Posted in fiction, Travel, Travel Writing

My Writing Hiatus in a Hyperbaric Chamber

Posted on by Rhonda Wiley-Jones

 

 

 

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My fortieth and last visit in a pressurized hyperbaric oxygen chamber

I am right handed, so how can I steady a cantaloupe without the middle finger of my left hand while cutting it up? How can I keep it from slipping and then spilling juice and contents? How can I hold the fruit firm enough not to cut myself? Very carefully.

How can I type the E, D, and C letters on the computer without that middle finger? Slowly and with lots of mistakes.

I have been in a hyperbaric chamber every weekday for the last two months in an attempt to save a finger. Success is slow but promising. 

A fungal infection with several complicating factors went rogue and the tissue on the tip of my finger died. (Think frostbite. I’ll spare you those photos.)

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The reflection of the lights overhead shows that I’m in a clear glass chamber. I can read or watch television during the 90-minute treatment.

Today I type with nine digits instead of ten–but am becoming habituated. The injury stalled the work on my novel for more than two months, but I’m back writing again. And back blogging about travel, writing, and more about my novel in the months to come.

I have missed you, my followers, and look forward to more time with you. Stay tuned.

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Author:

Wiley-Jones is fiercely committed to guide life-sojourners and travelers toward supercharged writing benefits to unlock transformative experiences. She will unpack journal-writing techniques, tools and tips with which you can experiment. She can facilitate exercises for you to delve into the depths of yourself, and/or to write stories for yourself, your family, and/or for publication. She is a skilled facilitator with a Masters degree in Adult Learning and 40+ years in creating safe envirionments and intentional workshop experiences. Wiley-Jones is an award-winning travel writer. She has two published books, 1) a coming-of-age travel memoir, and 2) a travel adventure historical novel. Her work other work can be found in national anthologies and local lifestyle magazines. Her motto about life-long learning can be summed up by an E.L. Doctorow quote, "Writing (or learning) is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." That's true in life, writing, and travel.

2 thoughts on “My Writing Hiatus in a Hyperbaric Chamber”

  1. Oh, my. You have endured something that most of us don’t even comprehend. I mean how do these things even happen? But you sound positive, and you’re no doubt learned to “make do” at least a little bit. Best wishes for recovery and keeping your sanity throughout this whole ordeal.

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