It has now been one month since Ted got discharged! He's been recovering well at home, doing outpatient cardiac rehab multiple times a week . At first, he was tired just getting up to use the bathroom, but now he's able to take brisk walks and lift light weights. He's also been able to return to work (remotely for now).

The weeks he spent in the hospital made it easier for him to quit smoking, since his sedation meant he slept through the worst physical cravings and being inpatient meant he didn't have access to cigarettes even if he was tempted to. The immediate difference when you stop smoking was noticeable to him even with healing ribs, and he's commented that he actually breathes better now.

There's been a lot of changes to make in a short time and the biggest has probably been to the household diet, since everyone is supporting the switch to heart healthy meals. He's eating a lot of fish, chicken, and greens and we're continuing to figure out how to accommodate his low sodium/low sat. fat needs. We tried a couple different pre-made meal options, and they've been helpful to a limited extent but often exceed the limits his doctors have recommended.  Sunbasket has been the most helpful thus far (it has filters/sorting for low sodium, specific types of meat to avoid, etc.).

Things we're looking for advice on:

• What protein-heavy snacks would be good to eat post workout? Is there anything that can be frozen and quickly reheated, or put together fairly quickly?
• What are easy/five-minute & heart-healthy meals (e.g. if a quick lunch is needed)?
• We're not that creative with salads yet so tips for (ideally shelf-stable) add-ins that we could keep on hand would be great!

Also, he's doing well enough now that he'd love to see visitors. Please reach out to us or him plan a time.  He'll appreciate it.