#littletoebigproblem

Little Toe! Big Problem

It is amazing how one little thing can set you back
Almost 6 weeks ago I broke my little toe. I was doing gymnastics (at home) and one of the children moved a chair just a millimeter to close and my left leg was kicking up and SNAP! It hit the edge of the chair.

Within minutes I realized that there was no way I could walk so got an X-ray at a local clinic as my foot turned blue. Thankfully I had visited a doctor a few weeks prior and he gave me a diagnosis by WhatApp but I visited him the next day to confirm it was indeed fractured. All he did was put a small tape of my foot and said it should be better in 3 weeks.

So I hobbled around but inactivity made my body stiff so I exercised as best I could. I started to get really frustrated because after 3 or 4 weeks. I was not better and it didn’t feel like it was improving. Exercise is a natural antidepressant and I wasn’t getting enough. I started to feel down.

Then things got worse. I was walking strangely to compensate for my foot and I somehow threw my shoulder. I could barely move my arm so I rang a friend who is a physiotherapist and she turned out to be great at find and found the pressure points to release the muscles. She gave me exercises so my shoulder could regain movement and she suggested I try to walk normally. The Parkinson’s body forgets very quickly what is normal so with thought and intention I started to walk better. This week I could even put on a pair of shoes and walked to the mall. It is still not 100% but it’s on the mend and I can do most things now.

The toe is such a small part of my body and it affected my whole body and outlook. It reminds me of this from the Bible about the tongue:

“The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.
Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.
It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire,
and is itself set on fire by hell”.
James 3:5-6

Whether you believe in hell or not we all know the power that hash words can have.
My broken toe had a chain of effects that affected everything.
The toe broke:
which led to stiffness in my body
which led to – frustration and sadness for the lost opportunities
which led to – walking with poor form
which led to – a hurt shoulder /arm
which led to – more frustration and sadness
BUT then I asked for help – which led me to fix my shoulder
which led me to – try to walk normally
Which led me to – exercise again
Which let me to – get a buzz from exercise success again
Which made me happy and ready to launch my comeback

Is a small thing In your life leading you into a downward spiral?.

Every situation is different and we sometimes can’t control the negative things that happen but we can learn from our own and other people’s experiences. .
I’m not sure I would have done anything different or could have. Sometimes help from others doesn’t work but in this case it did and it’s always good to have in mind that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I hope this reflection helps you. It’s not all roses and rainbows as now I’m pushing myself physically and my muscles are sore but I’m on an upward upward trajectory.

PS. If you are curious about the connection between exercise and mental health there is plenty of information about there. Here is a link to one video:

Dr Simon Rosenbaum https://youtu.be/_6JIXnwW03Q