I have had an interesting week this past week. I got this nagging cough that wouldn’t go away. It kept getting worse and worse… So, I went headed to the Dr. That’s right… pneumonia, it was. While I was struggling, achy, and all the good stuff that goes with it, I was struggling to breathe, but not TOO bad, at least not yet. The real trouble came when I went home.

I left the office and headed toward home to rest before getting my prescriptions filled. I was tired. And achy. Did I mention achy? Well, while I was there, laying on my heating pad popping Ibuprofen 800s and trying to gather the energy to run to the pharmacy, my wheezing worsened. And worsened. Pretty soon a simple breath resembled the sound of that freight train I heard enter the sugar factory earlier in the week. So, I decided that whether I felt energetic enough to get up and go to the pharmacy or not, I needed to.

Stepping outside didn’t help. Have you read the news about Utah’s latest inversion and our air quality? It’s worth mentioning. It’s HORRIBLE! It is this mucky, thick, brown-tinged air that belongs nowhere it could possibly be inhaled by anything. It’s bad, really bad. Worst in the nation, I believe I just read. Needless to say, inhaling that toxicity did nothing but worsen my ability to breathe. About halfway to the pharmacy I noticed my face started to feel numb along with the end of my nose. Nervous at this thought, I pulled out my oximeter and placed it on my finger. Waiting for it to calibrate my heart rate and oxygen levels jumped around a bit, only to settle on what is a HORRIBLE reading for me…  heart rate of 107, SpO2 of 69. I told my husband to drive faster. I needed that inhaler in a bad way. Let’s just say I ended up on oxygen, obviously, with a nebulizer (to be used every four hours) and a good dose of antibiotics.

Long story short, I’m feeling better, finally. Days later. I will return my oxygen tomorrow, I will soon return to my own “normal” energy levels, and all will be well, I’m sure, but in the meantime it was sobering to feel so short of breath and have to use all my accessory muscles to do so. I thought of you, all of you. And I was reminded of the strength and power you all have within you and of that strength, evident in the eyes of those who have it. Look in your own mirror each morning. Look for that power. It’s there, beneath the doubts. It’s there. You have it and you are an inspiration to the world! Thank you for sharing it with us.

Happy Breathing!