Tethered to a Lifeline, Grumbling All the Way by Barbara Fleming
Not so long ago, I might now be dying a lingering, miserable
death, struggling to breathe, constantly fatigued and putting extra stress on
my heart. Instead, in a saga that began with a friend who followed her
instincts, thanks to the miracles of modern medicine and the gifts of
technology I am dealing with a diagnosis of chronic interstitial pulmonary
fibrosis, tethered to oxygen in order to breathe, adjusting to a different lifestyle
and learning to live with life-giving air going through my nose and tubing
trailing around after me.
Easy, it is not. Annoying, it is. Reminding myself not to
trip over the tubing, or step on it, making sure it follows me around the
house, doing everyday tasks with the tether in mind—it all takes thought,
energy and diligence. But, as my daughter pointed out, I am alive. I can still
do many of the things I have done; I can sit at my computer and write. I can
cuddle my cat. I can enjoy companionship, lose myself in books and marvel at
the sunset I must see only from my picture window. During this ordeal I have
been bathed in love; I am blessed with family and friends who all want to help.
For me, accustomed to being independent, this is humbling, but at the same time
it is like a warm blanket around my heart and soul. I can grumble; I do
grumble. And then I shrug it off and smile. Smiling is far better than
grumbling (although I reserve the right to grumble from time to time), and I
have so much to smile about.
Sounds dreadful. But doable for someone with your dogged determination. Regardless of the challenge, we still expect the writing to continue. Lead the way!
ReplyDeleteBarbara,
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you must now be tethered, but I so appreciate your positive attitude. You are so right. There are so many things you are still able to do, and I am sure you are doing them all! Keep smiling, hang in there, and know you have many friends that are pulling for you.
Libby