Getting Old

Halfway through January and thus far I've struggled a bit with a few health ailments. Before the new year, I woke up one morning with a sore, stiff neck and back. Several massages, two visits to a chiropractor, two sessions with an acupuncturist, and one MRI later... it's not quite resolved, although much better. Luckily the MRI didn't show anything underlying the problem, and luckily I've gotten a few nights decent sleep at last. 

There was also a night of intense sick, following a lovely dinner at a Western pizza joint here called Pizza 4P's. Too much cheese, perhaps, or a dirty fork? No idea, but it was a miserable twelve hours of sick. In between bouts of running to the bathroom, I lay groaning on my bed, unable to get comfortable because of my neck and back pain. Poor Jacques was quite concerned, often leaning over to check on me. 

But that was last week. This past weekend was a lovely lazy one for me, mostly, and on Monday - a U.S. federal holiday and so a day off for me - I had lunch at a local place with a friend: nom banh chok, with edible flowers and lots of fresh herbs sprinkled on top of a very mild curry and noodles. It was satisfying without being too heavy, cheap and near where I live. A win!

Later on Monday, I got myself a 90 minute Khmer/Thai massage at a new place I've been meaning to check out called Bodia Spa. Other than the fact that you clamber up three floors worth of stairs, it's got a lovely ambiance to it. And the massage was oh, so relaxing. A Khmer/Thai massage is one where they do stretching movements and press on acupressure points. It was glorious and I was surprised to find myself dozing off now and then, while the masseuse streeeetched and preeeeessed my limbs. Afterwards, I went around the block to a sky bar I'd been to once before, to watch the sunset while eating a pomelo-shrimp salad and drink a fruity iced tea for dinner. 

And finally, I seem to have hit on something that is helping my neck and back pain, which is acupuncture. It's an odd sort of experience for me: neither pleasurable nor unpleasant. The tiny little pin pricks don't hurt (and I'll admit to being a bit afraid of that) unless the muscles cramps, and even then it's just a few seconds. But after my first session on Friday, I slept much better and felt more relaxed. My second session was this evening, so next week I'll report back!

One last thought: my new year's resolutions included getting off social media, and I find that I don't miss it! Instead of scrolling through Facebook for lost chunks of time, I check out the news or read a book or look around me. And I'm posting here more often, too! 

So thus far, the new year is a mixed bag of good things, aches and pains, and yummy food. Fingers crossed the first and last continue on and leave the other behind!