I've been whinging and moaning of late about having a bad back, aching body and painful hands, especially first thing in the morning when I am particularly stiff (steady now) and can hardly move. I had been putting off going to the doctors as we hadn't had confirmation of our medical insurance, but today that came so off I went.

In Thailand they don't have GPs as such, so if you feel unwell you get in a taxi and take yourself to hospital. The hospital closest to us is the Bangkok Nursing Home and it looks more like a hotel from the outside. Once inside I quickly registered and was taken to see a doctor.

This doctor checked me over and deduced that the back and hands were not connected. 'Do you work in computers?' he asked. Well I used to! Due to the language problems I wasn't quite sure if I have now arthritis or some sort of RSI, but he gave me some pain killers and anti-inflamitories, and redirected me to a doctor upstairs.

I then went upstairs to the Physical Medicine department, and waited two minutes to see a physiotherapy doctor. His diagnosis also separated the hands and back. He set about checking my back, found a couple of bad points, marked them with a biro and then told me to get changed into some pyjamas. On returning to his room, in a very un-fetching set of pjs, I had to lay face-down on his couch. He then proceeded to stick two needles into my back, wiggle them around and make my muscles spasm. When it comes to medically induced pain I am not the best patient in the world - in fact I am pathetic - but this really, really, really hurt and I felt like throwing up.

Next for some physiotherapy. Each day Jacob comes home with some new words that he has learnt in Thai lessons. Well today I learnt that physiotherapy is the Thai word for torture. First I had hot paraffin poured onto my hands - more pain. This was left to set and I had to wait for five minutes. After five minutes two nurses returned and told me to take off the set paraffin Next I had to dip my hands in the paraffin again, five times to build up the layers - self torture! After five minutes I had to take off the set paraffin again, and repeat the 'dip and set' procedure another three times. I felt like throwing up a whole load more.

Next ultrasound on my right hand. As the nurse turned the machine up and started rubbing the applicator (for want of better word) on my hand I thought 'at last, this is easy'. Then she turned it up again - slight tingle. Up again - more tingle. Up again - tingling lots and my fingers are involuntarily jumping up and down. After five minutes I could take no more. I yelled 'STOP' and offered to tell her everything she needed to know. Then they did my back - somehow my left hand escaped - and realising that I have the pain threshold of a small baby, they turned the machine down.

They then offered me another 'treatment' which would only last twenty minutes. I thanked them for the kind offer, but explained that ordinarily I would love to stay and endure some more pain but I had to go and pick the kids up and time was ticking by. 'No worries' they said and made me an appointment for tomorrow! The doctor came back in and asked me how my back was, I said 'okay', when what I really wanted to say was 'it feels like it's had two needles stuck in it'!!

I picked up my pills and went to pick the kids up. Weird thing is my back doesn't feel too bad now, and my hands feel as soft as a baby's bum!

Posted on 17 September 2003.

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