Good luck with your medical issues - my operations were just over a year ago, and it took about 9 months before I started feeling really well - and that was following a phone call from the cardiac doctor, who then prescribed water tablets for me. The effects were really rapid, within two to three days there was a huge improvement - and my breathing improved miraculously, presumably I had fluid in my lungs? - my legs got much thinner as well, and are slowly continuing to do so. I'd also like to think that perhaps my mitral valve repair is 'getting better'?, following a scan in January I was told it was still leaking, but only 'mild to moderate' - which considering I was never told the degree of leakage before, didn't really help me - I 'should' be receiving an appointment this January for another scan, to see how it's going.
As for ECG's, it's not rocket science, it's basically a slow speed oscilloscope fed from an instrumentation amplifier (op-amps) - I would suggest building the Arduino based one I linked to above, using the Sparkfun board and sensors. Looks a fun project to play with. Assuming you later on get a digital oscilloscope, you could use the Sparkfun board with that as well, and display your ecg on the scope. But the strap sensor I use (which I had years ago for walking/gym use) seems perfectly fine at showing afib, or it's absence.
And talking sensors - I was covered with them - the ambulance fitted a set, to confirm a heart attack and to monitor while going to hospital (and while waiting in the corridor). Then A&E fitted another set for their monitoring - and when I eventually was sent to a ward, they fitted yet a third set of sensors. At no time did anyone consider removing any of them, nor simply using the ones that were already there.