Earlier than I let you know about final week, I need to again up a bit and offer you some background. I grew up in central Texas. I used to be born in Waco, and lived right here till I moved away for school. However even then, I simply moved to Dallas for a few years, graduated from Dallas Baptist College, and moved proper again to Waco after that.
Rising up right here, I bear in mind listening to individuals complain about “the humidity” on a reasonably common foundation. However to be trustworthy, I had completely no concept what they had been speaking about. When individuals would say, “It’s so humid as we speak,” I genuinely didn’t know what they meant, and I definitely didn’t really feel it. As a local central Texan, I used to be acclimated to it, and this “humidity” factor that individuals would speak about didn’t trouble me in any respect.
Then after I was 27 years outdated, I moved to Istanbul, Turkey. After being there for a few yr, I got here again house for a go to to be in a pal’s marriage ceremony. I flew into DFW, and I’ll always remember the sensation of strolling out of the airport into the Dallas air that day, and feeling my lungs lock up. It was like I had been submerged right into a vat of pudding and was making an attempt to breathe it in. It took a minute for me to catch my breath, however the air felt so thick in my throat and my lungs. I had by no means skilled something like that earlier than, however for the primary time in my life, I lastly understood what individuals had been speaking about once they complained about “the humidity.” It took me being away from this local weather for a yr, after which strolling again into it on a really humid day, for me to lastly perceive it and really feel it for myself. After my year-and-a-half in Turkey, I spent three years in Oregon, so suffice it to say that ever since then, I’m very conscious of the humidity in central Texas. And these days, it has been terrible.
Matt’s expertise was fairly completely different from mine. He grew up in California and Oregon, so from them second he stepped foot in central Texas for the primary time, he’s been very conscious of the humidity. Along with that, he additionally has M.S., and I don’t know if that is fairly commonplace for most individuals with M.S., however Matt is tremendous delicate to warmth and humidity. If he will get scorching, it fully zaps each little bit of his energy. However humidity does the identical factor to him. Being conscious of this stuff, I don’t push him to go outdoors or go away the home when it’s actually scorching and/or humid outdoors. I do know it’s depressing for him, and zaps his energy and vitality, so I do know he’s way more snug simply being inside.
And talking of inside, Matt’s M.S. and his hypersensitivity to warmth and humidity are the very purpose that our thermostat stays set at 67 levels yr spherical. I’ll be trustworthy. I completely hate it. I’m always chilly, and fairly often depressing, in my own residence. I put on a sweater yr spherical any time I’m house. It’s simply one thing I’ve gotten used to. If I’m house (which is more often than not), I’m going to be chilly, I could also be depressing, and I’m going to be carrying a sweater.
I’ve tried many instances to sneak that thermostat up a level or two, pondering that perhaps the problem is in Matt’s thoughts. Possibly he gained’t actually discover that the thermostat is on 69 if he nonetheless thinks it’s on 67. However each single time I attempt it, he notices. If I flip it up actually one diploma, he’ll ultimately discover and complain about being scorching. Each. Single. Time. So I lastly gave up, and I simply ensure that I’m all the time carrying a sweater.
However even with all of that, there are days that Matt is simply completely depressing. And there have been a lot of lately this yr particularly. He’ll be mendacity in mattress or sitting in his recliner, and he’ll get so weak that he can’t raise his (one good) arm, or maintain his head up, or drink via a straw. It’s like making an attempt to work with a 215-pound mound of Jell-O. And when he will get that weak, he can’t speak. He can’t drink water by himself. It’s terrible. And this yr, extra instances than not, when that occurs, he blames it on “the humidity.” And what’s worse is that when he begins blaming the humidity, he needs to activate followers. So now, not solely is our thermostat set on 67, however now he needs followers on as well as. And even with my sweater and denims on, I shiver and freeze. In June. In Texas.
I perceive humidity now. I stroll out my entrance door, and the humidity hits me within the face like I’ve run right into a wall. The door deal with is moist regardless that it’s not raining. I get it. However what I’ve by no means understood is how he’s feeling this humidity when he’s inside the home. Even my buddies, who’re inside my home often, have requested, “How is he feeling the humidity when he’s inside? Your own home doesn’t really feel humid to me!” I didn’t perceive it, both.
However this all got here to a head final Tuesday. My pal Lori from Houston was coming into city, and she or he was going to hitch us for our Wednesday lunch. This has been deliberate for properly over a month. Matt has all the time been completely positive being house throughout my Wednesday lunches with my mother and brother, and he’s by no means had an issue. I ask him regularly if he would love me to seek out somebody to stick with him on these days after I’m gone for prolonged lunches, however he has all the time stated no. So final Wednesday was going to be identical to every other Wednesday.
However on Tuesday, issues bought terrible. Because the day went on, he bought weaker and weaker and weaker. He wasn’t sick (no fever, and so forth.), so I had no concept why this was occurring, however I couldn’t consider it was occurring that day, that week, when my pal was alleged to be right here. However the later within the day it bought, the more serious he bought. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t maintain his mouth closed. He couldn’t drink water. He couldn’t transfer his hand or arm. He couldn’t maintain his head up. I felt like we had been most likely going to be headed to the E.R. in some unspecified time in the future that night. This appeared like the identical development that occurs each time he leads to the hospital.
We’ve got a chart that we use to speak when he can’t speak, and he communicated to me that his weak spot was being attributable to the humidity. I simply couldn’t perceive it the way it may have an effect on him inside the home like this, and to be fairly trustworthy, I didn’t consider that the humidity was the reason for his weak spot in any respect. However in my desperation to discover a resolution, maintain him out of the hospital, and nonetheless have lunch with my pal the following day, I made a decision to humor him. At about 7:00pm, I began a frantic seek for a dehumidifier. I assumed that it would also have a placebo impact, which I’d fortunately settle for if it might maintain him out of the hospital and permit me to maintain my lunch date with my pal.
I couldn’t discover any dehumidifiers in Waco. I gained’t even element my irritating experiences making an attempt to find a dehumidifier besides to say that the entire expertise strengthened my hatred of Lowe’s. After calling three completely different shops and spending most likely a cumulative 90 minutes on the cellphone, I by no means one single time was capable of converse to an precise human at any of these three Lowe’s shops within the space. However that’s an entire completely different subject.
Lastly, my brother positioned a dehumidifier on the Killeen Lowe’s retailer, so at about 8:30pm, he and his spouse headed to Killeen (a few 45 minute drive from Waco) to choose up this Hisense 50-pint dehumidifier. By the point he bought again to our home, it was 11:00. We bought it out of the packaging, plugged it in, and turned it on. Then he left, and I went to mattress and prayed for a miracle.
Effectively, within the morning, Matt was GREAT! I couldn’t consider it! And at 8:00am, I pulled the bucket out of the dehumidifier to see how a lot water was in there, and it was FULL! I’d guess it holds about two gallons. I couldn’t consider it! It pulled that a lot moisture out of the air from 11:00pm to eight:00am. I used to be genuinely shocked. Matt wasn’t making up this complete “humidity” factor in spite of everything! He was proper!
In order that we may have some peace of thoughts, I did find yourself having somebody from Visiting Angels stick with Matt whereas I used to be gone that day. After his horrible Tuesday, I didn’t need to take an opportunity that he can be by himself and never be capable of drink his water. However he did nice all day! He didn’t simply do nice that day, although. Ever since we bought that dehumidifier, he has had one good day after one other. Heck, he fed himself three days in a row! He hasn’t been capable of feed himself all yr! Not solely that, however he’s really complained about being COLD a number of instances! WHAT? And he let me flip the thermostat as much as 69 throughout the day! I seen that I’m solely carrying a sweater inside our home about 50% of the time now somewhat than 99% of the time. There has solely been one time since we bought the dehumidifier that he has gotten scorching, turned on the fan, and I’ve been depressing even with a sweater on. However one time in every week is quite a bit higher than each single day, so I’ll take it!
So not solely was I capable of have a really lengthy lunch with my pal and my mother on Wednesday, however I used to be capable of spend a number of hours with them on Wednesday night, then a number of extra stress-free hours with them on Thursday (as we sat round my work desk and painted spoons). After which I used to be capable of have a three-hour breakfast with my pal on Friday morning earlier than she headed again to Houston. And Matt did GREAT throughout all of that.
I truthfully can’t consider what an enormous distinction this one little equipment has made in our lives, and the impact it has had on Matt’s high quality of life. And I can’t consider that I didn’t take motion and purchase this factor quite a bit sooner. How have we lived so lengthy in central Texas with no dehumidifier? I’ll by no means be with out one once more. And in reality, I’m fascinated about getting one other one for the opposite finish of the home. But when we get one other one, I gained’t make such a rushed resolution. The one now we have must be emptied manually, and I’ve been emptying it 3 times a day. (That’s about six gallons of water that it’s eradicating from our indoor air daily!) However our subsequent one would be the variety with a hose that may drain itself. I’m fairly certain this is the one I’m going to get (affiliate hyperlink)…
…however I haven’t made my remaining resolution but. However fairly truthfully, I’d be keen to empty buckets of water six instances a day after seeing what an enormous distinction this has made in Matt’s high quality of life. I may kick myself for not shopping for one among these years in the past.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
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