Rehabilitation.......

Returning from a three mile run in the sun today..........

     I take back what I posted last week, implying I wasn't going to be running for quite some time.  My hospital sojourn wasn't as traumatic as I'd been led to believe it would be, thanks to the expertise of the Consultant Surgeon (Mr Nicolas Bryan) and reassuring skills of the anaesthetist (Dr Keith Judkins).  It was an operation they might normally have been reluctant to perform on someone of my age but according to Mr Bryan I've the body of someone thirty years younger. I hope that means I'll live up to thirty years longer!  Drips and catheters were all out at the end of the second night, the old man was out of bed, stomping up and down the corridor, ready to be taken home - all inside 48 hours. My parting 'million dollar question' to Mr Bryan, an hour before discharge, was "When will I be able to start running again?" The answer I was expecting was 'in 4 to 6 weeks' so was pretty flabbergasted when he said "As soon as ever you like, but take it easy for the next 24 hours or so". To err on the safe side I gave it 27.  I'm lucky in being able to step out of the door straight into a wide open field with a good sandy path along two sides of it and well trodden turf (by dog walkers) at the other two sides.  And that's where I ran for the first three days after my discharge - four circuits on Friday, six Saturday and eleven Sunday.

.......and a bumble bee enjoying the sun too

      I've been wearing anti-embolism (compression) stockings and told not to remove them for any longer than 15 minutes (long enough for a shower) until reaching my normal level of mobility. Dunno whether they think I might be susceptible to DVT but they even gave me a spare pair to bring home (and the nurse rang yesterday to check I was doing as I was told). I'm afraid they came off for a little longer today. The sun was shining, it was warm and I wanted to wear shorts without the embarrassment of being seen running around in long white stockings. I'm no Juantorena! Instead of circuits round the adjacent field I set off towards the village and turned into the cemetery for a few laps and zig-zags among the sleeping residents. It's reasonably flat so I could breathe easily while hardly breaking into a sweat. It was difficult limiting myself to three miles on such a gorgeous day but stopped my watch on the dot after 33 enjoyable minutes. Nothing special, but quite a bonus considering I wasn't expecting to be running at all for another month or so.
       I've decided that deserves a glass of wine....