Howe will be back in charge for Saturday's Premier League clash with Ipswich Town after two weeks of recovery following a pneumonia diagnosis.
Speaking to the press this morning, Howe says he was confident being ready to return to the touchline.
He stated: "I'm not 100% in my body but I'd like to think I'm close to 100% in my mind, which is the important thing.
"It's been difficult. I try to take a positive from every experience but this has been a real challenge.
"The care I received from the NHS was first class. A big thank you to Charlotte Milne and all her staff who looked after me. The care and I love I felt from them. The well wishes I received from everyone - I really do appreciate it.
"I have to say it brings a sharper focus on what is important in your life. My family and friends looked after me in this period. It brings clarity. You can't take things for granted."
"I was pleased to go to hospital"
On the setback, Howe continued: "The Leicester game I felt awful. 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."
Howe admits club doctor, Paul Catterson, was a key influence on the decision to get himself to hospital at the time.
He added: "You take your health for granted when you're feeling good. When you're suddenly faced with health issues, it's difficult to deal with - when you're in a job that demands you're there physically and mentally every day.
"I felt really bad - and didn't know how bad. I'm like most men, you probably think you're going to be OK in a few days. I was very thankful that the doctor here, Paul Catterson, acted really quickly."
"Laptop was open straight away!"
Switching his thoughts to Saturday and Ipswich, Howe humbly insisted there'd be no extra lift from the home crowd for his return.
He said, "I don't think it can have that much of an effect. I felt, from watching the two games, that the atmosphere was incredible. I'm just delighted to be back.
"I'd like to think I would act differently if feeling that way again. I do think it's important as there's a temptation to think you can fight through anything.
"When I felt well enough, the laptop was straight back out. I was watching Ipswich Town straight away!"
Howe was confident handing the reins to assistant manager Jason Tindall during his recovery. The Toon manager admits the first two games were difficult to follow given the state of his health.
He continued: "I made a conscious decision, when I felt I didn't feel well enough to focus on the football, to give Jason 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 the first two, I wasn't really there mentally, but I was really proud and so lifted by the performance or performances.
"That's of course a very similar experience to the one I had against Brentford in my very first game, not one that I particularly enjoyed, but yeah a big thank you to everybody for what they did."
A five-game league
Howe knows Newcastle cannot afford to slip-up on Saturday with the top four race tightening up. The Toon sit fifth, a point outside the Champions League places.
He said, "I see it being very tight and possibly going to the end of the season for the top five places. I think we have put ourselves in a very strong position.
"We go into a five-game league now where we have some tough games, but we’ll have to be at our best, starting with Ipswich.
"Ipswich have dangerous players in their team, they recently went to Bournemouth and won, and we know how hard that game is. I think they have had a difficult season, their away form has been very strong, they have done better away than they have at home and that will be a frustration for them, but that is a warning sign, that this will be a tough game for us."
Before signing off, Howe was also asked about his first day back and how he was received by his players. The manager admits he was eager to get back to working with his squad, who delivered a Carabao Cup triumph just weeks ago.
He said, "I was back on Wednesday. It was very low key. I don’t think players were necessarily too emotional seeing me back (laughs). Some may be were.
"But no, I feel I have got a really good relationship with the squad so it was very nice to see their care for me and my care for them.
"It goes hand in hand because I really care deeply about all my players and I want them to be successful in their careers and I will still try and work hard for them.
"All I ever ask for then is that I hope they recognise that and they give me their best in return."