Red and I are winding up our time in cardiac rehab, begun reluctantly nearly three months ago. Dot will miss Red, I love beginning the rehab work seeing her face light up when she sees him, they are old friends now. It is time, I think, for me to move along to the next phase of my recovery, which is about four months old. Dot is a sweet and sensitive soul, I will try and bring Red by for a visit when I can.

My cardiac rehab work has conditioned me in a way I had not expected, I am doing things I couldn’t do before the surgery and feeling stronger and better.  My legs are strong, so is my heart. I have made some close friends in rehab, and I will miss seeing them and hearing how they are doing. I will miss having Patty and Robin, our nurses, to talk to and ask questions of. I am back into the world of doctors, where there is little communication or time, and not much understanding.

I see that people who have open heart surgery are a community of sorts, we have an understanding and empathy about each other than is palpable and lovely. Rehab drew me out and got me working hard on several different kind of aerobic and muscle-strengthening machines.

I can see why this is so important to do right after surgery, when the heart and most of my other organs are stunned and confused. So was I, and rehab helped me awaken and focus.  It was a good thing to do. Red has been a huge part of my rehab work, everyone at the clinic loves him and spends time with him. He comes in, greets his friends, lies down on the strip of carpet and doesn’t much much, he receives visitors there.

Touching  Red before and after workouts has become a ritual in rehab, he is the father of smiles there. Most of the people I began rehab with are already gone. Some have moved onto Phase 3, where they can visit the machines a couple of times a week with no monitors. This meets twice a week, I am not sure if I will do it or not. Some of the people just vanish, some get sick and leave for treatment, others graduate and move on with their lives.

I don’t really know what the next phase of my recovery is. They say it takes about a year to fully recover from open  heart surgery, I still deal with fatigue sometimes and a few other issues. Recovery is about patience, learning and hard work, like so many other worthwhile things. I have learned that attitude is every bit as important as medicine. I started walking in the ICU and am walking still. That is the most important thing I have done and learned.

Friday is my last day in rehab, I will get a certificate and copies of some of my medical charts. Life is about moving on, moving forward, but I will not soon forget that room or the people I got to know there.