Recovering at Home

I realized today that my prior posting was from the hospital’s recovery section, and some of you might conclude that I’m still there. To the contrary, I apparently offended a sufficient number of the medical people by my previous postings that they unanimously voted me off their island. So I’ve been home for two weeks now; surprisingly, Janet hasn’t yet voted me off this island.

It has now been three weeks since the surgery, and I’m slowly working my way back to some degree of fitness. I’ve been walking three miles a day for the past week – not all at once, but rather one mile three times a day. That’s a long way from the mileage which will be required for the End to End walk, but over the next few months I hope to not only extend the distances, but to actually walk while thinking of things other than the stresses on my body.

It’ll still be another 3 or 4 weeks before I can lift anything, or even open a window. Until my sternum heals completely, I’m not able to carry even a light day pack. As a result, real hiking is still out of the question, and my walks are limited to strolls around the neighborhood. But still, I’m getting out and don’t have to put up with daytime TV.

As you may have noticed, I have updated my blog’s introduction to reflect the new date planned for next year’s walk. Because I will be starting earlier next year than I had planned for this year, I’m planning to walk from south to north. The route is the same – only the direction is different.

Finally, I want to thank all of you whose emails and cards have meant so much over the summer. It hasn’t been an easy time, but as so many of you have pointed out, it’s only been a minor detour.


© 2010 Ken Klug