Saturday, April 26, 2025 - Day 256
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Good Morning!
Thank you so much for all the comments from yesterday’s post. There were so many beautiful and supportive replies—you made me tear up. Truly, thank you. And the video of the Bear’s Super Bowl Shuffle…classic! I should have thought to share…probably the best music-videos of all time.
This past Thursday, a respiratory therapist came to the house to drop off a “cough assist” machine…something that has been long overdue. Not enough doctors out there, so there’s a long gap between calling for an appointment and actually getting one. And all these appointments are a minimum of an hour away from Crystal Lake. I’m not complaining—I’m grateful to have specialists who can help me.
This is the one device I’ve been wanting since February, when I had a terrible cold and couldn’t cough strongly enough to clear the secretions from my lungs and airway. Having to watch and listen to me struggle to breathe was a frightening sight. We had nothing to help me through these episodes. Cindy could only watch helplessly as I tried to take in enough air for a deep, forceful cough, but all I could manage was what I’d call a dainty, polite little cough—completely ineffective. My cough cycle would go like this: small breath… small cough… even smaller breath… even weaker cough. It would spiral downward until I started to panic, feeling like I might pass out. The sound of a restricted airway is awful, and it does nothing to help calm you down. Each time these choking experiences happened, I would flash back to the first significant choking episode I had in the fall with my college friends—where I very nearly lost consciousness. People told me to relax my body and mind and slowly try to breathe and cough. If I could do that, my throat muscles would relax, making it easier to breathe. Yeah, sure. Easier said than done!
Eventually, I could talk myself down, but it’s scary, especially with such an ineffective cough. The one consolation, I guess, is that if I did pass out, I was told my body would relax and I’d start breathing again on my own. I’m not sure I want to test that theory. I think people might stop inviting me over if I can’t manage my airway—and honestly, I wouldn’t blame them.
So, on Thursday morning, Chris—the respiratory therapist—arrived with the machine in hand. It’s surprisingly small and portable, meaning we don’t have to think about moving to a bigger house just yet.
Chris was wonderful—she’s a total extrovert with a huge, exuberant personality. She blamed it on her Italian heritage. Whatever the reason, we loved her instantly. Chris quickly walked us through how the machine works. We also talked about the pressure settings, which are measured in “centimeters of water” (abbreviated cmH₂O, for the science nerds out there). This is definitely outside my usual science brain, but here’s the basic idea: the machine has three preset pressure settings that I’m supposed to start with—30, 40, and 45 cmH₂O. Much higher and I might damage the lungs 🫁, so I don’t want to be an overachiever and put the pedal to the metal.
Here’s what the machine does: it gently (depending on the setting) and quickly forces air into my lungs for about two seconds, then pulls it back out for another two seconds. That’s considered one cycle. After a slight pause, it starts again. I’m supposed to do five cycles for each set, and up to four or five sets total per day—that’s about 20–25 breaths.
In simple terms, the machine helps me simulate a real cough. It helps fill my lungs fully with air and then forces a strong exhale, which helps move mucus and secretions up and out of the lungs.
And the best part—it actually works! After just one session, I could feel things moving, and I was able to cough naturally and clear things out better. I’m told it’ll take a few weeks of daily use to rebuild my natural cough strength, but even after just two sessions, I can already tell a difference. I had Cindy take a video of one full cycle so you can see exactly how the machine works—look for the video!
Out of all the medical devices I’ve been introduced to over the past seven months, this one is far and away the best. Makes sense—breathing is kinda important. I’m actually looking forward to doing my lung exercises this morning. 🫁✨
Tomorrow, I will share the stories from Thursday’s bracelet brigade and the home made do-si-dos cookies.
Have a great Saturday.
Love you guys! ❤️