Earlier than I inform you 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 faculty. 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 folks 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 folks would say, “It’s so humid at the moment,” I genuinely didn’t know what they meant, and I actually didn’t really feel it. As a local central Texan, I used to be acclimated to it, and this “humidity” factor that folks would speak about didn’t hassle me in any respect.
Then once I was 27 years previous, 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 attempting 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 folks had been speaking about after 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 currently, it has been terrible.
Matt’s expertise was fairly totally 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 normal for most individuals with M.S., however Matt is tremendous delicate to warmth and humidity. If he will get sizzling, it fully zaps each little bit of his energy. However humidity does the identical factor to him. Being conscious of these items, I don’t push him to go exterior or go away the home when it’s actually sizzling and/or humid exterior. I do know it’s depressing for him, and zaps his energy and vitality, so I do know he’s rather 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 continually 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 possibly the difficulty is in Matt’s thoughts. Perhaps he received’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 sizzling. Each. Single. Time. So I lastly gave up, and I simply be certain 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 nowadays this yr particularly. He’ll be mendacity in mattress or sitting in his recliner, and he’ll get so weak that he can’t elevate his (one good) arm, or maintain his head up, or drink by means of a straw. It’s like attempting to work with a 215-pound mound of Jell-O. And when he will get that weak, he can’t discuss. 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 desires to activate followers. So now, not solely is our thermostat set on 67, however now he desires 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 though 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 associates, who’re inside my home usually, have requested, “How is he feeling the humidity when he’s inside? Your 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 he or she was going to affix us for our Wednesday lunch. This has been deliberate for properly over a month. Matt has all the time been completely high quality being house throughout my Wednesday lunches with my mother and brother, and he’s by no means had an issue. I ask him frequently if he would love me to seek out somebody to stick with him on these days once I’m gone for prolonged lunches, however he has all the time stated no. So final Wednesday was going to be identical to some other Wednesday.
However on Tuesday, issues obtained terrible. Because the day went on, he obtained weaker and weaker and weaker. He wasn’t sick (no fever, and so on.), 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 obtained, the more serious he obtained. He couldn’t discuss. 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 in all probability 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 discuss, and he communicated to me that his weak spot was being attributable to the humidity. I simply couldn’t perceive it the way it might 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, hold 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’d also have a placebo impact, which I might fortunately settle for if it might hold 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 received’t even element my irritating experiences attempting to find a dehumidifier besides to say that the entire expertise strengthened my hatred of Lowe’s. After calling three totally different shops and spending in all probability a cumulative 90 minutes on the telephone, I by no means one single time was capable of communicate to an precise human at any of these three Lowe’s shops within the space. However that’s an entire totally 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 select up this Hisense 50-pint dehumidifier. By the point he obtained again to our home, it was 11:00. We obtained 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.
Properly, 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 might 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 entire “humidity” factor in any case! He was proper!
In order that we might 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 could be by himself and never be capable to drink his water. However he did nice all day! He didn’t simply do nice that day, although. Ever since we obtained 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 truly complained about being COLD a number of instances! WHAT? And he let me flip the thermostat as much as 69 in the course of the day! I seen that I’m solely carrying a sweater inside our home about 50% of the time now reasonably than 99% of the time. There has solely been one time since we obtained the dehumidifier that he has gotten sizzling, turned on the fan, and I’ve been depressing even with a sweater on. However one time in per week is so much 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 so much sooner. How have we lived so lengthy in central Texas and not using a dehumidifier? I’ll by no means be with out one once more. And actually, I’m fascinated about getting one other one for the opposite finish of the home. But when we get one other one, I received’t make such a rushed choice. The one we’ve got 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 on daily basis!) However our subsequent one would be the variety with a hose that may drain itself. I’m fairly certain that is the one I’m going to get (affiliate hyperlink)…
…however I haven’t made my ultimate choice but. However fairly truthfully, I’d be prepared 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 might kick myself for not shopping for considered one of these years in the past.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and enhance 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 the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You may study extra about me right here.
