Not Much to Tell…
After I worked my last shift at the rehabilitation last week, quite a lot has been going on in my days. If I thought I’d just be sitting cozily at my computer with a cup of coffee once I got to this point, then I clearly miscalculated the role.
This all really started in November last year, when I decided that as soon as I turned 67, I would seriously start taking care of my musculoskeletal health. When I walked into my chiropractor’s office for the first time, he said to me:
“Hey, it’s your birthday today.”
“Yes,” I said, “I’m actually 67 years old.”
That was the beginning of our rather entertaining interaction.
Of course, like many others, I’ve what we in Iceland call a ‘troll shot’ or ‘giant bite ‘basically your back got into sudden pain and you can hardly move.” Usually, a few sessions with my good old chiropractor would fix things. Back then, I was considered “recovered” once I could tie my shoelaces again. So, I know what back pain feels and hips and knees have often joined in, since everything is connected.
It was in September last year, after a trip to Norway with colleagues, that I decided something drastic had to be done. As usual, I kept my usual pace on the trip, I must see everything, preferably more than everything.
This meant a lot of walking every day with my roommate, who was more than happy to walk at what I considered a rather intense speed around downtown Oslo. We came up with all sorts of ideas, including trying to get on a dinner cruise on our last day despite already having a reservation at a Chinese restaurant with the group.
We thought it was a brilliant idea… until, after walking around all the docks, we had to admit defeat, everything was fully booked. We would have boarded just about any floating device to get out to sea for dinner! But in the end, we went to the Chinese restaurant after rushing back to the hotel to change, because showing up sweaty was not an option.
In hindsight, we were very glad we didn’t miss it. It turned out to be a wonderful experience with the group. We are, admittedly, both a bit impulsive, which probably explains it.
The walking continued the next day, exploring more, shopping, and enjoying the surroundings. But after all that, I felt like my body was swollen from head to toe. Honestly, I could even feel it in my energy centers, above and below.
I thought to myself: I may be approaching retirement age, but I am not going to travel if I can’t walk.
Just to explain why I always want to travel, one reason is that I have a lot of planets in my ninth house in my birth chart. That house is basically all about travel, exploration, and experiencing new places. So clearly, something had to change.
That’s why I went to the chiropractor on my birthday in November. I assumed I’d be fine after about five sessions and walking around pain-free again, but I was very wrong.
I ended up going three times a week and experienced all kinds of things: extreme sensitivity in my back, pain, and even the smallest movement was uncomfortable. Nerve pain shot down into my legs. At times, I wondered if this was really the right path, since I actually felt worse.
But life wasn’t all pain. One day, completely unexpectedly, I realized I was pain-free for the first time in many years. What do you do then?
Unfortunately, it only lasted about a day and a half. Then I had to be careful again. Even getting in and out of a car was uncomfortable. It’s hard to describe, it felt like I kept “hitting the wrong bone” if I moved the wrong way.
Since I don’t have much patience for sick leave, I decided to try going back to work in early December. After all, who wants to miss the December atmosphere at my work? Especially not in my last working year.
So I went back to work, but I had to be very mindful and really engage my core muscles, as my chiropractor kept reminding me, especially when lifting anything.
Gradually, life became easier. My appointments decreased to twice a week, and I became less sensitive. The numbness in my fingers while driving disappeared, which was a big deal for me. I could get out of bed in the mornings without cautiously checking if my legs would support me. My headaches disappeared, and the pain in my upper back and neck went away. I could turn my head again (very useful while driving). I started walking more normally and no longer had to take tiny steps. I could even cook and host my family without feeling like my legs would give out.
The worst thing was standing still. I’m telling you, I’m meant to be in motion. Picking things up and carrying them was difficult. I remember once carrying a duvet at work, I’d guess it weighed maybe 500 grams, but it felt like 30 kilos.
A few weeks and many chiropractic visits later, I tried again, and it was no problem at all. I couldn’t understand how I had been so weak.
Alongside this, I’ve tried all kinds of treatments: physiotherapy, Bowen therapy, craniosacral therapy, healing, everything I could think of. I know it all helps. I’ve also been stretching like there’s no tomorrow, and wow, that hurt at first.
Everything matters. And of course, movement, because no one rehabilitates in bed. I’ve seen that clearly from my years working in rehabilitation.
Since February, I’ve added gym training to activate my muscles even more. Saunas, infrared heat, cold baths, I could easily get hooked on this routine. My day doesn’t really begin until I’ve done it.
But this was supposed to be a short post…
So, here’s what I wanted to say:
Yesterday, after a relaxing spa routine, I discovered, to my horror, that a car had parked so close to mine that I couldn’t get in from the driver’s side (not even if I weighed 25 kilos). So, I had to get in from the passenger side and move across the seats.
Three months ago, that would have been impossible. No chance.
I did it with ease, and felt nothing. I was so proud of myself.
Later that evening, the universe tested my flexibility again, I somehow got stuck in my lazy boy chair with the footrest fully up. The handle jammed too. But I managed to stand up, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this.
And I thought to myself:
“Goodness… if I had never done anything, I’d still be stuck there.” 
So yes… I may not be completely new—but at least I’m not stuck in a recliner.
