Memory: Resting At Rehab

July 6, 2023

One year ago today, I was able to get a bit of drug-induced rest at the physical rehabilitation facility where I was living. Here I am listening to music (and watching videos) on YouTube after taking four "happy" pills, among others, in the evening, as usual. One pill relaxed my muscles. Another pill reduced my anxiety. The other two pills reduced my severe pain from my healing chest incision and broken sternum (breastbone).

I entered the facility on June 3, 2022, and I did not return home until July 21, 2022, a day before my wife's birthday. Prior to that, I was admitted to the hospital on May 13, 2022, where I would have two chest surgeries (May 19 & 25, 2022) due to complications from my quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery on March 9, 2022. That's a total of 70 days away from home.

My left foot is bandaged due to a diabetic ulcer. I also had a smaller ulcer in my right foot. The apparatus strapped to my left leg was a Foley catheter, which also caused me severe pain. My left inner thigh also hurt from the removal of a major vein that was used during my quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery in March 2022.

(I took these two selfies and created this composite photo on my phone.)