Monday, October 15, 2012

Along the Trail

We went for a walk along the ocean yesterday. It felt horrible. I could not get loose and needed 6-liters of oxygen to walk at a decent pace. We had to cut it short because I just didn't have the stamina to walk our normal route. I was very disappointed.

While on the trail, we stopped to look at a house and someone on a bike riding with a little girl asked if we were birdwatching. Turned out to be Wayne's neighbor, a relatively new friend of Michael's and a highly regarded very successful man in his field. I had met him once. What joy. There I was in walking clothes, backpack full of oxygen, cannula in my nose, baseball hat and sweat dripping onto my shirt. A picture of beauty! He was kind, never mentioned the oxygen and shook my hand after a lovely chat before taking off on his bike.

We walked north as far as I could go, paused to gaze at the deep blue/green ocean, which was pretty choppy and just beautiful before turning back south towards home. Just off the trail, Michael spotted one of Jim's sons talking with someone in a driveway, so we stopped to say hello. They asked if I was carrying beer in my backpack before realizing that it was oxygen. He knows I am ill and felt like he stuck his foot in his mouth but I made a joke and everyone laughed. Some music came on, the older owner of the house did a cute quick dance and I joined him, "I've got the oxygen cranked up all the way so let's dance!" Everyone laughed! We said our goodbyes and returned to the trail.

When we got home, I was soaked in sweat. Every inch of my hair was dripping wet. It took time sitting in my chair to recover before I watered the garden and watched the Giants lose to the Cardinals.

My stress today? My lung doctor Dr. K. and an appointment at 4:00 this afternoon. We will see if I still have bronchitis after almost three months.

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