By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 20:45 EST, 7 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:23 EST, 8 March 2014 . Three weeks after losing much of his left arm, science correspondent Miles O'Brien appeared on the PBS NewsHour to declare 'I'll be OK' and to announce he had tied his necktie Friday morning. 'It's good to be here,' he told NewsHour co-host Judy Woodruff. 'It's good to be anywhere. It's good to be alive.' O'Brien has continued to work on stories for the NewsHour, including reports on Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, since a seemingly minor injury put his life in sudden jeopardy. His short NewsHour interview allowed him to follow up on the ordeal he first disclosed on his blog on February 25. Recovering: Science correspondent Miles O'Brien (center) speaking with reporter-producer Rebecca Jacobson (left) and senior online editor Jenny Marder on Friday . Looking healthy, even cheerful, in a dark suit and black tie, O'Brien noted that the life of a globe-trotting correspondent is risky in many obvious ways. 'But sometimes, it's the heavy case filled with gear that you need to be careful of,' he said, referring to the February 12 blow to his arm by a falling suitcase as he was wrapping up a solo reporting trip to the Philippines after being in Japan. What began as a bruise became increasingly discolored and painful, he said. When he began to feel numbness in his hand, he sought medical attention on February 14. He was diagnosed with 'acute compartment syndrome,' a condition where blocked blood flow in an enclosed space in the body can have life-threatening consequences. Before his emergency surgery to relieve the pressure, O'Brien said he was warned that amputation was a possible outcome. 'When I woke up,' he recalled, 'I . thought I felt my arm. But unfortunately, things did not go for the . best.' His arm had been amputated above the elbow. Phantom limb pain continues to plague him three weeks later. It's 'incredibly painful,' he said. 'I feel my hand, in a way, more acutely than I ever did when I had it.' His most successful coping device has been a renewed focus on work, he said, which 'got me through a very tough time.' 'I'll be OK': Miles O'Brien during the taping of an interview for PBS Newshour about the loss of part of his arm in an accident while on assignment last February . Now, . as he begins rehabilitation, he has singled out three priorities: to . get back to riding his bike, piloting planes and shooting his own video, . as before. He said his doctors told him, 'No problem. We have . attachments for all of that.' Asked . to respond to the concern expressed by his many well-wishers, O'Brien . voiced thanks, but assured them, 'I'll be OK. I can figure this out. It's surmountable.' The . former CNN science and space correspondent covers science for NewsHour . and is a correspondent for public TV's documentary series Frontline and . the National Science Foundation's Science Nation online magazine. His concluding report on the Fukushima plant is scheduled to air on Tuesday's NewsHour.
PBS science correspondent Miles O'Brien had his arm amputated above the elbow recently .
He made his first appearance since the surgery on PBS Newshour .
The roving correspondent was injured when a suitcase fell on his arm .
The arm bruised, then became discolored and painful before it went numb .
O'Brien sought medical treatment and was diagnosed with acute compartment syndrome, or blocked blood flow in an enclosed space in the body .
He had to have surgery to relieve the life-threatening condition, during which surgeons had to amputate .
He is in rehabilitation and plans to pick up where he left off .
By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 20:45 EST, 7 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:23 EST, 8 March 2014 . Three weeks after losing much of his left arm, science correspondent Miles O'Brien appeared on the PBS NewsHour to declare 'I'll be OK' and to announce he had tied his necktie Friday morning. 'It's good to be here,' he told NewsHour co-host Judy Woodruff. 'It's good to be anywhere. It's good to be alive.' O'Brien has continued to work on stories for the NewsHour, including reports on Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, since a seemingly minor injury put his life in sudden jeopardy. His short NewsHour interview allowed him to follow up on the ordeal he first disclosed on his blog on February 25. Recovering: Science correspondent Miles O'Brien (center) speaking with reporter-producer Rebecca Jacobson (left) and senior online editor Jenny Marder on Friday . Looking healthy, even cheerful, in a dark suit and black tie, O'Brien noted that the life of a globe-trotting correspondent is risky in many obvious ways. 'But sometimes, it's the heavy case filled with gear that you need to be careful of,' he said, referring to the February 12 blow to his arm by a falling suitcase as he was wrapping up a solo reporting trip to the Philippines after being in Japan. What began as a bruise became increasingly discolored and painful, he said. When he began to feel numbness in his hand, he sought medical attention on February 14. He was diagnosed with 'acute compartment syndrome,' a condition where blocked blood flow in an enclosed space in the body can have life-threatening consequences. Before his emergency surgery to relieve the pressure, O'Brien said he was warned that amputation was a possible outcome. 'When I woke up,' he recalled, 'I . thought I felt my arm. But unfortunately, things did not go for the . best.' His arm had been amputated above the elbow. Phantom limb pain continues to plague him three weeks later. It's 'incredibly painful,' he said. 'I feel my hand, in a way, more acutely than I ever did when I had it.' His most successful coping device has been a renewed focus on work, he said, which 'got me through a very tough time.' 'I'll be OK': Miles O'Brien during the taping of an interview for PBS Newshour about the loss of part of his arm in an accident while on assignment last February . Now, . as he begins rehabilitation, he has singled out three priorities: to . get back to riding his bike, piloting planes and shooting his own video, . as before. He said his doctors told him, 'No problem. We have . attachments for all of that.' Asked . to respond to the concern expressed by his many well-wishers, O'Brien . voiced thanks, but assured them, 'I'll be OK. I can figure this out. It's surmountable.' The . former CNN science and space correspondent covers science for NewsHour . and is a correspondent for public TV's documentary series Frontline and . the National Science Foundation's Science Nation online magazine. His concluding report on the Fukushima plant is scheduled to air on Tuesday's NewsHour.
arm, science correspondent Miles O'Brien appeared discolored and painful, he said. When he began to feel numbness in his hand, he sought medical attention on February 14. He was diagnosed with 'acute compartment syndrome,' a condition where blocked blood flow in an enclosed space in the body can have life-threatening consequences. Before his emergency surgery to relieve the His arm had been amputated above the elbow.