It has now been 10 days since my release from the skilled nursing facility. After 3 days in the hospital and 25 days at the SNF, I have developed a huge appreciation for the "ordinary" things in life. It was a real paradox for me; there's no way I could've recuperated as much (or even at all by myself in my apartment) as I have without the care of good ol' Garden City and their staff. Yet, the days stretched out as my condition caused a great deal of uncertainty on my part. Boredom with the monotony of being stuck in one place, having to move and sleep ever so carefully while the tubes and stitches were still in me and predictable meals created a mood I never care to visit again.
However, my condition did improve, obviously. I just had to learn that the body takes time to recover after any surgery, much less two surgeries in 3 days. And who knows how much longer it would've taken had I not been in the best physical condition of my life beforehand? Times like this call for new perspective and a firm philosophical mind-set on the positive. There was a real wrestling match going on between something close to despair and the knowledge that I was closer to recovery with each passing day. I've never been much of a wrestler but I won that match!
As soon as I was released and said good-bye to the staff and patients, I went home and breathed it all in. My apartment was exactly as I left it, but it felt for just a little while that I had just moved in all over again. It was weird. I just had to lay down on my king sized bed for an hour and how sweet that was. Then, I got in my car and drove for the first time in a month! Where did I go? Straight to Full Force Personal Training, of course. I needed to see my trainers and friends again and be back in the workout environment. That went over well as we shook hands and caught up on things. The next day, after getting up 5 times in 7 hours to go to the bathroom, I showered at my leisure and resumed my pre-surgery eating habits. Real, healthy food is SO tasty! Then I saw my old friends from bowling as I returned to that environment. I'm not ready to bowl yet and may not be for a while, but the point was to get back to it in some way and it was great to do that!
As time passed, I started walking each day. First for 20 minutes. Then I got impatient and started walking 30-40 minutes. It was tiring at first, but I'm finding my strength is increasing the later it gets. Finally, after a week at home, I returned to work. Got back to both my part-time jobs and it was fantastic to be back in action. You never appreciate the privilege of being productive and earning ANY kind of paycheck until it's forced away from you for whatever reason. And now I'm looking forward to my first full week back to work and, with the Good Lord's blessing, a swift track to full recovery.
This is still going to take several months of rebuilding strength, full closing of the wound and losing the swelling and water weight. But my trainer has a plan, my friends are behind me, and my surgeon is monitoring me weekly. The new me is on the horizon, I just need to not rush it and let it happen...
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