Saturday, August 20, 2016

Six Months In


                      Six Months In

My wife and I were out eating breakfast today when the restaurant owner stopped by our table and asked how I was doing.  For a second I drew a blank as to what he was talking about, then it occurred to me what he was actually asking.  I had told him about my heart attack and bypass surgery a few months ago and I guess he was just following up.  He’s a good guy and was really concerned.  Or else he was just being a wise entrepreneur and putting the human touch on his return customers.  Either way, being asked this question is becoming a pretty common situation recently.  I don’t really mind, as a lot of people seem to know about my recent illness and are genuinely interested in my well being, but it’s not really something I particularly dwell on too much.  Some days actually go by without my thinking about it much at all.  Some days seeing my chest scar in the mirror while I’m shaving or brushing my teeth comes as a bit of a shock to me. 

Some days it’s like nothing ever happened at all.

But, of course it did, you know.  I did have a heart attack and I did have open-heart surgery.  They did cut into my leg and remove vessels that they used to repair my heart.  They did stop my heart and lungs for a period of time to make those repairs. 

They really, really, really did do all that stuff.  It was not a bad dream that melted away in the morning sunshine.

I guess I’ll never actually forget, much as I might like to. 

So the question still remains.  How am I?

How I usually answer that question is by saying I’m probably better than I was 6 and a half months ago.  Of course that also probably goes without saying.  Better blood flow to the heart equals better health all around, don’t ya know.  My stamina is better than before.  My thinking is probably clearer also.  I can physically do things now that maybe I couldn’t before and surely couldn’t do three months ago.  I walk every day and my wife and I are taking SilverSneakers classes at a local gym three times a week.  Plus all the normal grass cutting, weed whacking, house cleaning and other normal physical activities that need be done when you’re a homeowner.

And for being able to accomplish those things I am truly grateful.

I am still a bit numb in my lower left leg and on my chest where the doctors removed and rerouted veins and arteries to do their repair work and that’s probably the main residual you could point to from the surgery right this minute. My taste buds are also a bit “iffy” – some meals taste fine and others definitely don’t and there’s an unpleasant lingering aftertaste that seems to be new and might be an artifact of my illness.  I’ll have to explore that issue in more detail with my cardiologist.

And, of course, my old nemesis, my stomach issues never really went away.  They are still as active as ever and might even be indicative of full-blown IBS.  My family doctor and I are due to discuss this possibility soon.  Fixing the heart did not fix the stomach problems.  Dammit!

My family and I went on a road trip last month and I was happy to discover that I could handle being on the road and coping with all the stuff that came up like I did before.  I used this trip as a bit of a trial balloon as to my capabilities now and was relieved to see I was pretty much same-o, same-o. 

Hurray for that! 

I’m still a fan nowadays of an hour or so nap in the afternoon if there’s nothing much going on.  I don’t need it, mind you, but it is quite enjoyable.  I feel a bit guilty about it, too, but my cardiologist says it’s fine and not to worry, so I’m not fretting much about it.  I’m guessing an afternoon nap for folks my age might actually not be an odd occurrence, heart attack or not.

So, gentle reader, there it is in a nutshell.  How am I doing? 

Pretty darn good!  Considering…