Let’s get physical, physical!
This is the next part of my Thoracic Endometriosis journey. In the last instalment my GP recommended me for physio and I had my appointment a few days ago.
Before we get to it, I must tell you about when I was booking it. It is just one of those face palm, you cannot be that stupid, scenarios. I was talking to the receptionist about what days I was available and they said, “we have one in three days.”
“I will take that one!”
“So that’s a phone call appointment.”
Wait. What? A phone call appointment with a physio!? I told you it was stupid. I asked for face to face and got one a week later.
The farcical nature continues when I get to my appointment. Unwisely I booked it for a Saturday afternoon. I think I was just so thrown by the whole phone call thing that I didn’t think about it.
I got to the, I don’t know what to call it, clinic? It’s more than a doctor’s surgery but it’s not a hospital, and the place was empty. No cars in the car park, no patients wandering around. Hhmm. This doesn’t look good. I eventually find the right floor and the right place after asking directions from the one receptionist and only other person I see.
The clinic I need is deserted. The shutter on reception is down and the waiting room is bare. I’m sure at some point I saw a tumbleweed made of bandages roll past. I try the electronic booking system which just yells at me that my appointment wasn’t recognised. It’s not looking good.
I go back to the lovely receptionist and say there is no one there. They say they will book me in and that I should go and wait to see if someone comes to get me. Very sceptically I go and sit down. At that point someone emerges from behind a door to ask if I’m there for a physio appointment. They say they will be out soon. Yay, there is someone here and I will get my appointment! However, after they speak to me this person proceeds to knock on every single door visible, with no answer. They are clearly looking for someone. They are looking for the physio. They wander around for about five minutes clearly not able to find them or getting no answer. Then, without a word, they just leave. Propping something up against the door they have been mostly knocking on, picking up their ruck sack and just walking out. Leaving me sitting there. All alone. In the waiting room that time forgot.
I tell myself that I will wait until ten minutes after my appointment and if no one comes then I’m going to leave. Suddenly someone comes out of the mysterious door saying goodbye to a patient and picking up the thing propped up against the door. Good thing I didn’t leave.
The appointment itself was good. The physio was lovely. There were a lot of questions followed by a physical examination. This was fine until they needed to look at my shoulder. I was fine with being bear chested in front of them, but I have never been more aware of my 5ft 11 height than when the physio, who I would say was a good foot smaller than me, was examining my peck muscles. I don’t want to be responsible for blinding someone with my tits. (Now that would be a superpower!)
They said that my peck and thoracic muscles are swollen and painful. I need to strengthen them and that will ease the pain. They also told me that I’m hypermobile which means I can move my joints further than a normal person. That explains my ability to pop my hips in an out.
They decided to refer me for further physio and I’m happy with that. It is only going to be beneficial. The wait is three months though so for now I have been given daily exercises. One of my recent goals has been to start exercising again and this is the perfect motivation. The only question now is: where did I put my gym clothes??
