Heart Flight from hell, home,,


I was at the Phoenix AP 1 1/2 hrs earlier, had my printed off boarding pass in hand. My b-n-l, Bill, and nephew, Jimbo, got me to the AP on time, and we said our goodbyes..all was smooth. Once on the flight home, I was able to chill, and it was very relaxing...until the flight got to Dallas, TX. There had been bad weather in Dallas as we were descending, which put everything off schedule. Planes were lined up, waiting to be unloaded, be it in the air or on the tarmac.

The full plane I was was waiting on the tarmac, over 30 min..the a/c had been turned off..people behind me became loud and I could feel their anxiety and disdain because of the uncomfortable situation. A male passenger behind me was yelling that he had just made a trip from Iraq, and he had to be out of the plane immediately, that he would miss his connecting flight! A crowd of passengers behind me started getting VERY LOUD. At 45 min, we were allowed to get out of that sauna..it was hell.

I was 8 min late for my connecting flight to Lawton, OK. The wheelchair was waiting for me and the airline gentleman had me rolling (swiftly)on my way to gate 36. While going to gate 36, the airline CHANGED the gate to 18...which is in the opposite direction of gate 36..now I was over 20 min late for the connecting flight! I was not alone, people were running in a panic to their connecting flights..cussing, some acting out very loudly..got on my last nerve.

By the time I was at gate 18, I wanted a cold drink so bad I would have paid 20 bucks for it...pretty desperate, I was sweating so badly, the humidity was UNREAL...I felt lightheaded, and tears started to flow because of my sympathetic nervous system was in overdrive.

I was already going into a pain flare from the wait to get into the Dallas airport from the tarmac. Two women, that were on the flight to Lawton with me, saw me in distress and came to assist me.One wet my traveling washrag, and the other bought me a cold diet pepsi..as water was sold out. They would not accept pmt. for the drink..or to assist me.They were angels.

The other workers and flight attendants were rushing around trying to control and appease the unhappy passengers, and that group of folks seemed to everywhere.

Finally, after waiting one hr in the Dallas airport, I was gaining some control over me..starting to cool down. They loaded me and an elderly woman on the flight to Lawton, first. There were issues with the passenger entry way directly to the plane and we had to use the elevator to get down to the tarmac. The elevator was NOT air conditioned, and that meant going from an acceptable climate controlled area to HOT and humid, immediately!

Once on the hot tarmac, we were rolled to the Lawton plane, and we had to climb 10 stairs while the hot wind whipped about. The steps were steep and I was in extreme pain getting up those darn stairs. I thought once on the plane, all would be well..NOT! The inside environment was hotter than the tarmac, as there was NO air conditioning.

The flight attendants were very nice, handing cups of ice water to passengers as each boarded the plane. It helped, but that cups of ice water went fast..I really wanted to have the ice to lower my body heat index.As expected, my sweating became unbearable. Both of my legs went into spasm and sitting nor standing would relax them. I began to silently meditate to calm me down in the hot tin can of a plane. It was a full tin can,too.

A baby was screaming in distress. I felt very trapped and helpless. The flight attendants announced that once on the plane, it would be much cooler..NOT!
Once everyone was loaded,we ascended, and once we leveled off, everyone thought there would be this burst of cold air coming from our individual jets, place directly over each seat. It was a shallow hiss of hot air...sighs

Immediately, the flight attendant closest to me handed me a bottle of cold water, Thank God! I was in the last seat located at the back of the plane.. the attendant shared that her and I have the hottest seat on the plane. I was to be the 1st one to walk down the stairs once landing was achieved. GASP!

The airplane ride to Lawton was very bumpy, and sometimes sounded like pieces of the plane were being hit by something that caused a loud "Bam" sound. The flight took about 45 min., and everyone aboard the aircraft was fit to be tied to get off the hot tin can of an airplane.

Once we landed, there was an issue concerning the luggage of the plane to be loaded BEFORE the passengers. That was not going to fly with the passengers, me one of them...the muscle spasms in both my legs were outrageous. It took another 15 min to get the door opened, to feel an even more humid, sultry wind that crashed onto my face. I just wanted to get inside the airport where A/C would be available. First, I had to descend the stairs to the tarmac...growling

Once rolled inside the airport, the A/C felt so wonderful. Finally, I was home and my hubby was waiting for me at the gate It was 4:00 PM..the flight was to be in Lawton, after the initial delay by 3:20 PM. If all had gone as planned before the delays, I would have been in Ron's arms at 2:35 PM.

My hubby had a new cool, wet washcloth in a baggy for me...who needs flowers, this man knows me! I introduced my hubby to the 2 angels that watched over me in Dallas. Ron attempted to pay them for their kindness and they would not accept any money. There are nice people in the world.

I had not eaten anything all day, my clothes were sweated to my body, and I needed pain medication. We still had to wait to get my bag, at least it was in a cool environment

Ron pulled up in our luxury car, and once inside I noticed the A/C was not as cool as I am familiar. Ron said that he needed to get the A/C serviced!!! I started to laugh..and cry at the same time. We went to Brahms and ate burgers followed by ice cream on the drive home.

Yes, my home was a cool, crisp 70 degrees, and I was greeted by my 3 cat babies, our dog, and my son's cat. Son was working. It wasn't long before I was in the shower..in a clean night shirt..and asleep in my chair!~

My son came home with a 4 course Chinese food buffet! We ate together, and had a nice visit. I slept for 6 hrs,totally. I am getting use to the time change,now...in a cool house, with my family, human and animal, alike.

I checked my email and had over 1000...the last one from my sister, Wanda, which brought me to tears. Specifically, Wanda's kind words to me concerning her appreciation for my being available to her and the family, for the last 3 weeks.

It will be a long while before I walk into an airplane, again.



Dew