It was really nice reading the comments so many of you left for me. Several of you warned against doing too much too soon but I must admit that I've already fallen into that pit. After lifting a couple of things I really should have avoided, I experienced several days of living with strained chest muscles. Since then, I've been more careful. Just as my surgeon warned, the lack of discomfort in the sternum is deceptive. Bone, muscle and skin take time to heal and do so on their own schedule.
I am now walking half a mile or so several times a day and seem to feel better after walking. At first, I had to take a nap but now when I return I usually sit and read for a while. Cardiac Rehab starts the 1st week of November and it will be good to be able to stretch and work out more strenuously. For now, however, it is just nice to feel a little stronger each day.
Several of you had questions about the Talons. First, the key - in an emergency, it is possible to open them without a key but doing so can destroy them. I think that with time and wider use, the key will be available everywhere. They all use the same key, by the way. I have a small card that also goes in the wallet explaining how to remove the Talons in an emergency. There is also a card for security people describing the implants. I don't fly very much but I do go to the Federal Courthouse so it will only be a few weeks before I need to explain the 4 or 5 ounces of titanium in my chest.
As for how they feel, I can't feel them at all. Just as there has been no sensation of motion in the sternum, there is no feeling of tightness or constriction. We sort of have a sense that our sternum is just below the skin but there is actually about an inch of tissue between bone and surface. Dr Spann says that it is enough to make it unlikely that one can feel the talons through that. Although there is still some swelling around my incision, it has healed enough that I can probe it lightly with a finger. So far, I certainly have not been able to feel them. They are just there.
I am now walking half a mile or so several times a day and seem to feel better after walking. At first, I had to take a nap but now when I return I usually sit and read for a while. Cardiac Rehab starts the 1st week of November and it will be good to be able to stretch and work out more strenuously. For now, however, it is just nice to feel a little stronger each day.
Several of you had questions about the Talons. First, the key - in an emergency, it is possible to open them without a key but doing so can destroy them. I think that with time and wider use, the key will be available everywhere. They all use the same key, by the way. I have a small card that also goes in the wallet explaining how to remove the Talons in an emergency. There is also a card for security people describing the implants. I don't fly very much but I do go to the Federal Courthouse so it will only be a few weeks before I need to explain the 4 or 5 ounces of titanium in my chest.
As for how they feel, I can't feel them at all. Just as there has been no sensation of motion in the sternum, there is no feeling of tightness or constriction. We sort of have a sense that our sternum is just below the skin but there is actually about an inch of tissue between bone and surface. Dr Spann says that it is enough to make it unlikely that one can feel the talons through that. Although there is still some swelling around my incision, it has healed enough that I can probe it lightly with a finger. So far, I certainly have not been able to feel them. They are just there.
