a small miracle

Last night around midnight, I was lying in bed on my back, groggy with Vicodin, trying to fall asleep. Suddenly, in my right lung, I felt a strange little flutter, like a bubble had burst. And then ... a rush of cool air filling the lower part of my lung, the part that has barely been working, keeping me from being able to breathe deeply.

I slowly inhaled and realized that I could take a very deep breath with no pain. I lay there for 20 minutes or so, just breathing deeply and wondering what on earth had happened. Was it my acupuncture session yesterday, where she focused on my lungs and my breathing? The acupressure point around my sternum that I'd been rubbing all day? Strangely enough, in my groggy state, the first thought that popped into my mind was, "It's the collective power of all those prayers out there!" (So thank you.)

This morning, my breathing is as deep as ever. I still have the cough and get winded easily, but I'm not quite so breathless. Unfortunately, though, I am more lightheaded than ever. I am worried about that. Maybe it's my low hemoglobin level? And this morning, when I'm sitting up, there are parts of my back and shoulder that do hurt when I take big breaths. But I'm still buoyantly amazed that my lungs have decided to give me full access to air for the first time since the hospital. That is something!