Traveling for the past year has been a great experience, it is something I would recommend to everyone. We have been asked several times is if we had any sickness while traveling. And we did, as you recall our first day was centred around a lovely visit to the emergency room.

I know that most people are asking about belly issues, but my sickness came in the form of a common cold. It was innocent enough at the start. While in Malaysia I started to hear wind in my ear. Nothing to be alarmed about, just weird. By the time we were a third of the way through Vietnam, the ears were painful and I was now congested. It escalated over the next few weeks and I missed a few days of touring in Vietnam and Thailand.

This escalation included shooting pains up the back of my head and my neck was very sore to turn. Again, part of a cold and swollen glads. Or so I thought.

Returning to Canada in August, I was about done with being sick. The cold had disappeared, but the neck and wind in the ears remained. This has been two months by now, so you can understand the frustration. So I went to the walk in clinic, as that seemed the wisest choice next to continuing to complain to Dirk daily about it.

I hate the walk in clinic. I just sit there, count the people ahead of me and convert that to a time frame I have to sit staring at them. I also have found that at times, the less popular doctors are working at the clinic and I don’t always trust their opinion. Not sure why.

Well, this visit was surprising. After telling him my story, he looked in my ears and had me do a few head movements. The conclusion was fluid behind my ears and whiplash. What did he just say? Whiplash? How the hell did I get whiplash? I wasn’t in a car accident or any accident for that matter. This is also why I have the liquid is being held in my ears due to the swelling of the muscles. Bizarre.

I head home to tell Dirk. He is now starring at me with the same dumbfounded expression. How did this happen? After long discussions we can only think of a very crazy and fast boat ride in Malaysia. But still, I didn’t get hurt, just tossed around in the boat.

A month passes and still no improvement, so I head to my family doctor. I am fully prepared that she is going to call this walk in clinic doctor a quack and prescribe something for me. Nope. She confirmed that I have whiplash and recommended massage therapy. Well, at least she recommended something, the last guy just told me to keep moving my head!!