General Discussion

This coming August will mark three years since I had triple bypass surgery. I discovered something since then. First, open heart surgery is a stunning traumatic experience on one's body. It takes a long time to recover. And I didn't know how pervasive the trauma was until I was able to look back and follow my body's history within that recovery. There's the medication and adjusting to the side effects. I don't really know how much the medication itself contributed to the "other-worldliness" of my everyday life, but I surely had to live with it every day until I didn't. The most remarkable part of the recovery is a return of my mental acuity, and in retrospect, how I could only evaluate the improvement after living through the deficits. In the midst of cloudy thinking, one's tendency is to strive for clarity and perceptual alertness that nearly gives denial a good name. Only afterward could I recall a kind of drifting in a mist of awareness. Even now, I notice improvements in short term memory from day to day. If I may, I'll advise that you stay physically and mentally active, even on days when you just don't want to move. It's okay to be tired, and it's okay to push a little bit beyond the fatigue. Best of luck. We've both been lucky to be still living and breathing. And one more thing:

Epstein.