It turns out that my biggest challenge in the hyperbaric chamber is not claustrophobia--it's utter boredom. After my original disappointment with needing this treatment I had come to accept it, thinking that I could be totally out of cell phone touch, catch up on some reading, and get to work on a writing project I've put off for months. So, I gathered up my reading glasses and a stack of materials, and arrived at the facility ready to go.
As I got ready to enter the chamber (a long tube with plexiglass walls and a heavy door), I was told that I could not take any of that stuff in with me--not even my wedding band--due to the potential fire hazard in an environment with pressurized oxygen. The first thing out of my mouth was "Now, this officially sucks" but let the RN get on with things. So, I entered the tube with my waterbottle, my urination bottle (just in case), two pillows, and my blanky--sentenced to watch two full hours of repeated stories on CNN. Now, I watch CNN every morning at home, but for about 10 minutes, to get the headline stories that the morning paper might have missed. After that, it's on to Sportscenter, for the important news, like the Braves' score from the night before.
So, my immediate fate is set. Another 20 days of this routine before I go to Japan for a week, then the oral surgery, and then another 15 days or so back in the tube. We are hoping that the end result of this treatment and surgery will be a healthy jaw for many years to come. Knowing that my current condition would only get worse without treatment, and that I'll never give in to those Prairie Dogs--I have already learned a great coping strategy for the boredom of the tube--I just imagine I'm in a department faculty meeting, where I learned a long time ago how to zone out with my eyes open for way more than two hours at a time. Piece of cake, that tube.
I'm just praying that I'll never have to use that urination bottle while inside the tube. At my age, hitting the toilet is a challenge on most days, so, well...you can imagine where this is leading.
mike
