Eddie Howe thanked Newcastle's club doctor for his response following his recovery from pneumonia, suggesting "it could have been a different outcome" were it not for his quick intervention.
The club announced the 47-year-old, who was admitted to hospital on April 11 after feeling unwell for several days, was back at work on Wednesday.
The Magpies boss missed his side's Premier League fixtures against Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa but is back in time for their clash with relegation-threatened Ipswich on Saturday.
Howe admitted he was "not 100 per cent" after experiencing a "range of emotions" in what has been a challenging couple of weeks, but was delighted to be back as he made his return to work following his recovery from pneumonia.
"I'm okay," Howe said. "I'm not 100 per cent in my body, but I'd like to think I'm very close to 100 per cent in my mind, which is the most important thing.
"I tried to take a positive from every experience - I think that's really important to try and do that - but this has been a real challenge because your health, you take for granted.
"I certainly have, and when you don't have the luxury of feeling normal it can be very difficult.
"I certainly have been through a range of emotions, but thankfully I feel like I'm on the road to recovery, which is the most important thing and I'm delighted to be here."
The last few weeks has been a real challenge. When you get to where I was (when admitted to hospital) you see life through different eyes. It’s important not to forget how you saw things in that moment. None of us know how long we are going to be on the planet for. I’ve learned not to take for granted what I do here on a daily basis.
Howe revealed he started to feel unwell around Newcastle's 3-0 victory over Leicester on April 7 and was pleased that the decision was made for him to go to hospital.
"The Leicester game I felt awful," Howe added. I have to apologise also to anyone that saw me around the Leicester game because I wasn't myself. If I did see anybody, I was very withdrawn, so I'd like to think I'm in a much better place now."
"I planned to come back to training ahead of Man Utd. I had a shower and was getting ready to go and something was telling me 'no'. That was the moment things changed.
"I was pleased to be told to go to hospital. That was the right place for me. It was a bit of a relief to get that care in that moment.
"My takeaway is I need to give myself a bit more care and love if I can, and give more thought to what I'm doing."
Howe also praised the 'quick intervention' of Newcastle club doctor Paul Catterson.
"Well it was, in the respect that I felt really bad but I didn't know how bad. I'm one of those people, probably like most men, that you sort of go through everything, you don't necessarily offer yourself to doctors and people but think 'I'll be ok in a couple of days, I'll fight through it'. I'm very much in the mindset of that.
"I'll go through anything until you can't, so I was very thankful the doctor here, Paul Catterson, acted quickly because without that quick intervention it could possibly have had a different outcome.
"I was treated really well in hospital and now thankfully, through the worst of it."
Howe's praise for Tindall and coaches
Newcastle assistant boss Jason Tindall had been standing in for Howe, overseeing wins over Man Utd and Crystal Palace before finishing with a heavy defeat at Aston Villa.
Howe was full of praise for the job Tindall did in his absence, and all the coaches who aided him.
He said: "I made a conscious decision, when I felt I didn't feel well enough to focus on the football, to give Jason [Tindall] and all the coaches the full responsibility.
"For me, you're either all in or all out, and I couldn't contribute, so I said to Jason right at the start 'it's over to you', and and didn't he do well.
"I thought he was absolutely brilliant with Graeme [Jones], Simon [Weatherstone] and Stephen [Purches], and all the coaches and the players. I thought they were absolutely magnificent.
"I was able to watch all of the games. For those first two games [wins against Manchester United and Crystal Palace], I was watching and involved. I wasn't feeling well enough to probably enjoy the performances, but a big thank you to the players because they gave everything in those two games to get two massive wins for us.
"The staff behaved and acted absolutely brilliantly so a real tribute to them and now I'm back I hope I can add something to the group as we go into the last five games.
"I think he [Tindall] did absolutely brilliantly and I am very lucky to have him."
On his return to work he added: "I came back in and it was normal - normal service resumed - probably minus running around. A lot more reserved physically and I think I'm going to be that way for a while, but certainly back to normal service."
Howe's newfound sense of perspective
Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downie:
It was the first time Eddie Howe had been seen in public for nearly three weeks, and exactly two weeks today since his admission to hospital.
Eddie looked well, but admitted to still not feeling 100 per cent since a pneumonia diagnosis that left him hospitalised for five days and forced him to miss three Premier League matches. Two of which he watched, but was unable to consume.
The Newcastle boss has clearly had a bit of a fright, and was very open and philosophical about a situation that he says has made him look at his job - and his life - differently.
The 47-year-old thanked the NHS for their brilliant care, and the Newcastle United club doctor Paul Catterson, who took it upon himself to visit him at home two weeks ago and insist he went to hospital. Howe went as far to say that without Catterson's quick intervention, "it (his illness) could possibly have had a different outcome."
It got that bad: "When you get to where I was you see life through different eyes. It's important not to forget how you saw things in that moment. None of us know how long we are going to be on the planet for and how long we are going to be able to enjoy what we are doing."
Howe apologised to anyone who he may have acted strangely to at Leicester on April 7. He was in a daze. But somehow he got through it. Until he eventually succumbed on April 11.
But the Newcastle boss's main message in all of this was to others: "Don't suffer in silence. Seek medical help if you need it. Like most men, I think I'll be okay in a few days and I'll fight through it. I'm talking to the general public here, who don't have that (medical expertise) help, they might need to be the ones to initiate it."
He says he knew he was ready to come back when he opened up his laptop earlier this week and started looking at clips of Ipswich.
Carabao Cup winner Howe, who has etched his name into club folklore already this season, now wants to finish a crazy old campaign with Champions League qualification.
On Saturday, he tentatively leads his team out in a must-win match at home to Ipswich, but with a newfound sense of perspective in life: health is more important than three points.
- April 26: Ipswich (H)
- May 4: Brighton (A)
- May 11: Chelsea (H)
- May 18: Arsenal (A)
- May 25: Everton (H)
