Two New Gentlemen in Class

I was shocked at Jeannie's appearance when I picked her up for our rehab class yesterday. Expecting a weak, pale person, she moved the fastest I had ever seen her make her way to my car. The last two weeks of rest really helped her lungs to recover and she looked fantastic. Her color was good, she was smiling and so thrilled to be back out into the world. We had a fun time together.

While I was absent from the class last week, two new people joined the group. Gauging the staff's reaction to the younger gentleman, it was clear that my read on him was right on. He was a loud, obnoxious pain. We will see if I can settle him down. I'll work on him.

The other gentleman was an elegant looking older man. I began a conversation with him while lifting free weights and discovered we were both coastsiders. Until recently, he was a competitive tennis pro and I detected a bit of a British accent. He grew up just north of our British Don.

He wanted to talk with me about vanity. In his classes, he was appalled that a woman would not food shop as she would need oxygen and she refused to be seen in public with her cannula and tank. Another person also refused to use the oxygen as he was embarrassed. The gentleman asked what I thought.

I replied that in my personal experience, I initially was very nervous using oxygen in public until I discovered that people were actually very kind when they noticed it. Still surprises me. I really only had that one bad experience I have mentioned before, the horrible woman in the hospital elevator after working out at the other rehab. She looked me up and down and said, "You shouldn't have smoked!" I smiled back and replied, while leaving the elevator, "Funny, but I never smoked."

And, here is the time when I must mention that one of the major reasons to use supplemental oxygen is to protect your heart. When the heart does not get enough oxygen over time, a part of it hardens and will not function correctly. Sadly, this is very common in patients with longtime lung diseases.