What a time I had
For many years now and probably longer than I want to remember, I have had to use a portable tank of o2 when getting around. Last year when my family and I came out to Seattle to visit I did rather well going out there because according to United Airlines you could not bring o2 on board according to FAA rules so I decided to try to get out there without using it and then when I got to Seattle I could fill up my empty tank and be on my merry way. But on the way home as we were flying to Chicago I had a bit of a problem. My peripheral visiopn started to go and my breathing became very shallow and I began to fight for air. Now at this altitude there is not much that can be done, so I took it in stride hoping that we would soon touch down. To say the least I was quite happy when we did. The flight from Chicago to Bradley went a lot better because we didn't have to get up so high. Also it was a smaller plane and we had a lot more leg room.
This year coming out was a more harrowing experience. My wife and I booked our flight to come out to see our new granddaughter back in February. She had not even been born when we booked the flight. Tate was born on Monday morning after Easter and so with the way we had everything booked that it would work out fine with our son and daughter-in-law that would allow them to get back to school while we could stay and watch Tate Rose while they were teaching to finish out the school year. Every thing was fine and because of what I had understood the airlines people to say was that it would be ok for me to bring my o2 portable on board the flight. I e-mailed the AA who we had booked with on the Friday a week before we were to leave just to be certain. They had a form that had to be published and then signed off by your doctor stating you needed o2. I was having a big problem with my computer in getting that off so in talking to my son, he copied it and e-mailed it to me. When I ever read the copy it stated that the only way was to use a portable concentrater and that you could not use a portable liquid o2 tank, well my heart just about dropped.
I then decided that oh well I would try to do this without the tank, with the hopes thatI would be able to do this because of the flight that I had from Chicago to Bradley.
As we approached the day I became increasingly apprehensive about this. When we left Sunday morning I was sure that this was not to be one of my greatest ideas that I had ever come up with. Boy, wasI right. When we took off and started to climb to 35,000 feet I knew I was in trouble then. A bit later the pilot came on and said that we were going to go to 37,000 feet I thought that I was going to cry.
So here we are at 37,000 feet and I am running out of breath. My fingers are turning dark blue and my breathing is starting to be come more and more shallow. I began to pray and really thought that this was my end. Cindy, when she saw me said are you ok.The first few times she asked I said that I was but I really wasn't. On about the fourth time I said "no" "I can't do this". She said do you want me to tell the stewardess and I said yes.
Well both flight attendants came up and one was carrying a portable o2 tank. They quickly administered the o2 to me and then, that quickly I started to come back around. We landed in Dallas/Ft.Worth and we had to make out a report. Then we were not able to get our transfer until I got approval from my doctor in Vernon Connecticut on a Sunday morning to let them know how much liters of o2 to administer to me on the plane, what a day it was. To say the least when I talked with my doctor she lit in to me like there was no tommorrow. I know that she was mad when she said she wanted to talk to my wife even. Well all is well that ends well and we did get into Seattle a couple of hours later then we originally had planned but now we are here and enjoying our new little precious life. So as this life begins to fade which it is doing I begin to look at the new lives that God has shone me in Jacob, Aislinn, Susan and Tate RoseI say thanks to the God overall things who does know the beginning from the end. The Lord Jesus who has every hair on my head counted. I am not sure after this trip thatI may ever fly again. But I tell you the truth now that I am so glad that when I fly with Christ I will not need any tanks of oxygen to fly with. This old will put on new and I will fly with Christ Jesus.
This year coming out was a more harrowing experience. My wife and I booked our flight to come out to see our new granddaughter back in February. She had not even been born when we booked the flight. Tate was born on Monday morning after Easter and so with the way we had everything booked that it would work out fine with our son and daughter-in-law that would allow them to get back to school while we could stay and watch Tate Rose while they were teaching to finish out the school year. Every thing was fine and because of what I had understood the airlines people to say was that it would be ok for me to bring my o2 portable on board the flight. I e-mailed the AA who we had booked with on the Friday a week before we were to leave just to be certain. They had a form that had to be published and then signed off by your doctor stating you needed o2. I was having a big problem with my computer in getting that off so in talking to my son, he copied it and e-mailed it to me. When I ever read the copy it stated that the only way was to use a portable concentrater and that you could not use a portable liquid o2 tank, well my heart just about dropped.
I then decided that oh well I would try to do this without the tank, with the hopes thatI would be able to do this because of the flight that I had from Chicago to Bradley.
As we approached the day I became increasingly apprehensive about this. When we left Sunday morning I was sure that this was not to be one of my greatest ideas that I had ever come up with. Boy, wasI right. When we took off and started to climb to 35,000 feet I knew I was in trouble then. A bit later the pilot came on and said that we were going to go to 37,000 feet I thought that I was going to cry.
So here we are at 37,000 feet and I am running out of breath. My fingers are turning dark blue and my breathing is starting to be come more and more shallow. I began to pray and really thought that this was my end. Cindy, when she saw me said are you ok.The first few times she asked I said that I was but I really wasn't. On about the fourth time I said "no" "I can't do this". She said do you want me to tell the stewardess and I said yes.
Well both flight attendants came up and one was carrying a portable o2 tank. They quickly administered the o2 to me and then, that quickly I started to come back around. We landed in Dallas/Ft.Worth and we had to make out a report. Then we were not able to get our transfer until I got approval from my doctor in Vernon Connecticut on a Sunday morning to let them know how much liters of o2 to administer to me on the plane, what a day it was. To say the least when I talked with my doctor she lit in to me like there was no tommorrow. I know that she was mad when she said she wanted to talk to my wife even. Well all is well that ends well and we did get into Seattle a couple of hours later then we originally had planned but now we are here and enjoying our new little precious life. So as this life begins to fade which it is doing I begin to look at the new lives that God has shone me in Jacob, Aislinn, Susan and Tate RoseI say thanks to the God overall things who does know the beginning from the end. The Lord Jesus who has every hair on my head counted. I am not sure after this trip thatI may ever fly again. But I tell you the truth now that I am so glad that when I fly with Christ I will not need any tanks of oxygen to fly with. This old will put on new and I will fly with Christ Jesus.
posted by Burt McNamar at 10:45 AM
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