Rather like slipping into a familiar old sweater, I have been easing my way back to working full time.
Not only am I glad to be back, I am extremely grateful to be alive following my Aug. 3 ‘dance with the devil.’ Beyond being a nasty surprise, a heart attack and ensuing surgery knocked me flat on my backside.
That I am here to write this column is testament to the top-notch care provided by doctors and staff at Shuswap Lake General Hospital and the cardiac care unit at Kelowna General.
As well as providing stellar care, staff in both facilities were compassionate, caring and encouraging.
Oh, and before anyone complains about the food at our local hospital, they should try the meals in Kelowna, where food is prepared and shipped from Vernon. But I digress; that’s fodder for a whole other column.
Recovery was a very isolating experience, particularly once I arrived home from Kelowna seven days post-op.
While hospital care is thorough, once you’re out the door, you’re on your own.
I wouldn’t have been able to navigate the 15 stairs to my bedroom, or get to the kitchen or shower, without a great deal of help. Enter a small army of family members and friends who swooped in, doing everything I was not able to do.
I like to “do” for others so this was a humbling opportunity to learn the value of being able to receive.
From preparing meals to tempt my non-existent appetite, to administering meds, bathing me, tucking me in, walking my dog, running errands and just visiting – these gifts were given with loving compassion, and perhaps a modicum of nagging.
Apparently open heart surgery is often accompanied by what my doctor calls cardio phobia – fear of unfamiliar aches, pain and other strange new sensations.
He patiently answered my calls, reassuring me by telling me that of all the people in Salmon Arm, I was least likely to have a heart attack because I had been fixed. And I couldn’t heap enough praise on Shopper’s Drug Mart pharmacy staff, who patiently and compassionately helped me work through the maze unfamiliar symptoms and drugs.
Please know that every single card, message, phone call and floral display helped enormously in the healing process by lifting my spirits. Encouragement also came in the form of several private Roots and Blues mini concerts, performed via FaceTime.
My doctors have been very clear about the need to watch my diet and continue to exercise, something I have taken to heart.
On day one in the ICU in Kelowna, I firmly planted an image of snowshoeing on Larch Hills in my mind. And I have clung to that, despite moments when I wondered if I’d ever get back to being my active self.
Complete recovery is now in view, as is my plan to make my snowshoeing debut in early February.