[He accepts her offered hand without a fuss, and uses it to assist in levering himself upright once more. He can't quite hide the hitch in his breath at the motion, and then there's a brief battle to suppress the cough that wants to follow, but the cough also wins out. He politely turns his head away - although there's nothing contagious in his labored exhalations - and takes several moments and painful, hacking breaths to settle his breathing back into some semblance of normal.]

Discomfort is sometimes necessary. Your patience and expertise are both appreciated.

[With his labored breaths firmly back under his disciplined control, he turns to her with a small smile to answer her question.]

The respirator provided to me has been working well to increase my comfort since I've been hospitalized. I expect I'll feel better once I return to my room.