Blog
On Recovery Road
When my doctor uttered those unsettling words, ”You need triple by-pass surgery,” after receiving the results of my angiogram, I set my sights on my recovery. I know that may sound odd to you, but from where I was sitting, I felt that the sooner I got on to recovery road, the sooner the ball would be back in my court . Besides, if I was recovering, it meant I was a survivor.
A Caregiver’s Story
When my husband Brian came home one day from playing tennis complaining of shortness of breath, I urged him to have his doctor check him out. Even when his physician said he didn’t think anything was wrong, I kept at Brian to dig deeper. I’m glad he did. But when the cardiologist said, “Brian needs bypass surgery,” the tears started flowing. How could Brian, 46, always active and healthy need such a serious operation?
Dealing with Depression
When my wife Lori and I left the hospital after my pre-admission visit for bypass surgery, the nurses gave us this excellent booklet from the Heart and Stroke Foundation called Recovery Road. There’s a line in the booklet that caught my attention. It reads, “Recovery from illness is not only physical, but emotional as well.” So just as you take care of your body’s health, it’s important to nurture your mental health as well.
Coming Home
My first memory coming out of bypass surgery was waking up in the intensive care unit. It was dark and lonely. I was quite groggy and the nurse came over to me immediately to see if I was OK. It was then that I realized I had done it! I was on recovery road. I was quite happy, but also very sore.
