Category Archives: Personal

Slow and steady.

From a day-to-day perspective it is sometimes hard to see my progress, but week-to-week it is quite evident. I can now walk mostly without my cane, although I'm slow and not totally steady. The stairs in the house have shrunk from Everest to a long nasty steep hill. I can do more stuff, and have a greater range of motion, but stamina remains a major problem: there are many more things I can do, but I can only do a very little more of them at a time.

This has been checkup week: my surgeon and cardiologist both say I'm doing great, and test results for the residues of the post-operative complications that had me on a respirator for 11 days were almost as good as they could be. My hands are the one area where there has been the least progress — they still shake a lot. Perhaps next week, when I get to stop a few of my medicines, that might improve.

I still suffer from a lot of aches and pains, mostly muscular; as I move more and differently, every muscle in my body is taking its turn to make its bid for attention. That makes it hard to sleep, and made the night-before-last's multiple interruptions by midnight text messages and phone calls from the UM emergency message system very unwelcome. The messages related to an unprecedented armed robbery of the Starbucks on campus. That's serious stuff, but I don't live on the campus. Plus, it doesn't help to learn now that the info I started receiving by text message at 11:54pm and which ended with a phone call at 12:57 was so late as to be meaningless anyway. I've gone and removed my cell phone from the university's records in order not to be bothered in the future. Perhaps I'll put it back once I start going in to work regularly.

As soon as I have a bit more energy, or my hands get a bit better, I'll start on the many thank you notes I owe, but so far between short walks or bouts of very gentle exercise, I'm lying around like a lump or reading the papers, some blogs, or undemanding books.

The docs tell me I'll be fit to teach by August, if not necessarily to pace in my accustomed manner, so I've agreed to teach Torts again — this time, mercifully, to a 'small' section (they're not that small) in the Fall term.

Meanwhile my recovery progresses. I'm able to do more, like get around the house, although still need a lot of help with stuff. I can walk down the block a few houses and back with a cane or a supportive arm for balance. Baby steps indeed.

I am home, and so happy to be there. I remain very weak – climbing the stairs feels like doing Everest, and I can’t walk far. My balance is uncertain but I expect to graduate from a walker to a cane soon. My hands shake, and typing is hard. I get tired pathetically easily. But every day I’m a bit stronger, and the prognosis is good, although it will take some time to make a full recovery.

I am so deeply grateful for the messages of support here, in email, in cards, and via intermediaries. I will write more fully about that when I’m a bit better as it has been humbling and amazing. Meanwhile, please forgive me if a personal reply to your email is delayed a little more.

I’ve been discharged from the hospital and I’m now in a rehab facility trying to gain back my strength. I expect to be here about a week, and there really doesn’t seem to be any wi-fi anywhere in the building.

The hospital IT guy got me online.

I am still very very weak, and can't type well as two fingers are numb (nerve got bruised in surgery; it will heal in time). I am likely to be discharged soon — next day or two I think — but while my progress is real, I have a long way to go.

If I am no longer as weak as a kitten, I would still be hesitant to take on a litter of them.

Basically, if it can't be done sitting or reclining, I still need help to do it. But that will change.

I'm still in the hospital — and, ironically, in a part with no Internet. People have been reading me some of the e-mails and comments that have been sent and I'm very grateful, but unable to respond. It looks like I'll be in the hospital as much as another week. I hope once I get out to be able to thank people more directly.