Kinked Oxygen Tubing & Logic

My husband, Scott, started pulmonary rehabilitation this week at the Auburn Regional Medical Center. This is a three times a week, eight week commitment. I've been referring to it as pulmonary resuscitation, but that's what he needs when I kink his oxygen tubing to keep in him line. (Where's the smiley emoticon?) I'm kidding, but don't think I haven't thought about it at times! Other family members know exactly what I'm talking about.

Example: Scott has a 7-day pill container with two compartments in it for each day. I fill it up once a week with about 11 medications and three over the counter supplements. Each daily container has the day of the week written at the top. There are days when he'll forget to take either the morning or the evening dose, or sometimes both. Yesterday - Wednesday - he forgot to take the morning dose. Today is Thursday and all the rest of the containers were empty because I hadn't filled them yet. This is how our morning conversation went when I handed him the container marked Wednesday.

Scott with that mischievous look on his face and a child-like voice, "I can't take thaaaaat. It says Wednesday." Me - trying to be logical, which rarely works with my husband, "It's the same dose; the one you didn't take yesterday morning." Scott egging me on with the same look on his face, "I'm just trying to be caaaarreful." My response, "Time to kink the oxygen tubing, again!"


Scott likes pulmonary rehab so far, which is good since he's a creative soul and easily bored. It helped that he was able to do some entertaining during orientation on Monday. He's always enjoyed playing to a crowd; he and his siblings have been singers all their lives. Monday, when the rehab participants were asked to introduce themselves, he robustly announced, "Hi, I'm Scott. I'm an alcoholic. Whoops wrong meeting!" That got a laugh. (By the way, he's been sober 29 years).

Since I'm not with him in classes, which consist of one hour of education and one hour of exercise, I get the instant replay when he gets home. Did you know about one in 10 Americans suffer from some form of chronic lung disease? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) encompasses a number of lung diseases including emphysema which is what Scott has. He started smoking when he was seven years old, borrowing (okay - stealing) cigarettes from one of his grandmother's borders who drank a bit too much and didn't seem to miss them. He only quit smoking in 2008 and that was long after his five-way heart by-pass in 1998. See what I mean? Logic just does not work with this man!

I have found that what works in our relationship better than kinked oxygen tubing and logic -  is love, latitude and lots of laughter. I'll need to remind myself of that the next time I fill his pill box. BonnieKingPhotography.com