Oh Well...

The continuing saga of me and my lungs.  Since I'm waiting to get in touch with my regular doctor (the ENT was going to mail her the results of my appointment and the need for a new asthma medicine), I'm not on any long-acting asthma medicine now.   This means that I use my "rescue inhaler" about every four hours.  You're only supposed to use it a few times a week, but breathing is important.  I reach for the inhaler as I open my eyes in the morning because I wake up having to work at breathing.  I'm also off of the Claritin which helps control the asthma and allergies because it may have contributed to my losing my voice. 

On the other hand, I was going to try to get back into going to church regularly during Lent.  It's been hard to get myself to go since dear husband and the younger two children aren't going (kind of hard to require them to if he isn't), and I feel so swamped and overwhelmed by everything else going on that the extra few hours on Sunday morning are a great help - even if all I do is rest instead of work.  But I was going to try to go anyway. 

But...I just read an e-mail from the church e-mail loop that the service older son sings at with the choir will have incense tomorrow.  Since tomorrow is not a particular holy day, besides being the first Sunday of Lent,  I'm guessing that that probably will be the case for all of Lent.  While making my "go to church" plans, I'd totally forgotten about the incense possibilities.  Incense is about the last thing I need right now (well, besides taking a deep breath in a crowded cigar bar) so, after getting myself all encouraged to go to church, I feel like I've had my legs knocked out from under me.

Oh well...

[I also always forget that some irises can start this early.  Some surprises are good.  Anyway, I added the iris picture so that this wouldn't be a totally depressed post.]

The rest of the story (written in the evening):  I ended up going to our old Catholic parish for the first time since Father C. retired - last July!  The new assistant priest said Mass.  I tried very hard not to compare anything to what Father C would have done - it wouldn't be fair. 

I walked around the university before Mass started.  It was raining and in the low 40's which is not my favorite weather to walk in.  However, hardly anyone was out, so it was very nice and peaceful. 

Oh, and I e-mailed Father E at the Episcopalian church about incense services.  The rest of Lent, until Holy Week, is incense free.  Hooray! (You can tell how depressed I was about this last night in that I actually bothered a priest.  I almost never do that (or at least only once every 4 or 5 years).  I don't know why it bothered me so much since my church attendence has been spotty for the last half year.  I guess it's because I really was going to try to make it to church for as much of Lent as possible). 

 

Comments

[Jennifer]

I'm sorry, I hope you get the asthma more manageable. You've probably tried Singulair. It worked really well for my husband.

On incense days maybe you could try different churches in the area, consider it a cultural/social research project. It is always interesting to see how different denominations and even different ethnic groups worship.

[M Light]

Thank you, Jennifer! I haven't tried Singular, and it's one of the possibilities. Has he had any problems or side effects from it?

I was considering the local Lutheran church today since the Catholic one sometimes has incense too. But I went to the Catholic one anyway, and they didn't have incense.

[Laurie]

So many people don't understand the serious problems incense and other perfumes cause for sensitive people. And that there are many of us out in the world who can't avoid them. I once had someone tell me that their incense couldn't possibly be the source of my breathing problems because it was organic. My response was that poison ivy and snake venom is also organic.

Good luck with your asthma - thank God that is NOT my problem.

[M Light]

Thank you Laurie! And I like your snake venom and poison ivy reply!

Interestingly, my father didn't have any trouble with poison ivy - he used to weed it with bare hands and never got a rash. Even with all the gardening and hiking we do, I've never gotten it either so I wonder if I inherited that from him. I'm not testing it though!