A little magic on my bum toe

It's autumn in HK - where it's still 70 degrees everyday.  Not quite the brisk fall season I love and am accustomed to in NY; I sighed when I saw Central Park's dazzling foliage in the NYT Styles section this past wknd.  But even in HK, fall means racing season is starting; my wish while in Asia is to enter road races in different locales - Vietnam, Cambodia..etc.  But we will see. For my racing debut in Asia, I signed up a flat Unicef 10K race for around Disneyland HK this Sunday.   

Except - my right toes are not cooperating.  Namely my second toe, which is 1/4" taller than my big toe; in some countries this alignment heralds good fortunes and success, but in my case, it has been an achy nuisance. 

After a long hilly practice run around Blacklink’s yesterday; I woke up this morning in hobbling pain.  I could not put any weight on my right foot, and my second toe refused to wiggle.  Attempted in vain to locate western doctors for my toe to visit as I am leaving for a biz trip starting tmrw; but alas, no luck.  Feeling my plight, my local HK assistant* suggested I try her 'bone doctor' - and off she took me to a corner store in Sheung Wang. 

The ‘Doctor’ was in a stained tshirt and rumpled khakis; an old karate master.  He pointed at a rickety bench, and I sat and put my ailed foot on the little children’s stool.  With an ointment that smelled vaguely of Tiger Balm- he massaged and twist-adjusted my toes this way and that way – and I could feel the sensation coming back.  My toe, my darling toe!  It was magical; as it wiggled in delight.

Finally, he ‘fish-netted’ a hot herbal compress* around my foot. The compress is to be kept overnight; it is very soothing, vascillating between warm and cold; I can feet my foot breathing in relief.

Before I left, the Doctor  tapped me on my forehead: 

  “Young lady.  No tomatoes, no mushrooms, and no scotch/whiskey for two weeks.”

OK, Doctor.  I will try to abide, especially hard liquor  – because I look like a hopeless lush.  But I still want to run around Disneyland.

*the assistant culture is amazing; they’re so damn helpful – and really consider it a honor to help.  I am always touched  

* a.k.a. liniments, which is a gauze bandage filled with a cupful of a secret vat mixture combining alcohol and pulverized herb powders (mainly Chinese roots and camphor)  that has been cooked all day.

Comments

[TetkaMakiMiyu]

Yikes - how did this happen?? Get well soon and good luck on your racing debut! Wave to Mickey for us. :)

[Sarah]

Get well soon, it sounds like you are in good hands!