The treadmill….
Ok Adie, said my fantastic Dutch physio, get on the treadmill. The treadmill? What, THE treadmill?! I could have kissed him. I haven’t been on a treadmill since January 16th. 2 nights before my fateful appearance on the Kuwait 5 a side football pitch.
He started the treadmill. I nearly fell off the back immediately! Nothing can prepare you, having had 9 weeks on crutches and a boot, for the weird feeling of attempting to walk again. Why are you limping on the wrong leg? he asked. He was right, my whole co ordination was totally wrong! 3.5km per hour I walked at for what seemed an eternity. After around 30 mins I asked how many kilometres I’d walked and for how long? You’ve done 800 metres and we are on 6 minutes!
We sped up to 5km per hour. I was nervous. I kept thinking of re rupture. All the horror stories I had read and then something strange happened. A young Kuwait came into the room. He was no more than 16 . In full dishdasha. Limping badly. His smile lit up the room. I hope you recover soon ,he said. You are western you saved my country during the gulf war. Without you I would not be here. My family would have been killed. I will return when you have finished. You deserve special treatment.
I could have cried. But that is Kuwait all over. Full of love and affection particularly for the British and Americans.
My mind was totally taken away from the treadmill. Adie, said the Dutchman, I’m going to speed up the treadmill. Is that ok? Feel free, as fast as you like. I’m ready.
Amazing how the mind works and how it influences the body….?
Filed under: Uncategorized and
Leave a Reply