Recently I wrote about having COPD and remembering to ‘place, pace and prop’ when going into situations which may have a chance of causing a round of being ‘short of breath’.
Well today was a great example that I am learning some of that even in my life.
I for one have always hated having anything over my mouth, it always seemed to make me feel like I was being suffocated and I did not like that feeling.
When I worked in a fiberglass insulation factory (yes I know, not the smartest thing I ever should have done) and tried to wear masks to keep the fiberglass dust out, I would get near panic attacks because the humidity from my own breath made me panic as if someone had their hand over my mouth to keep me from breathing.
And as a young kid when Mom would bundle me up with scarfs draped over my mouth/nose to keep the cold air out of my tender, asthmatic lungs – it would only last long enough to get out of her eyesight before it become just a big bundle of knitting around my neck.
But thankfully as I have gotten older and maybe a bit wiser, I find that battling this unruly partner they call COPD is a fight I must bend my ways in order to protect my ability to breath.
So as the accompanying picture displays, when preparing to step out into our current blast of wonderful wintry cold that even I have buckled to the idea of placing myself in possible dangerous situations but remembering to place myself in a manner of which any danger will be minimal.
A scarf was wrapped solid around my neck, up and over the nose/mouth and back down around the neck again.
And for the short walk to and from our community mailbox I placed myself in a way to protect my precious ability to breath by covering up.
So while going out in the cold for any of us with COPD can be a real pain in the chest, we must know that by placing ourselves in a manner of protection – then even we can still get out, about and prosper even if only for a few minutes in this time of mega-chilly winter weather.
Place yourself in a position to get through and give yourself a chance to still enjoy life as normal as possible under the breathing circumstances you may have.
As always – please remember if you or anyone you know have any symptoms involving lung and breathing functionality, and they linger over and over while disrupting a lifestyle – then please ask questions and get it checked out.
Never forget that without breathing a person is without life itself.
With that I bid to all – smiles, prayers, blessings and steady breathing – Mr. William.
(Copyright@2014, CrossDove Writer)
(Image used is from private/personal collection and not usable under any circumstance without clearance from CrossDove Writer)
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