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Longing for Warmth When Suffering with IPF
In the summer of 2015 my wife and I made a road trip to Kansas to see a young couple we know get married. This was the summer after my initial diagnosis of IPF. I previously wrote a column regarding this trip and titled it; “The Time I Took a Road Trip with My Oxygen Tanks.” The trip was sort of a snap decision but we did decide to make the trip about 2 weeks in advance to give ourselves the time we needed to organize for the trip. At this point of my disease I was not very functional and probably the only physical thing I could do was drive. I was able to organize the logistics of the trip; find pet friendly hotels, map our route for oxygen tank pick-up, and give moral support to my over worked wife.
We knew the weather in Kansas would be severe but we didn’t expect it to take our breath away. The heat index in Kansas approached 120 degrees. The high heat would take your breath away. What mystified my wife and I was I still wore a sweatshirt outside because I was cold. The high heat was only affecting my breathing. My wife didn’t know what to think. When we returned home my doctor told me some patients do remain cold in high temperatures but there was no explanation for this. I sometimes would shiver because I was so cold. This was untypical of me.
After the trip I can remember it being a turning point when I recognized my body longing for heat, and layers of clothing to stay warm. I was always the totally opposite. Once it hit 50 degrees I would be in shorts and a t-shirt. It was summer time but I needed my winter comforter when I slept and sweatshirts during the day. In Ohio we encounter high humidity to go with temperatures in the 80s and mid 90s. After my transplant I noticed I changed back to my old self almost immediately. I can remember complaining about the heat in the room several days after my transplant. Right then I knew I was going to get through this ordeal.
I am interested if any forum members can identify with my topic and have had this happen to them?
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