August 27 Update

Last time, on We Heart Josh: our feisty protagonist, Josh, and his trusty sidekick, Robbie, had packed up their humble wagon and set out West on their own Grapes-of-Wrath-style adventure, in hopes of finding good fortune and better tacos. We now join our duo in Austin, Texas, 3 weeks later, where, indeed both have been found.

39 is the magic number! It's not a lab reading, milligram dosage or a pressure level; rather, it's Josh's new age! We celebrated Josh's first 39th birthday on August 20 with an ice cream cake (it's OK to cheat every now and then) and a flurry of gifts, cards and well wishes from around the country.

Because he hadn't yet gotten clearance from his doctors to "return to the world," we celebrated at home. Though it was a small and understated affair, Josh says it was definitely a birthday for the books, mostly because he's very grateful to be here to celebrate another one. To save Josh from his own urges, I graciously ate most of the cake.

As an observer, every day is a new and exciting milestone. One of Josh's most treasured home chores is feeding the dogs. He says he does it because I am laissez faire with the feeding schedule, and also because the dogs are under the impression I "do it wrong." I say he hogs the responsibility to buy our pets' love. Our oldest, CB, requires his food to be soaked for an exact period of time, and then microwaved for an even more precise period. For days after we returned home, Josh would ask me to put things into and out of the microwave; lifting his arm was painful. Then, one day, I turned to find he'd stuck CB's food in himself, hit the buttons, and went on about his business. It wasn't until later that night when I told him how proud I was of him that he realized what he'd done. Every day, the list of things he can't do on his own becomes virtually nonexistent. Except for be tall, I will still have to do that for him.

The dogs really missed Josh. Our biggest puppy, Rusty, is what you might accurately describe as a Golden spaz sandwich. But, as our furry friends are wont to do, Rusty understood almost immediately that Josh wasn't quite himself and has been a delicate love bug ever since. Dax, who shares a very special relationship with Josh, was angry the first few days after Josh got home. Luckily, he is easily won over with treats. CB is also greatly enjoying Josh being off from work, and is glad to have his napping buddy back.

Josh's walking is up to over 3 miles a day; I have a bicycle with attached sidecar, and at night while Josh walks, Dax and I ride alongside him. He's back to doing most of his normal chores around the house, except when things are heavy are up high: that's why he has me, who is also both. He's doing laundry, taking care of the pups, and, with my help of course, been cooking nearly every night the past week.

We're still trying our best to eat healthier. We've added grapeseed oil to our healthy fats rotation (which is great for vegetables), and reduced our reliance on the delicious-but-evil butter. Since nearly half of the edible-sounding, heart-healthy recipes we've come across are "Grilled Something-Something," we got Josh a fancy new grill for his birthday. I do love a good grilled veggie with a light drizzle of grapeseed oil; still, the prolonged and desperate strife to break my crippling dependence on sugar continues.

This past week, Josh virtually visited with his Atlanta cardiac surgeon, Dr. William Keeling, and his local cardiac surgeon here in Austin, and they both were very pleased and impressed with his progress. They gave him the go ahead to increase his walks, exercise more, play tennis and even work remotely part-time!

Josh had been hesitant to push himself too hard until he got the all-clear from his doctors. As one put it: "Josh, you aren't 80 years old, so get back to your life." Those were the magic, inspiring and liberating words Josh needed to hear. I can attest that he is, in fact, living his life.

Josh's incision is also healing very nicely, and he has minimal to no pain. Most of the pain that he is experiencing now is due to muscle or nerves in his chest, which were damaged during the operation. He starts Cardiac Physical Therapy next week, a specially-targeted type of therapy for patients of open heart surgery. The hope is PT should reduce pain in his chest, arms, back and shoulders. 

Most importantly, though, he can drive again! As you may know, Josh is a car person. If I paid closer attention when he rattled off things like specs and ratings, then I guess I would also be a car person by proxy; then again, if I had wheels I'd be a wagon.

After years of penny pinching, extensive research and test drive after test drive, Josh finally settled on a new ride in May!

He barely had a chance to drive it, however, before our late June debacle. In fact, I have probably put more miles on it than he has. But, because of my crippling social anxiety, amaxophobia and my strong desire to cocoon at home, I'm sure that will be corrected in no time.

Josh will meet with his cardiologist in early September, where they will review his medications and overall health post-surgery. Josh's cardiologist will become a new friend, meeting regularly to keep an eye on Josh's lab numbers and help him continue leading a heart-healthy lifestyle. Josh is also seeing a therapist, who has a program specifically tailored for cardiac event patients.

Josh starts work part-time tomorrow. Luckily, his position allows him to work remotely. He says he doesn't feel as sharp as he used, but I chalk that up to months of binge watching tennis, Olympics and The Price is Right. I think he's just as quick as ever, especially when he's thinking of a witty comeback to some of my nonsense.

I'm sure he will feel more confident after a few days; all puns aside, I think his mental acuity concerns are all in his head. His doctors, therapist, and most importantly I, all agree the only way for him to sharpen his cognitive skills is to get back to it!

He told me to say he has made significant improvements since returning to Austin and has such a positive mindset about everything. And I'll say it, too; I know how to live a happy life.

I'm also happy to say it because it happens to be true.