For most of my life, I’ve
simply taken breathing for granted—one breath at a time. Not so anymore. When I
recently developed a pain in my right side, my doctor told me that it was
caused by fluid building up in the space around my lung; a side effect of my
cancer. If my pain and shortness of breath worsened, I would need to have the
fluid drained. What???
Fast forward a couple of
weeks, to the day my friend and fellow writer, Andy Upchurch (The Oleaders of San Leon),
who is not only an author, but the MC and keyboard player for a music band
called Andy and the Dreamsicles invited me to one of their performances at La
Brisa Restaurant in Bacliff. (That's Andy on the far right in the photo.) Their specialty is music from the 60s and 70s
era—right up my alley since I grew up during that time, so I was anxious to
attend.
Good music…and good food! It
was a match I couldn’t refuse. And I was not disappointed. By the time I
arrived at 5:00pm, the band was already in full swing. They proved to be a
group of talented performers, and Andy excelled at his duties on the keyboard,
as well as keeping the crowd entertained with his witty banter and nonstop
humor.
I found myself singing along
to familiar tunes, and was pleasantly surprised when an elderly gentleman
asked me to dance. My late husband and I loved to go Country Western dancing
when we first dated many, many years ago, an activity that I sorely miss.
Given my current medical
condition, however, and the recent onset of shortness of breath, I was a bit
apprehensive. But temptation overruled my better judgement, and I just couldn’t
say no.
Being too embarrassed to bring
up my illness, I figured I could manage—after all, did I mention he was
elderly?? Well, this turned out to be a major miscalculation on my part, when
my new partner launched into a lively Polka.
After a few quick spins, I
began a futile attempt at sucking in all the air I could muster. When little
black dots and tiny white stars appeared before my eyes, I prayed desperately,
“Please don’t let me faint!!” I hung on for dear life.
I guess my guardian angel was
looking out for me that night, because, before I knew it, the music stopped and
I was escorted safely back to my seat.
But, in spite of my distress,
I enjoyed that dance and decided it was a pleasure I don’t want to give up. So
I vowed right then and there to get my lungs back in dancing order. And I did! A
few days later, the radiology technician drained 1.3 liters of fluid from the
space around my right lung. Who knew so much liquid could fit into such a small
space?
I made a standing appointment
with the doctor to keep my lungs in working order, because, for me, toe-tapping to the music by Andy and the
Dreamsicles just doesn’t cut it! I need to DANCE!!! And I plan to try it again
soon!
If you’d like to attend one
of Andy and the Dreamsicles’s performances or book these talented musicians for
your event, visit their facebook page for upcoming events:
I promise—they will keep you dancing!
You’re on your own for
the breathing part!
