Not too much...aside from working and healing with varying degrees of success (and failure?) on both fronts.
The past 4 weeks were a lot like riding in the front seat of this thing. While the general arc of my recovery has an upward curve toward what I believe is close to 100% healthy, it also follows a difficult up and down pattern from day to day. This pattern I've been rolling on since the surgery is as follows: I will feel great for about a week, then do too much too soon because I feel like I'm all better, and then I'll feel like roadkill for a week or so afterward. Case in point: somewhere on my ride up to this point, I managed to squeeze in a 4-day weekend in Santa Fe, NM where Kei and I attended my friend Steve Smith's wedding. Santa Fe was awesome, and the wedding was a blast, but in terms of healing (or not healing) that 4-day weekend was a little bit like Kingda Ka.
The big surgery (the "scheduled injury") was 2 months ago. I returned to work less than 3 weeks after the scheduled injury, and that was WAY TOO SOON!! Or so my body kept telling me until about 2 weeks ago. Anyway, after this initial rough patch, I have been feeling great recently. The arms and legs are finally feeling like they want to cooperate with their pal BBB again. Thanks guys. Go team!
Oh yeah.....my voice is back! Dr. Rajakumar (not to be confused with the famous Dr. Rajkumar of southern Indian film and song) was on the money when he guessed my voice would make its triumphant return somewhere between week 6 and week 8 post throat dissection. It was about 95% back by the end of week 7, and at this point I am ready for the F'n opera.
In the 7th week post-scheduled injury I was seen by Dr. Laxer of Orthocarolina in Charlotte. I was thrilled (and relieved) to hear that X-rays taken uring that appointment revealed two titanium disc implants lodged in the very same position that they occupied on my previous X-rays, which were taken at Fortis Hospital in Bangalore, India the day after said implants were hammered into that position - into their new home - by Dr. Rajakumar. Hammering is not an inaccurate characterization of the procedure. There is more to it than that of course, but hammering is part of the deal. So is being catheterized! Traumatic.
By the way, if you do a Google search for "Dr. Rajakumar at Fortis Hospital," the very first site that will appear among the search results is http://www.bangalorebionicboy.com/!
I think I promised in my last post to unveil the exact cost of my bionic trip in Bangalore. I would love to do nothing more, but I will need to revisit some receipts. Sorry, but that is just not happening tonight. I can tell you now that it is between $12.00 and the exact amount of the national debt of the USA, which at the time of typing is $12,974,895,930,216.56.
For now some pics of life as a bionic man doing some American s*@t:
My nephew and I after cruising in his Ferrari.
Loretto Chapel where Steve's wedding was held. This is a famous staircase.
A Mariachi band was playing as we exited the chapel. Very cool.
We followed the Mariachi band to the reception. They continued playing the whole time.
In Santa Fe, if you throw a rock, you will hit art - much of it made of rock.
New Mexican Food is a new American surprise for me! These are sopaipillas.
Sausage and egg enchiladas in red and green chile (aka Christmas) for breakfast
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
This was huge though it's hard to tell in the pic.
Kei made Indian food!
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