“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
To say that I've had a boring or a passive year would be a negative look on the world I lived through, it really was a year that I will definitely never forget as I feel every beat of it, in my heart.
As you might know, I really imagine a lot of thoughts and feelings with photos, even thought most of the year was keeping focus to myself, taking care of my self, trying to get active again, it was not easy.
Lucky I had a lot of support all around me. From doctors to physicians, therapies and also joined a coronary club in my town, where I gained mostly strength in the body as in my mind, as I gained a lot of knowledge and information about the body, effects of healthy diet, activity and most important for me, I gained confidence in myself again, strength, motivation with a ton of will power that everything will be alright, I'm still here, breathing!
Decided today is the day to share how my rehabilitation was back when I was sent to Rehabilitation spa Radenci, about 1 month after I got home. 11.11.2022 I'm grateful that I woke up after an open heart surgery, 12.12.2022 is when I got home from the hospital and on 11.1.2023 I went on after surgical rehabilitation in a little town Radenci, where I spent 2 weeks of joy, warmth, was allowed to go in their pool and was a big step forward from there on.
The first time I stepped out of the car I spotted cats, and a lot of them, enjoying the nice warm sun around the spa Hotel. Although they weren't allowed in the Hotel they still found ways to sneak in. People were very friendly, I was still feeling dizzy, weak often tired, so the first day was mostly sleeping, getting to know where the rehabilitation will be and where my room was.
Spa Radenci is well known of it's natural mineral water, their hot springs that come out of earth and a health center where people come after many types of injuries. Here they mostly focus on patients after heart related operations, treating problems with veins, strokes and around digestion.
There's a rich history about this place and some old building still standing, where I went for walks later to get some fresh air and walk in the nature park, where everything seemed new to me.
Was still influenced by pain killers and everything in between by that point, so was still taking in everything slowly, 15min walk before a meal was a handful for me at that moment.
Next morning we started with the therapies, it always started in the morning, we had very light exercise every morning, all of it was lying on the ground, I felt like I was the only one experiencing striking pains around my lungs (or so I thought). The pain came from the ribs as they needed the most time to recover.
Then they mixed us in different groups, people with different needs, the doctor was always close if in need also the nurses from the spa. After examination we got a written plan of all therapies for the week. Sadly I didn't take a photo of that, nor all of the therapies, most were related with their mineral water.
My favorite one or the one that I felt got the most out of me, was the one where you lie down in the bath filled with mineral water!
So rich in minerals I could almost taste metal/copper in the air, the bubbles going around from time to time and feeling like everything got lighter, relaxing with calm slow music in the background.
It felt amazing when the time was up, the water drained itself slowly and till the water was all gone, it felt really hard to get back up and used to to my own mass, just to get out of there.
One evening we also had a presentation with one of the doctors that talked about operations, healthy lifestyle, and shared knowledge, where I was able to ask some questions, the youngest in any of groups and saw how my mechanical heart valve actually looks like, how it functions and gave me a bit more insight of how it functions.
Replacement for aort vein to the heart.
And the mechanical heart valve on the bottom, and everything in between.
Everything mostly repeated, everything after 11 am was reserved for ourselves, meaning I mostly went for a walk before lunch, drank a cup of their mineral water in s calming space in the hotel, they had a special name for it, but said it had great effects on the body.
After lunch I went for a walk, later in the day depending how I felt or when to take a nap. First 5 das were mostly sleeping or resting but then doctors allowed me to go in the pool, but slowly.
It felt amazing to just have my body in the pool again. I didn't swim or anything like it, because there was still body and chest bone healing, so there was still a slight chance of everything going apart, or something wrong. I just stood or walked in the pool, as funny as it seems.
The light massages were always pleasing where we didn't lie down, because everything was so fresh and would end up in a whole lot of pain. I sat on a table and the therapist came with light massages for about 15 minutes or so. It was great!
After 10 days there was a feeling of being alive gain, in the evening after dinner we always communicated with friends over the stream where we watched or maybe played a game or two.
Then I started feeling like at home and on the 13th day, there was a feeling of 'not wanting to go home yet', but everything was fine. The only shocker was that although there was a bit of snow in the middle of the week, the final 14th day when I went home, I got to a shock!
From no snow, green scenery, to over 1 meter of snow at my home! It was a joyful to see, but hard for me to go anywhere. Wasn't fully stable back then, my walks were around the church in circles and a walk a day that wasn't longer than 500m.
While writing and sharing my experience it does give me a motivation, to remind myself where I was not even a year ago, this truly was a reset or I love to say a rebirth for me.
It's hard to explain all the feelings I got writing, but it does help me.
I'll admit that photos are not in any particular order, writing this did take quite some energy and will out of me.
I am really grateful to be able to get the rehabilitation treatment, all the information an positive energy I received and it would be hard without of communication with others, family and friends.
Forgot to mention that in this time, I had to avoid contacts with people, with babies up to 6 months, because of my poor immune system, so this was my first social experience outside the hospital and medical people.
For taking time and reading my rehabilitation log, it's to add to my photo album and sharing it with you as well.
― Napoleon Hill
