescription, which is great because they are very expensive. I haven't been signed off for home testing yet, but will hopefully in two weeks. Going to the hospital anti-coagulation clinic is time consuming.
My operation took about 4-5 hours, and I woke a few hours later in ICU. I felt fairly alert as I came round, and having the breathing tube did not bother me. I was not in any pain. Over the next hour or two I bothered my nurse with scribbled notes, and then the breathing tube was removed so I could talk. That was a little uncomfortable, because the tube was suctioned but it only took a few seconds. I spent that night and the next day in ICU. That evening my surgeon said I was well enough to go to the normal ward, so the chest drains were removed. That felt peculiar, but was not painful.
I had a few complications after surgery, and needed a pacemaker a week later. That probably upset me more than the operation because I was not mentally prepared for it. My perception of pacemakers was that they were for old people, and not for busy mothers. However, once it was fitted I was able to have a shower 
- You are only allowed a shower once your temporary pacing wires are out. For most people that is 3-4 days, but as I was pacemaker dependent, it was 7 days. I was allowed home a few days later. My hospital stay was 12 days, but 7 days is average for this operation.
As I have a connective tissue disorder, I will need lifelong monitoring. I also have atrial flutter, and will need treatment for that. My pacemaker means that my flutter is symptom free, and my heart rate is normal. Now I love my pacemaker.
All the best for your operation. It is daunting for patients and their families, but is what cardiac surgeons do every day. My surgeon and her registrar were fantastic - only the other day I had some weird visual symptoms and was fast tracked to a neurologist without needing to go through A&E.