Inbetween

After a marvellous long weekend things headed downhill for a bit. I had woken up on the Saturday morning Jess and I left for Annecy with a sore neck. This had happened before and was only because I had slept funny...the kink worked itself out by the end of the day. But that was not the case this time. In fact, by the end of the day, the pain had moved into my left shoulder and I had a hard time sleeping that night because it was becoming so painful. This pain continued throughout Sunday and Monday where I got extremely fed up and went to buy some strange muscle relaxant from the pharmacist and hoped the misery would soon be over.

By Monday the pain had not dissipated, the relaxants hadn't helped and by the end of the night the pain was in my mid back as well (on the left side). I had determined I would call the doctor in the morning. I had been trying to avoid having to visit a health practicioner because I really didn't want to have to deal with emergency health insurance while travelling but there's only so much pain one can handle. And it's a good thing I called the doctor because by Tuesday evening the pain had spread around my side and into my chest, surrounding my lungs, and making it very painful to breathe. Let me tell you that it is one of the scariest things to feel like the breath is being taken right out of you and I was preparing myself to have to go to the hospital. I couldn't even lie in bed without being in distress and had to pace my room for an hour an a half before I could even try to sleep. At this point it was painful to laugh, cough, walk and now breathe. It had gone too far.

I made it to the doctor the next morning. It was a little different from Canada in that when I called the doctor I reached him personally, not a receptionist. When I arrived at the office I just sat down and waited until the doctor came and got me himself. He brought me into his office which was a wooden desk with papers all around and I sat down and explained what was wrong. Then he took me behind a curtain in the same room to an examination chair to check my breathing/pain, etc. At the end of the visit he gave me the perscriptions (as doctors normally do) but then gave me a bill which I pain in cash and he put into his desk drawer. So strange. At least I knew the forms were legit and I would get reimbursed, somehow, but it was definitely a different doctor experience.

Ultimately, the doctor didn't really know what was wrong so he just perscribed me with some drugs he hoped would help. I actually had to ask about potentially seeing a physio or massage therapist or a chiropractor. He said to try the drugs and if they didn't work by Friday to come back and he would refer me to see someone. They ended up helping and now the pain is gone from my back but I can still feel residue in my shoulder in neck. At this point (20 days left) I will just wait until I get back to Canada and see my massage therapist so I don't have to worry about reimbursement for emergency treatment here in France.