Suffering

I have not been feeling well since Tuesday.
I went to bed on Monday night, feeling some pain developing on the left side of my back.
Couldn't get to sleep, and woke up the following morning almost keeling over with pain.
I couldn't even breathe properly.
Each time I took a breath, I ended up having short gasps.
I got that treated at the Chinese physician's, but still no improvement.
She said I had a pinched nerve, and it needs time for the pain to go away.

I daren't say much about my pain lest my parents got too worried.
So I bore with the stabbing pain and just made do with controlled and slow movements.
My mother was observant enough to know I was suffering.
So she offered to ease my pain by rubbing some medicated ointment on my back.
Since the first time she did that on Tuesday, I have been feeling better.
I even slept better despite the continued pain.

You know, I've never had such serious, isolated back pain before and it worried me a little.
Especially when the pain actually affected the frontal area and on the left side of my body too.
I have put it down to last Thursday and Friday's training sessions.
I was merely sitting on a low stool at a low table.
And apart from lunch and dinner breaks, I was sitting at an uncomfortable angle facing my trainee most of the day.
That was when I first felt some discomfort on my back.
I have decided I will be asking for a proper seat from now on, whenever I have to travel to conduct training.
No way am I compromising only to end up suffering like this!
And in case anyone is wondering while reading this - no, it has nothing to do with the dancing on Monday night...ha.