I have a job similar to what you describe; i.e, desk job, high responsibility, not physically demanding. I was back to work full time three weeks after surgery. The first couple of days I got tired in the afternoons but over time that dissipated. I consider three weeks about the minimum amount of time that someone could do; i.e., at least it was the honest minimum that I could have done. My sternum/chest area did not bother me much at all. A lot of folks were surprised to see me back at work so soon. I think that getting back to the job sooner actually helped my recovery. I could have taken more time off and gone to the beach or whatever, but I think getting back to work took my mind off the surgery, heart palpitations, etc. and got me back in a normal environment. Otherwise I would have still been in "recovery from surgery" mode, at least psychologically. I also got back in the gym three weeks after surgery. The first few workouts were more psychological than physical (e.g., I was using the weight machines with real low weights), but the workouts were really great for the psyche. One other thing that helped my recovery quite a bit was that I got a couple of good deep tissue massages within a week of discharge from the hospital. At that point I had a lot of excess lactic acid and other junk in the system from all the medications and stuff, plus I had not exercised in a long time as I was not able to. The massages acted as an artificial workout and helped cleanse the system. I hope this helps, and good luck.
