Why do you think they call it the "practice" of medicine?! :)
Seriously, do hope you're not getting discouraged at the pace of your progress.
It takes time to heal (both physically and to clear the mental cobwebs due to lack of proper oxygen flow to the brain and all those meds.)
If you mentioned it already, please forgive my senior moment. Are you doing cardiac rehab? It's usually done in a gym affiliated with (and often located on the same "campus" as) the hospital where surgery was performed.
Post surgical patients are carefully monitored as they exercise.
Many patients pay to continue the program after insurance (IF they were lucky enough to have coverage to begin with!) stops covering the sessions because it seems to help get the best possible outcome in terms of the surgery!
Everyone who sees me, doctors included, tells me I'm making great progress. Physically, I suppose I am. I am doing nearly everything I was doing pre-surgery, and this week returned to my full schedule with my regular clients.
Mentally, I've not recovered. I've mentioned this before, but it remains true: I don't think the same way I did pre-surgery. Only passage of time will help determine if this is a temporary change or if I will have to adapt to a new way of thinking.
I have heard from folks in cardiac rehab that doing the rehab got them back mentally to where they had been more than anything else. I have also heard it usually takes about six months to get that back and others say it takes a year.
What is clear is that it takes time--and from what you have said here before, I think you are doing very well.
3 comments:
Hey, Michael -
Why do you think they call it the "practice" of medicine?! :)
Seriously, do hope you're not getting discouraged at the pace of your progress.
It takes time to heal (both physically and to clear the mental cobwebs due to lack of proper oxygen flow to the brain and all those meds.)
If you mentioned it already, please forgive my senior moment. Are you doing cardiac rehab? It's usually done in a gym affiliated with (and often located on the same "campus" as) the hospital where surgery was performed.
Post surgical patients are carefully monitored as they exercise.
Many patients pay to continue the program after insurance (IF they were lucky enough to have coverage to begin with!) stops covering the sessions because it seems to help get the best possible outcome in terms of the surgery!
Cardiac rehab begins Monday.
Everyone who sees me, doctors included, tells me I'm making great progress. Physically, I suppose I am. I am doing nearly everything I was doing pre-surgery, and this week returned to my full schedule with my regular clients.
Mentally, I've not recovered. I've mentioned this before, but it remains true: I don't think the same way I did pre-surgery. Only passage of time will help determine if this is a temporary change or if I will have to adapt to a new way of thinking.
I have heard from folks in cardiac rehab that doing the rehab got them back mentally to where they had been more than anything else. I have also heard it usually takes about six months to get that back and others say it takes a year.
What is clear is that it takes time--and from what you have said here before, I think you are doing very well.
Kevin
(who never went to med school)
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