I've had problem with my left foot all summer, I know what the problem is, I've had it before, it's plantar fasciitis. I blame it on wearing flat sandals with no support for long periods during the summer and then running on it when it was already slightly injured therefore making it worse. Silly me.
I'm rarely ill and don't like going to the doctors (I blame my mother) and so I put off making an appointment for well over a month, finally however I bit the bullet and went. He agreed with my diagnosis and asked whether I'd had it x-rayed to prove what it was when I last had it (he clearly forgot that I'd lived in England...can you imagine an NHS G.P. sending someone for an X-ray to prove why they had a hurty heel?) So the outcome of that appointment was a referral to an orthopaedic doc who would then X-ray and I guess recommend a path of treatment. That appointment is in a week or so, a popular doc with all the local skivers I guess.
In the mean time I had a 'Heilpraktiker' referred to me, something I'd normally steer well clear of - give me drugs and 'proper' medicine anyday, but as the referee told me that he specialised in chiropracty (which I like) and also in the treatment of foot injuries, I thought I'd give him a go.
I used to visit a chiropractor in the UK, on account of having a wonky pelvis and a spine that curves in two dimensions and not just one (should donate my skeleton to medical science*) and I was always fully dressed during the hands on consultations, while he made my vertebrae go 'knack, knack, knack' and this came to mind this morning as I was getting dressed, black leggings, black undies, blue bra, t-shirt, thick tunic/jumper. I was more concerned with getting a t-shirt whose neck line didn't show under that of the tunic than matching the bra and pants, afterall, with Si away, who's to see....little did I realise I would spend at least five minutes in my underwear standing on a lightbox. Yes, a LIGHTBOX. Having a professional holding my hips and getting me to bend over at the waist...should definitely have worn bigger pants, forget about matching them to the bra...
A lightbox has to be the most unforgiving light to view one's shortcomings in, everything looks dimpled, I think I may have shut my eyes.
After the lightbox procedure I was able to cover my miss-matching underwear (and cellulite) so that he could start the treatment. Ultra sound was used to 'encourage' cream into the flesh of my heel, then both feet were manipulated, I hesitate to use the word 'massage' because I'm quite sure you don't feel the need to scream during a massage and as a finale, the icing on the cake, he stuck a needle into my heel. He did ask and he did warn me, but I'm a total wuss, and this did not prevent me from yanking my foot out of his grasp with a yelp...I gave it back and endured the torture though, I thought I was doing OK until he commented that now he would depress the plunger.
Now I have to return to my Hausarzt (the German G.P. equivalent, with similar fire breathing receptionists) and ask him for a referral back to my Heilpraktiker so that then I can (hopefully) get the health insurance to pay up at least a percentage of his fees, while the Heilpraktiker makes some special insoles for my shoes to help my poorly heel recover.
Shall remember to wear more sensible (i.e something with greater coverage) and matching undies next visit, but at least they were clean!
* but not just yet, eh?
No comments:
Post a Comment