JANUARY 31, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
The pain in my leg was not letting up. Several days into what was otherwise the paradise of living and volunteering in Cochabamba, I could not continue to ignore it. Just coping and hoping for the best is never a good plan. I had thought I would eventually be okay with just one good stretch following the long bus trip from Sucre. My body was telling me; however, this was more than a serious cramp. I couldn’t ignore being unable to put a regular amount of pressure on my foot. I couldn’t walk at my typical speed, jog alongside my friends, speed up to cross streets or get from point A to point B as I would regularly expect myself to be doing.
There had to be a remedy or at least an explanation. Interestingly, a temporary day of relief came when we popped into a gym and completed our workout with a cardio strength class. We primarily had free styled in a cycling class, not intentionally, but only because the instructor was more so walking around instead of leading. The instructors for the strength-building cardio class, a fit male and female duo, were much more engaged and motivating. We were done being skeptical whether or not this place was a good fit.
Class was fast. I was still high from the workout. We were in and out of activities, grabbing mats and steppers and various weights from the back of class and continuously moving. The male instructor alluded to “now we know who has the best a$$ in class” when I remained in one position long after we were instructed to shift to another. I was in the zone… kind of😊.
Juan, Margaret and I talked to the instructors about another visit. Friedrich had been doing strength training on his own. I was elated and told him there was no leg pain during the workout. He suggested it may be the blood flow from the exercise. It made sense – it seemed to be something like a blot clot (of all my guesses). Back then, I didn’t realize the very real importance of standing, stretching and moving during long plane and bus trips. Having the ability to withstand a lot for long periods of times caused me to think this too wouldn’t be a big deal for me. The bag on my lap had not helped. I was on one of the less recommended bus lines, so I was more focused on maintaining my belongings. Still, this workout brought hope. I was energized in a number of ways.
The relief did not last. Stretching out carefully or quickly powering through movements was a no. Friedrich massaging the muscle was no kind of solution either. Something had to give. I couldn’t properly enjoy my joy.
Fact is funnier than fiction. The place Margaret and I moved into was across from a health clinic. If I knew about The Secret back then, I would have guessed I somehow manifested this medical building to have doctors and staff inside just so I could meet with one doctor who would carefully listen to my symptoms as I explained them in Spanish and instruct the nurse to give me the quick curing hip injection – the injection to end days of not knowing exactly what the issue was and having to realize I wasn’t invincible. I was ready to feel a little unstoppable again😊
I recall afterwards, hanging out in the main area where Margaret and I lived. Her room was on the first floor and my room was up a level. We were now sharing with two cool roommates from England and Norway (They had replaced an unfortunately snobby couple who consistently appreciated Margaret way more than me. It was actually more so the girlfriend.) I was in sync again with the new girls and the four of us found ourselves hanging out and venturing out together, easily.
I digress. I recall this one evening, going up to my room to retrieve the bottle of medicine prescribed by the doctor for aftercare. Fredrich held it, taking in the red fluid and dropper. Knowing I felt better, he said a little cautiously, “I wouldn’t take that if I were you”. I couldn’t decide for a while until it cracked on the floor one day. It wasn’t necessary then… he was right?
Magic finally happened. I was better. I could get back to life as I knew it for then. No more worries about something I didn’t know how to fix and gratitude for being able to do and enjoy all my opportunities again. Strange and interesting experiences were waiting for me.
Image Credits Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels Photo by Sunyu Kim from Pexels