Will I Ever Be Myself Again?
Trying to Keep My Head Up
Striding through the Gare du Nord after a beautiful day in Paris, my legs gave out. A sudden attack of crippling…even now I don’t know what to call it. Pain? A sensation I’ve never experienced. One second my legs worked correctly and the next they were collapsing.
It came in waves that got shorter in duration. They weren’t numb, they just didn’t work. I was in shock and scared. Thankfully, on this day I had a traveling companion. Months before, I had invited my new friend, my tour guide from my inaugural trip to the Cotswolds this past September.
She knew I had herniated and bulging discs (discovered after I had already booked this trip), so I might need to walk a bit more slowly and take it easy. But this leg-collapsing thing was brand new.
I clutched onto her to steady myself. We briskly got through security so I could rehydrate and rest before boarding our train back to London.
I hoped this would be a one-time thing due to poor sleep, a long day, and not drinking enough water. Unfortunately, I experienced it during the rest of my trip and upon my return home to Houston.
While in Florence several days later, I was in a lovely shop at the end of a long day of sightseeing. The kind owner offered to spend some time with me and…
