Well, the day I wasn't sure would ever come is finally here. After over seven months, my pulmonologist says my lungs have healed enough that I can go off supplemental oxygen completely! I still have work to do in strengthening my lungs, (I won't be running marathons anytime soon.) but they are working well enough on their own. Yay!
To tell you the truth, though, it's a little scary for me to not have oxygen in my house anymore. When I mentioned that fear to the pulmonologist, he said that feeling is normal when your lungs have felt oxygen hunger. It's something like PTSD in the way that your body doesn't forget what being starved for oxygen felt like. So, being worried about not having oxygen readily available after what I've been through is normal. Which is reassuring, in a way. It's funny, when I first got the oxygen concentrator to help me breathe, it was so loud and sounded a bit like Darth Vader in my room. I didn't know how I'd ever sleep through the noise. But after seven months, that sound has become so comforting to me, and it will be so strange not to have it anymore. But I just need to remind myself that I'm strong enough to breathe without it. I can do this.
It's been quite the journey for me these last seven months. I won't ever be the same as I was, but things are slowly returning to normal for me and I am so, so grateful.
One step at a time.
1 comment:
Praise God! I've been praying for you.
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