And during all this I was taking him for acupuncture. We were travelling the next week and it was crisis management to get his back good enough to fly and for our six week holiday. This is the man who hates needles, not as much as Ben, but a very close second. He was actually really brave, to be honest I thought he would be wobblier than he had been. This wonderful Chinese Dr, who is completely crazy, was recommended to us by some friends, in fact Doug actually phoned and made the initial appointment as he knew Rick wouldn't go if it was just me persuading him (thank you, Doug). So, she starts off small and builds up to larger and more needles over the course of the sessions, plus now they were not only in his back, but his hands and head too! Yep, a slight wobble with those. The worst of it though is the complete and utter head rush followed by a pounding headache that hits as soon as Rick sits up after the session, which really knocks him for six for about ten minutes, but a few deep breaths and water helped. And I was pleased to say that my husband wasn't walking like a duck anymore, we cut back on the pain meds and his sleeping was better. Was it the acupuncture or the meds that worked? I personally think that they worked together, that both helped the healing process. To be honest, I didn't care which was having the most effect as long as Dicky B was improving, which he finally did.
And throughout all of this I was having to drive him everywhere. Tramadol made him very drowsy and he wasn't able to drive whilst taking it. So, I was literally driving the length of dubai, four to six times each day. Trying to fit in my own jobs as we were going to be away for a long time and there was a lot to get ready for the cats and house sitter. I had my last week all planned with different chores for each day, broken down into bit sized chunks to avoid fatigue. Nope, that didn't happen; when I finally got home at 8pm after nearly 6 hours of driving I had a husband who couldn't dress himself, who I couldn't leave in the shower unattended. A husband who had lost his appetite but needed to eat because of the meds he was on. A husband who actually took 3 days off work which he never does. So he needed full on care and TLC; something I was more than glad to do as this amazing man looks after me every day and helps me through my own fatigue and side effects to my meds, who has been by my side throughout all of my ailments and complaints, who hugs me when I cry for no reason.
And this is what marriage is all about. The 'for better or for worse' bit, the 'in sickness and in health' bit. It's not a one way street, everything needs to be given back the same as it's taken. Gratefully received whilst gracefully given; as it should be in all relationships whether you are married or not. So what if I was shattered that week, the next day was the weekend and we could both stop and just breathe, we could relax and pop our pills together; it was great!! I'm happy to be in a position where I was able to help him through the stupid, pesky back blip. It'll happen again I'm sure and I'll be there for him then. But I was happy to tie his shoe laces, make sure he took his meds on time. Drive him to and from work and acupuncture, hold his hand whilst his head spins. I still had four days until I travelled, all my jobs got done and we had our summer holiday to look forward to. This reminded me that it's not all about me and how I feel, it's shown me that I can find that energy when I really have to, that I can push through it when needs must; it's not nice but I can do it. It's a bump in the road, one of many that we all experience; so for now I will take my frustrations and tiredness out on the eejit drivers out here. Yep, I'm still the crazy blonde yelling manically through the window hoping that the twerp who just carved me up and then changed lanes whilst texting and reading the paper can actually hear me.
And here's to my Dicky B who was able to dance with me this summer. To the evenings of good food and wine, good company and friends... All pain free, as walking with a duck would have been a tad embarrassing, sorry babe but I have at least told you that to your face. Haha.