Solitary Confinement: Day 10

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  Muang Xay, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Sunday, September 7, 2008

Update on the health situation:-

I think I'm finally on the mend, though it seems I had to go beyond boiling point before I could get anywhere. This past week has been an absolute living hell.

By the time I hit rock bottom I was taking between six and eight fat codeine pills a day against a limit of three and basically spent the majority of the time spaced out in my dark isolated room. I'd been offered a couple of evacuation plans by friends online that would either get me across the border to Thailand to a room in a hospital or across to Vietnam and then out to Singapore for urgent medical attention. If I hadn't made it to hospital that day, I'd have been taking one of those options - I was literally, at my wits end.

Thanks to local guy Mr Tou who knew enough about life to identify raw human despair, and helped get me over to the rural hospital in Udomxai. They saw me immediately. The doc got stuck in with his thumbs and confirmed the whole trapped nerve/muscle theory. All he could do was write me a prescription for some muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories, vitamin B1's and another big red one that he reckoned would work a bit of magic. Two days was the deal. Two days without any improvement and my arse was going to the nearest major city hospital.

That night I gobbled down the first batch and sat up reading. Then something happened:

I didn't take any more codeine, which were due and which up until now I'd have been screaming for. I don't know why but I didn't feel the need to, I just felt comfortable sitting still. The pain wasn't pulsing like it usually was. I must have sat there for two hours. Nothing. Then I decided to go to bed. On my way to the toilet I felt a spasm building in the middle of my back so I tensed my body in preparation for the damage. It came, stopped halfway, and went. No agony. No screams. I couldn't believe it. Then I stepped forward and something clicked. I must have stood still for five minutes in silent dreaded panic. I didn't know whether to move or breath or what. Don't ask me what clicked, but when I walked back to the bed I had an unusual feeling of confidence that I couldn't justify. Getting in to bed this time was much easier than it had been all week. Something had happened. I don't know what. I also didn't want to get my hopes up.

That night was the first night I slept without screaming. There was one point in the night where I stretched foolishly and the spasm started building. Again, I prepared myself only this time it went all the way and just petered out. There was no 'nervy electric shock' at the end of the tension, no violent peak. It just came slowly and faded, weakly. I will never be able to express the relief.

SOMETHING happened, whether I sat in such a position that night to slot something into place, or the doctor's medicine really was magic. Maybe it was just time to start healing. I'd certainly had my fair share of suffering. Either way, after what I'd gone through up to that point I was delighted. I haven't taken any codeine since and I've rested a lot. My back is still painful but each day there's a slight improvement. I just need to build my strength up. Both my back and legs are still very very weak. I think it'll take time, but I think I'm over the worst.

I never, ever want to go through anything like this again. And for it to happen in such a shit location was just.. well, shit. This is something I'll never forget.

(*Thanks to everyone who emailed in, especially those who were willing to get on a plane. As for the evacuation plans: Paul, Thellie, Rod and John - you gave a guy who was isolated, completely helpless and literally at his wits end a bright light at the end of a very long tunnel. My thanks are beyond words..)

Woz

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