When I first got the oxygen tank over the summer, I was really angry. I didn’t want to go out in public and wear the stupid nasal cannula, but I had some summer classes and needed to be in the class room or I would be automatically withdrawn from it (I was NOT about to lose my money).
When I first got the oxygen tank over the summer, I was really angry. I didn’t want to go out in public and wear the stupid nasal cannula, but I had some summer classes and needed to be in the class room or I would be automatically withdrawn from it (I was NOT about to lose my money).
The first day of class was awkward! I came in and found a seat closest to the door just in case I had a coughing fit. and wanted to escape. Every time I breathed in the oxygen would let out a puffing noise, and of course my class would be the super quite one where you can hear a needle drop. Anyways, the teacher wanted me to move my seat because it was already claimed by another peer, so he moved me to the other side of the room. Just my luck, that chair was claimed too, and once again I had to move (but this time to the back). It was not easy moving around! I had to juggle holding my school back pack and the oxygen tank bag, and the space between desks were way too small to weave through (I hit people walking by and tripped too). When I finally settled down, the teacher began speaking but would sometimes stare at me as if I were breathing loudly. I even tried to hold my breath to stop the puffing noise, but eventually I had to continue to breathe (blond moment). During that class, I learned to build a tougher skin and just move on with my day. My teacher did ask me why I wore an oxygen tank, and I explained my situation to him. I rather someone asks “what is wrong?” rather than stare at me….that just uncomfortable.
When I am out and about with the oxygen tank I do get some looks. I laugh when the elderly look at me and have expression on their face like “I don’t even have an oxygen tank yet.” This one time while waiting in line at a license plate office, an elderly woman was about 2 people ahead of me and offered me her place in the line. That was extremely sweet of her to do, however I declined the offer because I felt strong enough to stand and wait compared to her (she was way smaller and shakier than me). I sometime forget that I look like “death” to strangers when I am wearing the oxygen tank.
The bummer about the oxygen tank is that I can’t go out to party with my friends! I am a college student, and want to have fun too….but the oxygen tank is way too big, bulky and heavy. Nobody want to see a girl dancing at the night club with a oxygen tank (that’s rachett). Luckily, I have great sorority sisters that know how to have fun with out going out for the night!
A couple of weeks ago I went to dinner with sorority sisters, we had to wait outside while the table was being put together and a couple near by were smoking their life away. I gave the couple a death stare but they didn’t notice me. Some days I wish I could snatch a cigarette out of people’s mouths and then smack them with it! There are CFers who want to BREATHE and these two dummies are ruining their lungs. Us CFers didn’t choose to have our lungs damaged, but theses smokers’ surly pay to damage their own! It is shameful, but I guess…. “you do you boo boo!”
