I'm 67 and had bypass surgery 3 years ago. I received my Special
Issue about 8 months later (there's a mandatory 6 month waiting period
after any surgery).

The tricky part is getting the FAA the information they want. AOPA
has an extensive Medical Section dealing with cardiovascular issues.
But if you omit something in your submission, you get into back and
forth mode via snail mail with the FAA.

If you don't mind spending the money, go to Leftseat.com. They will
tell you exactly what information is needed by fax and e-mail and
telephone. Once it's assembled, they walk the package over to the
medical office and you can have your special issue in a week. Once
you have the special issue, you can go see your AME.

Generally for cardiovascular conditions you have to pass an annual
Stage 3 Bruce Protocol on a treadmill with no evidence of abnormal EKG
plus submit a cardiologist's opinion and assorted blood tests.