Bare bones experience

I woke at four needing to go to the loo. It took me half an hour to get out of bed with no fixed furniture to cling to for support, managing painful spasms. Once vertical, I was apprehensive about returning to the horizontal, so I dressed and walked slowly to the church office to pick up some different medication left for me there by churchwarden Linda. Thankfully this eased the spasms and increased ease of movement. I sat on the far too soft sofa in a strange half sitting position and slept a further two hours. The pain of entrapment was a slightly easier to cope after sleep, and I didn´t completely seize up when I had to get up and move.

My phone calls to a locally reccomended chiropracter were fruitful. I was given a lunchtime appointment to which I was able to walk carefully, enjoying the warm air and sunshine. It must be half term down here, as there are more youngsters on the streets with their families by day, and more people on the beach. There was even someone out on a surf board, but no waves.

The chiropracter is a tall Danish man called Mogens (the 'g' is silent). His wife acts as his receptionist. They are a lovely charming couple. The treatment feels like tough love, but he administered it with careful attention to detail. We had some marvelously insightful conversation about the body and Tai Chi. His diagnostic tour of my mortal frame was informative and helpful as a wake up call. He observed from touching one spot between my shoulder blades, that I am an habitual fast eater. How true! Can change.

I walked home with the trapped nerve free. The pains of collateral damage will take a few days to subside, but the medication I've received can deal with that. I had lunch when I returned then slept in bed for another two hours. This time it only took a minute to get out of bed, although my right hip did try to go into spasm. It was just time for another dose of medication.

I'm coping reasonably, but have discovered through the experiences of the past forty eight hours just what it is like to live with infirmity or disability all the time, how vulnerable you can become very quickly, when your environment becomes unreliable for movement. Best of all, however, is how marvellously helpful people are - airline and airport staff, church members and the healing profession. I'm most fortunate that my experiences of debility and weakness have been few and far between for most of my life. It's no bad thing to be reminded of this once in a while. It'll educate me better in the art of looking out for the needs of others.