Funny thing about livinng with Pulmonary Fibrosis is that life's schedules as you have known them to be all your life become non-existent. Due to the fluctuations of the disease, you learn to roll with the flow. Sometimes there are sleepless nights and sleep-filled days. Taking a shower, bathing or getting dressed have to be aligned with the time of day when your strength reserves are at their highest or you can spend the rest of the day trying to catch your breath. That being said, it's how I came about taking a very relaxing bath in our whirlpool tub today - in the middle of the day. Ah, pure bliss. No pain, easy, steady breaths, as close to heaven as one can get on earth... that is until....
Me, in my infinite wisdom, was just floating along, relaxing and daydreaming of warmer climates and something about cabana boys bringing me drinks with little umbrellas and fruit in them. To add to the ambience, I decided to use my Black Raspbery Vanilla shower gel to wash up with. I was mindful of the fact that this was soap so I squeezed merely a dimeful unto the washcloth and inhaled the fragrance deeply. It's not a strong scent, for that would send me into a coughing frenzy, but merely a light scent that I use in the shower every day. You know, it doesn't take much soap in a whirlpool tub to explode into a plethora of sweet smelling bubbles that quickly cascaded over the side of the tub and on to the floor. Oh well, that would have to wait, the story in the magazine about Hawaii beckoned. So I leaned back in the tub and continued my daydream of a warm beach somewhere, all the while reading an article on the benefits of visiting Hawaii and some special places on the Big Island to be sure to visit.
Suddenly, somewhere in the depths of the deep blue whirlpool sea, something brushed up against my leg and let's just say, I may be able to cancel my complete cardiac work-up the end of the month at Vanderbilt. The jolt my heart took is telling me it's working just fine. After nearly bolting from the tub (alas I didn't because even a non-slip surface at the bottom of said tub was no guarantee of safety if you move suddenly and too fast), I quickly realized that sharks are not indigenous to this part of the state of Tennessee. As a matter of fact, I've never seen one loose in the state at all and I certainly didn't see one walk past me and jump in the tub with me. After a quick, blind, swish of my hand in the water I came upon the culprit that drew such fear - the washcloth. Somehow it had covertly slipped off the side of the tub under the covering of bubbles where it was caught in the tide of the whirlpool and began it's wild ride of pleasure in the nice warm water - plotting it's plan of attack.
After so rudely being snapped back to reality, I decided it was time to exit my little vacation place and return to the cold, bleary day at hand. It didn't take long to clean up the bubbles that made their way across the floor. I suppose there are more efficient ways to clean the outside of the tub and the surrounding floor, but I have to admit that both myself and the bathroom smelled so divine. Ah, yes, it was short, but sweet. A mini-vacation in the midst of an insidious disease that literally steals my breath away - and not in a good way. I may not have control over this disease, as it so clearly reminds me on a day to day basis, but I can honestly say that this disease does not have complete control over me. As long as I can manage to find little snippets of time where I can escape into the recesses of my mind and manage to find hope as well as something to smile about, then it never will. And that I can take to the bank.
Hope y'all are having a great weekend. Time now to settle in with a pain pill, my other meds and the rest of the day filled with football games. Yep, today I've won against Pulmonary Fibrosis - no matter what my O2 stats are. Have a blessed day and remember - tomorrow - GO BEARS! : )
