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Craig On A Leash?!?!?

On A Leash

Friday, July 29, 2022

9:45 PM

 

“Can you imagine Craig on a leash?” said Mary on the phone to her daughter. “OMG! Craig on leash,” was the response, followed by, “Need out?”.

 

And if you are one who knows me well, how would you answer that question? Please share in the comments.

 

The leash of course is the soft plastic tubing that blows life-giving oxygen into my nostrils direct from the concentrator. Apparently, I have been given extra tubing to make it longer; it’s now 32 feet in all. It’s still a leash. I now have this oxygen snake following me around everywhere. Murphy’s Law of Oxygen Tubing says, “If it can get caught or tangled on something, it will.” with the corollary, “No matter which way you turn, the tubing will twist the opposite way”.

 

I’ve learned new skills. Like a sailor with a rope, I can now take that tubing, whip it along its length, and untangle it from almost anything, all the while humming, “whip it, whip it good”. I can snap it and make it jump over a chair or climb up on my bed.

 

I was even able to very, very slowly do the first 17 tai chi moves outside on the deck still tethered by tubing to the concentrator. Being fed oxygen meant I wasn’t as breathless. Small accomplishments seem so grand these days.

 

We had to go into Montague for some supplies. We hooked me up to an oxygen tank and put it in the back seat of the car threading the tubing and nose piece between the seats. I drove for the first time in almost two weeks. It was liberating.

 

Wearing the tubing 24/7 causes some irritation. The tubing goes over my ears and with movement it rubs against the skin. Same thing with the nose piece. I was given a nasal gel in the hospital. It helps. As my lungs heal, I can take the tubing off for short periods of time and it gives my nose and ears a break. I’m not wearing the tubing as I write this. It is interesting how quickly I have adapted to this aid. There have even been a few brief moments when I forgot I was wearing this.

 

There is a constant quiet noise with the oxygen being blown out the nose piece. Sometimes it sounds like shush and other times like hiss. When I take a drink of water, the hissing echoes in the glass making it sound like I am drinking something carbonated.

 

I have a couple of tanks for emergencies. If we were to lose power, within a few minutes, I would have to switch over to a tank.

 

I very much hope the home oxygen folks can rig something up so I could have a portable oxygen supply. I’d like to go for a walk instead of pacing back and forth on the deck like Captain Bligh. I get my steps in and I can feel my legs getting some of their strength back, but a good walk would help more, both physically and mentally.

 

 

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