At the moment, it sucks to be me, really!

Hello World, feels like ages even if I was here last week.  I'm doing better (I think?!), I guess my mood is really directly linked with the weather and my pain.  If you're among those people who do enjoy the Formula 1 races, then you'll know we had a Grand Prix in Montréal, last weekend.  To me it doesn't mean a thing, except plenty of noise.  We are close to the circuit, so we do hear them going 'round and 'round quite loud & clear.  So, if you've watched it, you will also know it was a wet one.  It didn't rain, it poured.  I can't imagine paying big bucks to go sit in stands in pouring rain, yuck!  All this to say, we have been having crappy weather the last few days, thus my morale was down a bit.  I really do need sun or at least light to fonction well.

Last week was a week of treatment for me.  I want to solve my back issues.  It's going on a year and not a day goes by without me feeling some type of pain in either my neck or lower back.  I'm truly fed up.  I've been going to an osteopath, an accupuncture doctor, a Heller worker, some massage, to no avail.  As soon as I do anything my back hurts.  I went for some xrays on Friday, of my spine, hopefully there will be something to see so they'll know what to tell me or, even better to do.  It is very frustrating and being in constant pain eats at my moral like nothing else.

For the last three weeks, I've been seeing this physio/accupuncture Chinese man.  He's a little man, with no people skills whatsoever.  It's actually funny.  I don't think I've ever consulted someone who talked so little.
The first time I saw him (I was refered to him by a friend), he didn't look at my questionnaire (2 pages full of questions), came in the tiny room where there was a massage type table and a little stool, told me to get undressed and left.  When he came back this is how it went:

Mr. Kim:  Where is hurt?

Me: Back and shoulders.

Mr. Kim: Where?

Me [pointing to my lower back]: Here...

Mr. Kim: Walk!

Me [looking around, where to go]: Here?

Mr. Kim [pointing at space between table and wall]: There!
[At this point I'm wondering about my friend's referal, but start walking.  I took 5 steps, turned around and took another 5 steps.]

Mr. Kim: Turn facing table.
[I barely had time to turn, when Mr. Kim pushed me across the table]

Mr. Kim: Confortable?

Me [don't really know what to say]: Yeah, sure...
[He then pinched my back a few places, said something under his breath in Chinese, made some noise, turn something on and left the room. - 5 min. later]

Mr. Kim [stepping on little stool by table, and started to pinch my back again]: You hard.

Me [still not knowing what to answer]: Oh...ok...

Mr. Kim [gathering some things made of glass]: You ok? [not waiting for my answer, when I heard a lighter being flicked]

Me [trying to see what he's doing]: What is...

Mr. Kim [pushing me flat on table]: You need relax!

[He then put a bunch, I counted 16, of suction cups on my back, and left the room]

This is what I must have looked like...

[I was laying there for a while, with a bunch of cups stuck to my back, sides, and even bum]

Mr. Kim [coming back into room]: You ok? Good.

Me: What do those do exactly?

Mr. Kim [while popping them off]: Relax.

He then proceeded to give me a massage with some Chinese oil, man oh man!  After that he used a hair dryer and blew my back for a good 10 min., the sensation of cold and hot was quite interesting.

Mr. Kim [walking out of the room]: ok, done, see you next week.

Me [still not knowing what to say or do]: Thank you?...

I got dressed, paid and left.  That was the strangest treatment ever.  But I must say, my back did feel a lot less stiff.

That same night, you should have seen my back.  I looked like a Dalmatian.  So many spots, actually bruises, but they didn't hurt, it was just really ugly.

The following week, it was about the same scenario, except that he did asked a few questions, suggested I changed sandals and go swim.

Tomorrow is my mother's birthday and I've booked ourselves a day at a spa with massages, pedicure, etc. and they have a pool... I will be following his instructions, even if my back looks just like this...

Nice, huh?  Can't wait to see the looks on people's faces... ah!