Update

It's over a week since my last post, and 16 days after the operation. Last week, I went into the office to see one patient, someone I was particularly concerned about. I won't start seeing people regularly until Aug 3, my original plan. At the time, I said I would be working part-time until Labor Day, but at this point, I'm not sure why. Yesterday, something clicked. I had been getting better in a gradual way since being discharged from the hospital, but yesterday, I felt a strikingly new level of energy. I had an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon, to deal with a nagging problem I have with my left shoulder, but have delayed doing anything about until after my heart surgery. He referred me for PT, but delayed on either anti-inflammatory medication (since I'm on Coumadin right now), or an injection (which he did not think I should have, due to my recent surgery). Afterward, Maryka and I spent the day at home, reading and playing Scrabble, before we went to Chili's for dinner. The thing that caught my attention, the click I referred to above, is that I felt perfectly normal. Today, I woke up and realized that, except for some minor issues -- not yet allowed to drive, cautious about lifting anything heavy, waiting to play tennis again -- I feel almost fully recovered. I think, if I needed to, I could return to work next week, not part-time, but full-time. It's really hard for me to see why I can't resume a completely normal life, right now. I will take care. After all, I had open heart surgery just two weeks ago. Still, it does not feel as if I did.