Walking with Monty

 
Yesterday I took my dog, Monty (Basset hound), for a walk. Or I tried to. I was using a small portable O2 tank with a conserving regulator set at 5 LPM. 5 LPM is lower than my official dose of 6 LPM when active, but it is the highest setting on that regulator. It has been sufficient in the past, at least for the most part.

Usually, if my O2 saturation rate drops below 92, I will slow down or stop or focus on my breathing method and my O2 usually comes up to an acceptable level. But this day that didn’t happen. Even though I was doing my breathing exercises the entire time, my oxygen levels hovered around the low to middle 80’s during most of the walk, whether I was going uphill or down, and it didn’t recover when I stopped. Even Monty, who thinks of a walk as a long series of smell stops, thought I was going too slow. It wasn’t until I reached the driveway that my O2 sat rate finally climbed to 90.

I know I need to order the high liter flow conserving regulator that goes up to 6 LPM. There is only one made that goes up to 6, near as I can tell. Once I surpass that liter flow dose, I’ll no longer be able to use conserving devices. My world just keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I realized a few days ago that it will be tricky for me to negotiate a buffet line at a restaurant now. My husband and I used to love to go to Furrs with my parents. Greg tells me not to give Furrs up yet, that he will carry my tray. I am so very lucky to have him! I will be giving up a lot of things in my life over the next months and years, and he is determined to make that progression as slow and as painless as possible. I love him so much.