Yes, it has been awhile. Life gets busy. It’s true everywhere on the planet. I’ve been heckled by a few people, so I decided to take some time to do a little writing on a Sunday afternoon. . .
So about February, I started having problems with my right arm. My pointer finger started going numb, and then the rest of my arm and then my shoulder and back. After 4 months, it was starting to get painful and keeping me from being able to get to sleep at night, so I decided I should probably go see a doctor. Now I know the women who read this post will say ‘what in the heck were you waiting for’. But I’m not a woman so I am assuming/hoping that most of the men reading this post will think ‘4 months. Yeah that sounds about right’.
When I asked at the office for a recommendation for what kind of doctor I wanted to see, I thought the question was a bit strange. I figured I wanted to see the kind of doctor that asks you what’s wrong, does a few tests, gives you a diagnosis, and then prescribes a treatment plan. You know a doctor kind of doctor.
My secretary asked me if I wanted a Chinese doctor or a western doctor. I figured ‘when in Rome’. . . So then she asked me if I wanted a traditional or modern Chinese doctor. I told her I wanted to go to the doctor she would go to. She said her doctor usually doesn’t wear a shirt and executes his practice from his home. I told her if that’s where she went, than that’s where I should go. She decided I couldn’t handle her doctor.
So I get sent to a different doctor. His ‘office’ is 2 beds and a desk on the 2nd floor of a little strip mall (I would try to explain what a strip mall is like in Changchun, but I don’t think I could do it. Just think about a normal strip mall in GR and then change everything). On my first visit I describe my symptoms to him through a translator and he starts rubbing my back and arm and says my problem is not my arm or shoulder. It’s my neck. He starts pushing on the side of my neck and every nerve ending from my shoulder down to my finger tips fire at the same time. That’s a strange moment having a man (who is loosely referred to as the doctor) rub your neck and have your arm light up like you just stuck it into a bathtub with a hairdryer.
His diagnosis is that I need to have the nerves in my neck put back in their place. This will require 12 40 minute sessions. Since I don’t know what kind of insurance this doctor would accept I wasn’t too sure about the costs. My mind was quickly put at ease when he told all 12 sessions would cost $45. Maybe his medical school loans had already been paid off so he didn’t have any overhead to cover. I wonder if Dirk P charges more than $5/hour for his services.
After I agree to the treatment he tells me that my muscles might be a little sore after the first couple treatments but that this would pass with time. I’m not sure if the translation was a little off or not, but what he meant to say was ‘I’m going to try and dig a hole into your neck with my steely fingers and elbows. You will most likely cry at most of our sessions as the pain will be just below the threshold that will cause you to black out. You read to get started?’
I’ve been to see him 5 times. I have 12 sessions left. I have to say he is pretty impressive. I had a translator for the 1st session and the last 4 have been just me so we don’t talk much. And he goes to work on me and he works his way to all the spots that make my arm and shoulder twang and he just stays there. It’s like he’s looking for little switch that says ‘here’s the problem’ and he can find those switches without me saying a word about the effect he’s having on my body.
My finger is still a little tingly, but most of the pain is gone already. We’ll have to see if the last 7 sessions can take care of the tingly finger as well.
And the final note: It’s not a blog post without a picture. One of the stores at the bottom of our apartment complex had this picture of a provocative woman(by Chinese standards)in this ad. So I was curious what they were trying to sell with such explicit imagery. Just in case you can’t read the text in the photo, it’s an advertisement for a Chinese version of exlax.
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