Climb every mountain
This is continuing from “Jumping through hoops”
Immediately, I called my doctor and explained my situation. He was not sure how I would react to the cabin pressure; told me to drive to Donner Summit and walk around for two hours and see him on the Monday. When I reminded him that I had little time to spare, he gave me his home address, told me to come by right after I had done my hiking around the summit and he would give me a certificate dependent on the results.
In the hope that all would be well, I called Qantas, explained my situation and made reservations. After that, I called my buddy Dan who, thankfully, was still in town. Another blessing was that his car had a converter which would allow me to use my breathing unit on the way back. I decided not to use it on the way to Donner Summit since I wanted a fair evaluation.
Barely staying within the speed limit (I didn’t need any more aggravation), Dan drove me to the dizzying heights of the summit. I jumped out of the car, climbed up and down rocks and gullies; all the time Dan was telling me to slow down since he was getting out of breath. Luckily, the weather was sunny and refreshing and I felt as if I were on a high - well, I guess it was a high of different sort.
Once the two hours had been met, we hightailed it to the doctor’s house where I arrived while he and guests were enjoying cocktail hour. Opening the door, the doctor ushered me in, handed me a martini, introduced me to his guests and regaled them with my experiences. With Dan still in the car and me anxious to be on my way, I finally got a word in edgewise and asked it was OK for me to get my certificate. With no hesitation, the doctor picked up a prescription pad and gave me certificate.
Barely waiting to express my thanks and appreciation, I dashed out to the car - perhaps this would have been the time for me to say, “Gun it, Dano” but Hawaii 5-0 was not on the air yet - lol. Now was the time for me to set up my inhaler with its medications and head for the airport. It was amusing to see the look on the toll taker’s face as we dashed over the bridge; with me having a breathing tube in my mouth.
The Qantas counter staff could not have been nicer and more caring. At last I caught my breath, was able to relax and watch the world go by.
To be continued
