I get this question a lot. I also hear "do you have allergies?", "are you just getting over something"? All nice questions from unassuming strangers, colleagues, and new acquaintances. The questions come from kindness, but after 32 years of them they get annoying. But, I tell you the questions are a hundred times better than the looks or the shuffles.
This weekend I went to NYC via the train. When I sat down I asked the girl next to me if we were in the quiet car--she moaned that she wasn't sure but she sure hoped we were. As usually happens at the most inopportune times (movies, church services, theater productions), my cough went into overdrive. I could see her start to squirm. To move herself as far to the right in her chair as she could go. I honestly don't blame her, it is cold and flu season. When I travel by plane I often will wear a mask, not for others comfort, but for my own protection. However after riding the train all summer in my Amtrak Around America trip I realized that trains are much better at ventilating new fresh air then airplanes--so I wasn't worried about germs circulating that badly.
So she started to squirm. Then stiffen. I could tell she was uncomfortable. However, I just wasn't feeling it. I wasn't feeling giving the "Sorry you can relax Im not going to get you sick" explanation. So I let her squirm. Eventually my cough chilled out and I think we were both able to ride in ease.
Thats the thing with CF though. Its so rare and not visible that no one knows your not "normal". No one knows you have racks of medicine packed in your bag. No one knows that you have to have sure you have a refrigerator at your disposal to keep certain things cold. No one understand the importance of a clean hotel room, until you have medical equipment to keep clean and sterile. But all these things I have to remember don't stop me from getting on the road and being a part of the living. And they will never stop my wanderlust.
This weekend I went to NYC via the train. When I sat down I asked the girl next to me if we were in the quiet car--she moaned that she wasn't sure but she sure hoped we were. As usually happens at the most inopportune times (movies, church services, theater productions), my cough went into overdrive. I could see her start to squirm. To move herself as far to the right in her chair as she could go. I honestly don't blame her, it is cold and flu season. When I travel by plane I often will wear a mask, not for others comfort, but for my own protection. However after riding the train all summer in my Amtrak Around America trip I realized that trains are much better at ventilating new fresh air then airplanes--so I wasn't worried about germs circulating that badly.
So she started to squirm. Then stiffen. I could tell she was uncomfortable. However, I just wasn't feeling it. I wasn't feeling giving the "Sorry you can relax Im not going to get you sick" explanation. So I let her squirm. Eventually my cough chilled out and I think we were both able to ride in ease.
Thats the thing with CF though. Its so rare and not visible that no one knows your not "normal". No one knows you have racks of medicine packed in your bag. No one knows that you have to have sure you have a refrigerator at your disposal to keep certain things cold. No one understand the importance of a clean hotel room, until you have medical equipment to keep clean and sterile. But all these things I have to remember don't stop me from getting on the road and being a part of the living. And they will never stop my wanderlust.
No comments:
Post a Comment