delays

i sit here, waiting for a delayed flight in the new MUTLI-SCREENED, EXTREMELY LOUD jetblue termimal.  traveling alone on this portion of the flight, i arrive with enough time to deal with security and luggage and i always make sure i have an extra 1/2 hour to go to the ladies’ room to put on my compression sleeve and glove.  i’ve traveled a few times a year since my surgery and treatments and have dealt with some mild lymphadema.  that’s a post for another day but this is just to say that i have an amazing lymphadema physical therapist who has helped me through a few times when i was filled with fury about this pissy side-effect of lymph surgery.  anyway, the upshot is that i wear a compression sleeve and glove on all flights.  said sleeve and glove usually put on about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes before i board.  i used to put it on at home and then go through security but that only earned me a complete body pat-down and major wanding to be sure that i wasn’t packing anything dangerous under those bandages.  so i’ve learned to zip it on in the women’s bathroom.  for our airfrance flight to paris, we were running late and i actually had to put it on in the security line and another time the line to the bathrooms was so long that i put it on standing in line.  LET ME TELL YOU (caps intended) that there’s truely nothing like seeing the looks on your fellow passengers’ faces as i put the green rubber dishwashing glove on my left hand to help guide the compression sleeve (tug, tug, TUG, SLIDDDDDDDDE, TUG) up my arm – wrist to armpit – and then check to be sure the seam is in the correct place and then, oh and then, the GLOVE.  i become the feared creature.  WHAT could possibly be wrong?  i’ve developed a benevolent smile and, truely, if someone asked, i would just tell them.  no one ever has.  my teenage daughter is no longer phased by my creature-from-the-beige-lagoon look. 

but this is all to say, that i hate delayed planes.   how am i supposed to time this tugging and pulling?  don’t they understand??